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Sweet and Sour Chickpea Pizza

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sweet sour pizza 8yChinese food…on pizza?  I know, I know.  To some it may sound like a strange combination.  But if you are adventurous and cool different like me, then you just might look at this combination and think…”hmm, now that is something that I need to try!”

sweet sour pizza 4yNaturally, as I often do when I sit down at my dinner table couch, my mind wanders to potential future recipe ideas.  On a particular Sunday evening when I was eating a bowl of my Sweet and Sour Tempeh over rice, an enticing idea came to mind.  What would happen if I combined sweet and sour chicken (chickpeas in my case) with another favorite of mine …. pizza?  Yes, pizza.  And the more that I thought about it, the more I was starting to become convinced that I was, in fact, a genius.  Not to sound full of myself or anything 😉

sweet sour pizza 5yyMaking and tasting this pizza did nothing to deflate my ego.  If I’m being honest, I was pretty much loving anything and everything about this pizza.  If you like pizza, you are going to want to make this.  If you enjoy the sweet and savory combo, you pretty much need to make this.  And if you love chickpeas and Chinese food like I do…

…have you left to go buy the ingredients for this yet?  Oh, I suppose it would help if I gave you those first, right?

sweet sour pizza 3ySweet and Sour Chickpea Pizza
Vegan

Makes 1 pizza (serves 2 to 3, 2 in my case)

Ingredients

2 TB seasoned rice vinegar
2 TB Bragg’s Liquid Aminos (or low-sodium soy sauce)
2 TB ketchup
1/4 tsp ground ginger
2 tsp light brown sugar
1 8 oz can pineapple tidbits (with juices reserved)
1 premade thin pizza crust
water, for cooking
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
1/2 green bell pepper, chopped
1/8 cup diced yellow or white onion
1/2 TB cornstarch + 2 TB cold water, mixed together
2/3 cup chickpeas, cooked

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Wisk together vinegar, Bragg’s, ketchup, ginger, brown sugar, and pineapple juice.  Set aside.

3. Line medium skillet with a thin layer of water.  Heat over medium-high heat until very hot.  Once hot, lower the heat to medium and add the peppers and onions to the pan.  Cook for approximately 6 to 8 minutes, or until softened.  Add additional water, as necessary.

4. While the peppers and onions are cooking, bake the pizza crust for approximately 3 to 5 minutes, or until it becomes slightly crispy.  Remove from oven and set aside.

5. Once the peppers and onions are cooked through, stir in the marinade and cornstarch/water mixture.  Lower the heat to medium-low and cook for approximately 3 to 5 minutes, or until the sauce has thickened to your liking.  Add additional cornstarch/water, if necessary.

6. Turn off the heat and stir in the pineapple tidbits and chickpeas.

7. Top the pizza crust with the sweet and sour mixture.  Bake for approximately 6 to 8 minutes, or until hot and the crust has started to crisp up.  Turn the broiler on low and broil for approximately 3 minutes, if a crispier crust is desired.  Watch the pizza carefully to ensure that it does not burn.

sweet sour pizzaA crispy crust.
A sweet, yet sour sauce.
Lots of veggies.
Protein-packed chickpeas.
Serious deliciousness.

Not only does she look pretty, but she tastes pretty darn good too!

sweet sour pizza 9yThis is definitely not your traditional pizza.  But I think that is a good thing, right?

My other sweet and sour recipes that might interest you:

Sweet and Sour “Meatball” Subs
Sweet and Sour Tempeh
Sweet and Sour Veggies with Rice (an oldie, but a goodie!)

What is the most “untraditional” pizza topping that you have tried?

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{ 25 comments… add one }
  • meredith @ The Cookie ChRUNicles April 21, 2014, 5:44 am
    I would totally eat this! The pizza places by me have so many specialty pie combinations that you can't even find a regular pizza pie on their counter lol. meredith @ The Cookie ChRUNicles recently posted...Best Baked Oatmeal I Ever Ate and Weekend HighlightsMy Profile
    • ClnEatingVegGrl April 21, 2014, 7:28 am
      Haha, that is funny! I LOVE trying specialty pizzas, but sometimes you also just need a good slice of plain cheese pizza. Pizza is basically just awesome if I do say so myself!
  • Becky @ Olives n Wine April 21, 2014, 6:44 am
    Oooh yum! I never would have though to combine Chinese food and pizza :) I think the most nontraditional food I've put on pizza is an egg but that's not too risky... hehe! Oh wait, I did have macaroni and cheese pizza in Minneapolis and it is AMAZING! Becky @ Olives n Wine recently posted...Sugar-Free Banana Bread Granola BarsMy Profile
    • ClnEatingVegGrl April 21, 2014, 12:49 pm
      Eggs on pizza are the BEST! And I have also had mac & cheese pizza...pretty much ahhhhmazing!
  • Jan @ Sprouts n Squats April 21, 2014, 7:20 am
    Wow you are a genius ;) this looks so good! I'm a huge fan of pineapple on pizzas too so that really won me over. If you wanted to extreme vegify it you could too it on cauliflower crust pizza. Jan @ Sprouts n Squats recently posted...The Armstrong Lie Review + moreMy Profile
    • ClnEatingVegGrl April 21, 2014, 12:50 pm
      This would definitely be awesome on a cauli crust! And I love that you like pineapple on pizza! A lot of people think I am weird when I pick that for a topping.
  • Meredith April 21, 2014, 7:23 am
    This is such a pretty pizza, I'd never think of that but it sounds and looks awesome! I think marshmallows are the strangest topping I've had...but it was a s'mores pizza so it worked :) Meredith recently posted...28, feeling great: ConfessionsMy Profile
    • ClnEatingVegGrl April 21, 2014, 12:53 pm
      Aren't dessert pizzas the best? They are soooo addicting ;)
  • Katie @ Daily Cup of Kate April 21, 2014, 7:37 am
    What a great combo that I would never in a million years think to put together! Katie @ Daily Cup of Kate recently posted...1/2 Ironman Workout Recap: 10 Weeks OutMy Profile
    • ClnEatingVegGrl April 21, 2014, 12:57 pm
      My mind works in weird ways... ;)
  • Kelly @ hidden fruits and veggies April 21, 2014, 9:06 am
    A pizza place near me makes pasta pizzas -- tortellini alfredo, spaghetti with marinara, etc all on a pizza. It is carb-overload-tasty-goodness. I've long time been a fan of Chineese-food pizza (i.e., getting Chinese veggies and a slice of cheese pizza at the mall food court and piling the chinese food on top), but this sounds like a much healthier choice and like maybe I won't get so many weird looks
    • ClnEatingVegGrl April 21, 2014, 12:58 pm
      BOTH of those sound fantastic...I like the way your mind works. I think we are almost foodie twins ;)
  • Becky@TheSavedRunner April 21, 2014, 9:16 am
    You are a brave girl for making this! I will try just about anything, so I would be up for trying this, but I'm pretty sure I won't be able to convince the Hubs to do the same. ;)
    • ClnEatingVegGrl April 21, 2014, 12:59 pm
      Haha! ...well if he doesn't want to try it then there is more for you..so that sounds like a win to me ;)
  • Ashley April 21, 2014, 9:31 am
    I love the sound of this pizza! I'm all about non-traditional pizza toppings (although of course I enjoy the classics too!). Plus this will just fuel my current chickpea kick even further : ) Hope you had a great weekend! Ashley recently posted...Baked Tortilla Crusted Chicken Tenders with Mango SalsaMy Profile
    • ClnEatingVegGrl April 21, 2014, 1:00 pm
      The more chickpeas the better, right? I am glad to hear that there are others out there who are as chickpea obsessed as I am!
  • Erin @ Girl Gone Veggie April 21, 2014, 5:05 pm
    I never thought to put chickpeas on a pizza. Crazy right?
    • ClnEatingVegGrl April 22, 2014, 6:49 am
      I think I am just weirdly obsessed with chickpeas and always think.."hmm, what can I put these in/on?" ;)
  • Polly @ Tasty Food Project April 21, 2014, 7:19 pm
    I love sweet and sour flavor AND pizza! What a unique combo! The most untraditional pizza I've seen was when I was in Thailand many years ago and they offered shrimp as a topping! Polly @ Tasty Food Project recently posted...Festive Shrimp CevicheMy Profile
    • ClnEatingVegGrl April 22, 2014, 6:48 am
      Oh gosh, I bet they DID have some unique pizzas! I would love to try pizza in another country to see what types of toppings they offer. Of course, I would REALLY love to try traditional pizza is Italy ;)
  • Meghan @ fitnesscrEATures April 21, 2014, 8:41 pm
    this might be too adventurous to me, but pizza anything is delish!
    • ClnEatingVegGrl April 22, 2014, 6:47 am
      Haha! Oh no, I bet you could do it!! ;)
  • The Vegan 8 April 24, 2014, 5:32 pm
    I don't think this is weird at all! I think this looks so good. I love non-traditional pizza flavors! Just started following your blog :)
    • ClnEatingVegGrl April 24, 2014, 6:11 pm
      Thanks so much! I am glad we are on the same page with this one. We must have good taste, right? ;) I hope you find plenty more recipes here that you enjoy!
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