Raw Pizza Crust + Kale-Hemp Pesto

I promised you more raw and lightened up fare for the upcoming warmer months and this dish does not disappoint! I’ve been wanting to make a raw pizza crust for like, forever. Finally. First time was the charm with this endeavor. I love it when that happens. Most often there are multiple attempts to get it just right. Yay!

Ingredients

~ for the crust

2 cups rough-chopped zucchini
1 cup raw pine nuts
1 medium red bell pepper, chopped
¼ cup hemp seeds
¼ cup sun-dried tomatoes
¼ cup ground flax seeds
3 TBS nutritional yeast
1 TBS Italian seasoning
1 TBS lemon juice
1 tsp dried or fresh oregano
1 garlic clove or ½ tsp garlic powder

~ for the pesto

2 cups loosely-packed fresh basil
2 cups loosely-packed kale (I used baby kale)
1 cup raw walnuts
½ cup hemp seeds
¼ cup nutritional yeast
2 TBS lemon juice
1 garlic clove
¼ cup water

Method

~ for the crust

Soak the sun-dried tomatoes until they are soft (about 3-4 hours). Drain and rinse.
Add all ingredients to a food processor and pulse/process until everything is well combined and still a little chunky, scraping down the sides as needed. You should be able to see bits and pieces of the veggies (see photo above).
Drop the mixture by about ½ cupfuls onto dehydrator trays lined with non-stick sheets (you'll need 2 trays for the 6 crusts). Smooth and shape into 5" disks, about ¼" thick. Keep the edges a little higher than the center, just like a baked pizza crust. This will hold your toppings on them better.
Dehydrate at 115°F for 8 hours (see notes).
Remove the crusts from the non-stick liners and place them back to dehydrate for another 8-10 hours at 105° F. When they're done they should be firm enough to pick up easily with no sign of moisture.
Store in an airtight bag for freshness if not using right away.

Full Reading: https://helynskitchen.com/2016/05/raw-pizza-crust-kale-hemp-pesto.html