As Easy as (Pizza) Pie

Last Friday I threw a vegan pizza party. (It turned out to be a party of three, but whatever, there was still an air of specialness about it—isn't that what makes a "party"?)I picked up pizza dough (garlic and herb, so so good!), marinara, an eggplant, and shredded vegan "mozzarella" at Trader Joe's. Same deal as "regular" pizza: I sauteed the eggplant beforehand, kneaded out the dough, chopped up some fresh basil, and sprinkled everything on. (The summer after I went vegan, my dad made dough and sauce from scratch, using rosemary and thyme from his garden and Follow Your Heart "mozz." Daiya is also delicious.)Nowadays vegan cheese melts just like "the real thing"—which might be an appealing quality for you during the transition away from dairy products. The taste isn't identical, but then, I wouldn't want it to be. Vegan cheese is tasty in its own right. (I like pizza without it too, piled high with roasted vegetables. For me, good pizza has always been about a crispy crust; everything else is optional.)I bought three bags of dough and made two big pizzas, but by the end of the evening there was only one slice left.I'll be blogging about breaking the cheese addiction later this week. I'm really excited for this topic, since it was the biggest hurdle for me personally (or, rather, I'd thought it would be the biggest hurdle!)