I'm all about comfy, cozy power bowls. They warm the soul and offer a wide range of flavors, colors, and textures that serve as the perfect distraction for those ever-changing cravings that scamper in alongside the cold weather. Pesky little things, aren't they?
The idea behind this power bowl is pretty straight forward: take a delicious meal, parse out each element, give everything a healthy twist, and nestle it all within a snazzy bowl. The tastiest thing I can think of on any given day is usually... PIZZA! So this La Vita è Bella Pizza Power Bowl is a deconstructed, veganized version of everyone's Italian love.
The Crust | My childhood favorite pizza was deep dish from Gino's East (to my fellow Chicagoans, Lou's was always a close second). A thick layer of gooey mozzarella was nestled on top of a cornmeal crust and slathered with a simple tomato sauce. Something about that cornmeal crust got me every time. So the "crust" in this bowl is creamy polenta with garlic, oregano, basil, and olive oil.
The Toppings | I've always been partial to loads of veggies liberally strewn about a cheese-laden slice of 'za. My go-to choices are mushrooms and spinach, so the "toppings" in this bowl are sautéed mushrooms, spinach, and yellow onion (for an added flavor kick).
The Sauce | I love lots and lots of sauce on both pizza and pasta, and it's probably because I have what some might call "an obsession" with tomatoes. Obsessive? Nah. That's amore. The sauce in this bowl requires just three simple steps: 1. open 2. dump 3. heat. You'll simply add one can of pizza sauce and one can of diced tomatoes to a sauce pan and heat the mixture.
The Cheese | I like to save the best for last. I initially set out to create a cold, mozzarella-ish cheese but ran into a lucky streak in the kitchen last weekend and ended up creating a warm, gooey, stretchy vegan mozzarella cheese. Seriously, it stretches. Check it out...
To make the cheese, you'll add cashews, water, white wine vinegar, nutritional yeast, arrowroot powder, garlic, and sea salt to a blender. You'll blend it on high until smooth, pour it into a pan, heat over medium, and whisk together for about five minutes until you have a thick, cheesy mixture. A dollop of this dreamy mozzarella along with a sprinkle of basil pulls the entire pizza bowl together like one big, happy, Italian family.
La vita è bella e la pizza è deliziosa.
La Vita è Bella Pizza Power Bowl
Ingredients
For the Polenta
- 3 ½ cups water
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 1 cup polenta
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ¼ teaspoon dried basil
- Sea salt, to taste (I use ½ teaspoon)
For the Veggie Mixture
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 4 cups baby spinach
- 10 ounces baby bella (i.e., Cremini) mushrooms, washed and sliced
- 1 yellow onion, peeled and sliced into rings
- Sea salt, to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
For the Sauce
- 1 15- ounce can pizza sauce*
- 1 15- ounce can diced tomatoes with Italian seasoning
For the Vegan Mozzarella
- ½ cup raw cashews
- ⅔ cup water
- 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
- 1 tablespoon arrowroot powder
- 1 garlic clove
- ½ - ¾ teaspoon sea salt or to taste
Garnish
- Fresh basil leaves, chopped
- Chili flakes, to taste
Instructions
To Make the Polenta
- Add the water and sea salt to a medium sauce pan and bring to a boil. Slowly add in the polenta, whisking continuously. Once the polenta is added, continue to whisk for 1-2 minutes to ensure that it is smooth and free from clumps. Cook for 20-25 minutes or until tender and creamy, whisking every few minutes to prevent clumping.
- Once the polenta is done cooking, stir in the garlic, olive oil, dried oregano, dried basil, and sea salt.
- Set aside until ready to assemble.
To Make the Veggie Mixture
- While the polenta is cooking, add 1 olive oil to a large skillet over medium heat.
- Add in the spinach, mushrooms, and onion. Cook for 15-18 minutes or until the veggies are tender. Season with sea salt and black pepper, to taste.
To Make the Sauce
- Add the pizza sauce and diced tomatoes to a medium sauce pan and heat over low until hot.
To Make the Vegan Mozzarella
- Add the cashews, water, white wine vinegar, nutritional yeast, arrowroot powder, garlic, and sea salt to a high-powered blender** and blend on high for 2-3 minutes or until completely smooth.
- Pour the mixture into a small sauce pan. Heat over medium and whisk continuously until it becomes thick and stretchy (approximately 5 minutes).
- Remove from heat and let cool slightly.
To Assemble the Bowls
- Divide the polenta, veggies, and sauce between 4 bowls. Drop a dollop of vegan mozzarella in the center, and garnish with fresh basil and chili flakes.
- Refrigerate leftovers.
Notes
**If you don't have a high-powered blender, simply soak the cashews in warm water for an hour or two before blending.
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Ahh even thought I love the real stuff, this looks so great! I love polenta, especially on a cold night. And I'm very intrigued by that "cheese"... I might need to try that. Yum!
xo,
Lauren at http://www.lakeshorelady.com
I just can't get over how tempting you make everything look and the flavors are so well balanced....I am not a vegan yet but you may sway me yet!
uh yum! Pizza in a bowl? Looks amazing!
This looked so good that I swapped out my menu plan for tonight and made it instead. It was delicious! Over the summer I slow roasted about 30lbs of tomatoes with basil and garlic and so instead of making sauce, I used them. I did the bowl in layers rather than in individual sides...polenta, roasted tomatoes, spinach/mushroom/onion mixture (spinach from the garden, picked yesterday!), and the cheese. It was very yummy. I'll be making it again and there might be fights for the leftovers tomorrow!
Just made this and had to comment...my cheese did not get as smooth and stretchy, but the taste was wonderful. I do not have a high speed blender, so I soaked nuts for about 1/2 hour in warm water. I also had to sub cornstarch for the arrow root because that's what I had on hand. This could be why my cheese didn't "act" as yours did. However, this is a fabulous meal! Thank you so much for sharing... a whole meal in a bowl is my favorite. This will be a regular meal in my home!
Thanks so much for taking the time to comment, and I'm so glad you enjoyed it! That makes me so happy. Cornstarch won't yield the same consistency in this cheese, so that's likely why it wasn't smooth and stretchy. I hope you have a chance to try it with arrowroot sometime!
Perhaps once my cornstarch is gone I will invest in arrowroot...really need to get away from the corn products any way. :) Would you say it is pretty easy to find? I live in small town so I'm talking at local grocery stores?? If not I order a lot online...do you care for a particular brand? When trying something new I like to have someone's recommendation. :) Thanks!
If you have a grocer that carries Bob's Red Mill products, they will likely have it. That is the brand I use for arrowroot, and it's wonderful. I've also ordered it online before, which is a great option if you don't feel like hunting it down at a grocery store!