The Luigi

First off: YUM!

The Luigi, from The Sexy Vegan Cookbook, is the counterpart to The Mario. Both are pizzas (obviously. They are Italian), and both worth the work involved in making them. The Luigi didn't seem as labour-intensive as The Mario. I did already have two of the three cheeses made: The Not-zzarella Sauce, and the Parmesan Topping. I also planned it's making better than The Mario. I made the third cheese (Cashew Ricotta) the night before. She can be taught!
I admit that I was pretty nervous to try pizza with kale as a topping. I mean, I do love kale massaged in a salad, in smoothies, and baked into chips with some nooch. I was very pleasantly surprised. I'm very happy that I made myself make this.
I'll add that the kitchen smelled amazing from the garlic. Carlos was a happy man. (I brushed my teeth at work when I took leftovers)Naturally, I posted this picture on Facebook for my friends to drool over. One of my vegan friends asked what the differences between The Mario pizza and The Luigi pizza were. I explained that The Mario had a variety of vegetables, and two cheeses. More substance is what I said. The Luigi has three cheeses, kale, and garlic. That same vegan friend added that The Luigi was more green.
I NEVER EVEN THOUGHT OF THAT!! Duh. Luigi has a green outfit, while Mario has a red one.
BRILLIANCE, I SAY!

I did try the basic pizza dough again. Check it. It rose. I was mighty pleased. See...sometimes, most times, you have to try something more than once to be successful. And there's nothing wrong with that.
It was light, and baked out very nicely. Rolling it out was much more pleasant than when it didn't rise. Yeesh.

I think what I really appreciate about this cookbook (besides its' really tasty recipes, intriguing and apt recipe titles, and perfectly amusing cooking instructions), each recipe I've tried teaches me a new kitchen skill. I don't get tired of learning new skills. I take special delight in it. I'm always impressed that my 'severely injured' brain is still capable of learning. Growing up, I was always told that once your brain was damaged, that was it. There would be no way for it to repair. I'm seeing everyday that that just isn't true. So, I like learning. It's great cognitive therapy.

New skills I learnt making this pizza was cooking the full garlic bulbs in olive oil, and steaming kale. I've massaged kale, but I haven't steamed. It's pretty easy.
Overall, this will be a staple pizza in our house. Not gonna lie, I made the extra dough into more of the very same pizza for future meals.