Pizza Sauce

Years ago when my children were young and very busy, Friday night was pizza night. We all looked forward to it, some because they loved pizza and others because it was an easy dinner (you can guess why I liked it). Anyway, too much of a good thing isn't good. We all got sick of it until wood burning brick ovens and pizza stones became commonplace. Then... we fell back in love.

But when I started eating vegan, pizza became a real challenge. After all, what's pizza without the cheese, focaccia? Well I like focaccia but I prefer it with sauce. So I came up with a simple sauce and even though my family still asks for cheese on top, we all really like this and you will too. Use it with lots of veggies and you'll love pizza even more now than you did before.

I usually make my own dough, but a neighbor of mine wisely buys her dough from a local pizzeria... smart girl Meg.

Pizza Sauce

1 - 15 oz. can of organic crushed tomatoes
1 - 14.5 can of organic whole peeled tomatoes
2 garlic cloves minced fine
1 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. sugar
1/8 tsp. crushed red pepper
1/8 tsp. dried basil
1/8 tsp. salt

Begin by draining the whole peeled tomatoes and slice them into inch slices. Drain. In a nonstick skillet, add the crushed tomatoes, sliced tomatoes, garlic, oregano, sugar, red pepper, basil and salt. Bring to a simmer over low heat. Gently simmer, uncovered for 15 - 20 minutes.

My favorite pizza toppings

Fresh basil
Artichoke hearts
Kalamata olives
Onions
Mushrooms

Make sure every bit of the sauce is covered with some topping.