Hawaiian BBQ Pizza with Cashew Parmesan

We’ll get to this pizza in a minute, but first I have to ask… have you tried cashew parmesan? It’s straight up magic dust. Amazing, nutrient-packed, flavorful magic dust. And it’s not just some one-trick pony. Sprinkle it on pizza, veggies, pasta, salads, sandwiches, wraps, you name it. DELICIOUS. I was never a huge fan of soy cheese and only have it once in a while, so when I discovered this simple, homemade alternative I went nuts. It filled a huge gap in my life and took our homemade vegan pizzas to a whole other level. So now that I’ve successfully proclaimed my love, we’ll jump back to the pizza at hand. Our favorite combo has always been Hawaiian style with sweet pineapple, onion, cilantro, and BBQ sauce. This vegan version doesn’t skip a beat and is just as delicious (possibly even more) as the original. The parmesan brings it all together and I love to add beans for heartiness and protein. Use as much or as little of the toppings to suit your own taste – enjoy!

Vegan, gluten-free (with gf pizza crust)
Cashew parmesan adapted from Naked Kitchen
Makes 2 medium pizzas

Ingredients
15 oz. can black beans
1/2 small red onion
2 cups pineapple (canned or fresh)
1 cup BBQ sauce
Pizza crust (homemade or store-bought)
Cilantro

{For the cashew parmesan}*
1 cup raw cashews
6 Tbsp. nutritional yeast
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. garlic powder

Directions
Make the cashew parmesan: place all ingredients in a food processor and process until crumbly.
Preheat oven to 400 (or whatever temp your crust is happiest).
Slice onion and chop pineapple.
Evenly spread the BBQ sauce on each crust (using about 1/2 cup per crust, more or less to taste).
Sprinkle a layer of parmesan, then black beans, onion, and pineapple.
Place in oven and bake 10-15 minutes or until your crust is baked through.
While pizza is baking, roughly chop cilantro.
When pizza is done, top with cilantro. I do another light sprinkle of cashew parmesan for good measure 😉

*Note: You’ll have leftover parmesan, but it stores in the fridge for a few months – score! We only use about half of it for the two pizzas so if you don’t want leftovers, go ahead and cut the recipe in half.

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