Deliciously Natural Recipes - Pizza Dip (V,GF,R)

This time for Deliciously Natural Recipes,  I wanted to share something fun!  A yummy treat for a nice week-end in watching movies snuggled up on the couch...or since Summer should still be hanging around for a bit (right??) a nice treat for a family BBQ or even a bonfire!  It's my recipe for Pizza Dip which is best served with corn chips or nachos but works great with regular potato chips too!

This recipe is raw, gluten-free & vegetarian and can easily be made vegan by substituting the cheese for a vegan option (Daiya Vegan Cheese being by far the closest to regular cheese in taste and consistency - trust me on this!!)-or- by opting out on cheese entirely, it's tasty either way! 

What you'll need:

• 1 large can of crushed tomatoes (28 oz)
• 1-2 fresh tomatoes
• fresh basil (dried works too)
• fresh oregano (or dried)
• ground turmeric
• yellow, orange or red bell pepper
• olive oil
• apple cider vinegar
• salt & pepper 
• shredded cheese or vegan alternative (like Daiya) 
• *optional* - 1 small container of cream cheese -&- 1 small sour cream container

Pre-preparation:

1. mince or shred basil and oregano - if using fresh!  (about 1 tablespoon worth but you can put more or less, for dried herbs just skip to the next step)
2. dice tomatoes & bell pepper

How to put it all together:

1. pour crushed tomatoes into large mixing bowl
2. add diced tomatoes & bell pepper
3. mix in minced basil & oregano
4. Add in 1 tablespoon of olive oil
5. Add in 1 tablespoon of apple-cider vinegar
6. Add 1 teaspoon of turmeric (or more if you like the stuff as much as I do)
7. Add 1 teaspoon of paprika
8. Salt & pepper to taste
9. Mix thoroughly
10. Pour the mixture onto a pizza pan or even a cookie sheet
11. Add shredded cheese on top - like you would do with a pizza!
12. Serve with tortilla or corn chips. My favorite all the Que Pasa Tortilla Chips.  Regular potato chips also do nicely;)
13. ENJOY!

**A friend of mine used to whip up a recipe something like this, but she'd line the pizza pan or cookie sheet with a a mixture of cream cheese & sour cream~!  One (1) small container of cream-cheese and about half a cup of sour cream mixed well together until the mixture becomes whipped and spreadable. You can add more sour cream if needed for increased spread-ability.  Spread mixture on the bottom of your pizza pan and then add your layer of tomato/bell pepper/herb.  Top it off with cheese - or not!  It gives the mixture a nice tang and thicker constancy...it also makes for a truly decadent treat.  I tend to save this richer take on the recipe for a special occasion but feel free to give both versions a go and decide for yourself :)

Your finished product should look something like this!

I hope you'll all try this simple & delicious recipe for pizza dip.  Feel free to mix it up with different veggies, spices or whatever else you'd like!  Just remember to stop by again and let us know how you made your own version so we can taste test too!