BBQ Broccoli Pizza

I'm starting to love Trader Joe's more and more. Ready-made vegan pizza dough for $1.25? Sold! I didn't even make this BBQ sauce, that also came from TJ's. The Garlic & Herb dough was incredible and was minimal work (just roll and bake!) for a tasty pizza... thanks Joe! :)

I really needed some pizza this week. Something warm, savory, and spicy. And that's just what this is. I even bought a rolling pin for the first time over the weekend. I had a feeling I would be needing it for pizza dough sometime soon and I was right.

As I rolled out the dough, it kept sticking to the pin. That was easy to fix, just add more flour. But the dough just wouldn't stretch like it was "supposed" to. I knew from experience that if I didn't make it 12 inches in diameter the dough would be too thick and would stay soft in the middle. No matter what I did with that rolling pin, the dough kept bouncing back.

What an interesting metaphor for my life. I spend all this time and energy molding things in my life to be the way I think they should be. What if the life I want is the life I have? What if anything you could ever want or be... you already have and are?

I spend so much time worrying -- worrying about the past that I can't change, worrying about the future that I can't control, and worrying about the present that is passing me by. What if I put down the rolling pin? What if I stopped worrying and started enjoying my life more? What if I stopped fighting with the dough and just accepted it for what it wanted to be and everything that it was, not being frustrated with it for everything it was not?

Maybe this is a little too deep for pizza dough... but I think tonight was about taking the time to be present in the moment and stop resisting. To stop worrying. To smile a little more. To keep a sense of humor. And maybe even to dance.

This past weekend I was in class with my fellow graduate students at Antioch. What an amazing group of people. One of the groups began their presentation with having everyone dance. It had been so long since I danced. This week is reminding me that life isn't about having the perfect pizza or the "perfect life." It's about taking those moments to dance, to laugh, and enjoying the present.

So what happened with the pizza? I went ahead and baked it anyway. And guess what... it did turn out a little too soft in the middle... but it was still darn delicious.

Makes 4 large slices:

Pizza Dough (ready-made or make your own)
3 cups broccoli florets
1 red bell pepper, cut into strips
1 yellow onion, sliced
3 Tbs olive oil
5 Tbs BBQ sauce
Tofurky italian sausage (you can also use tempeh, marinated tofu, or seitan)

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Toss broccoli, bell pepper, and onion with 1 Tb olive oil and 1 Tbs BBQ sauce. Place on baking sheet and roast in oven for 10 minutes, turning 2-3 times. Set aside.

Roll out dough and place on oiled baking sheet. Cover with a thin layer of olive oil and bake for about 8 minutes. Add another thin layer of olive oil and 4 Tbs BBQ sauce. Arrange the vegetables to cover the pizza. Slice one Tofurky sausage link and arrange on pizza. Bake for 8 - 10 minutes, or until crust is crispy.