Fig & Arugula Pizza Pie with a Cornbread Quinoa Crust

Author: Rachel–Almonds & Avocados

Cook time:  30 mins

Total time:  30 mins

Serves: 1-2

Ingredients

• ~~For the crust:
• ½ cup quinoa, soaked for at least 8 hours
• ¼ cup + 2 Tbs. filtered water
• ¼ cup polenta corn grits
• 1 Tbs. honey, maple syrup, coconut nectar, or other liquid sweetener (optional)
• ½ tsp. chopped fresh rosemary or ¼ tsp. dried rosemary
• ¼ tsp. sea salt
• 1 Tbs. coconut oil or extra virgin olive oil
• ~~For the toppings:
• ⅓-1/2 cup fig jam OR 5 fresh figs blended with ½ Tbs. liquid sweetener of choice or a couple drops of stevia
• 1 Tbs. balsamic vinegar
• pinch of sea salt
• a couple large handfuls of baby arugula, roughly torn
• a handful of fresh figs, sliced lengthwise into quarters or eighths
• a small handful of yellow cherry tomatoes, sliced into quarters
• a small handful of walnuts, roughly chopped

Instructions

1. Place quinoa in a bowl, add plenty of filtered water (fill to about an inch above the quinoa), and store in the fridge. Make sure to soak your quinoa for at least 8 hours (for example, prepare the night before or before leaving for work in the morning). This step is important–please do not skip!
2. When ready to prepare the pizza, rinse and drain quinoa using a fine sieve.
3. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Spread the coconut or olive oil inside a 9-inch round cake pan and place the pan in the oven while the oven is heating up.
4. To make the “dough” for the crust, combine the quinoa, water, polenta corn grits, sweetener, rosemary, and sea salt in a food processor or high-speed blender until smooth like pancake batter. You want the batter to be thick, but still pourable. You may choose to begin by using only ¼ cup of water and adding a couple of extra tsp. as needed.
5. Remove the heated cake pan from the oven and pour the dough into the pan, using a spatula to spread the dough out evenly to the sides. Place the pan in the oven and bake for 15 minutes, or until the crust is browning on the sides and firm enough to flip. Flip the dough and bake for another 10-15 minutes until the edges are brown and crispy and the dough has baked all the way through. When the dough is done baking, allow it to cool a bit before removing it from the pan.
6. While the dough is baking, prepare the topping ingredients. First, prepare the spread. If you don’t have fig jam available, simply blend fresh figs with a bit of sweetener or stevia. Then, blend the fig jam (store-bought or homemade) with the balsamic vinegar and pinch of sea salt. Set aside to allow the flavors to meld.
7. After the crust has cooled a bit, top with fig spread, baby arugula, fresh figs, yellow cherry tomatoes, and chopped walnuts.
8. Serve immediately and enjoy!