Vegan spinach and olive calzones

Today’s lunch was a hodgepodge of Ish wanting a spinach and feta calzone (he confessed that he would have an easier time becoming ovo/lacto than vegan at this point…that statement made my heart SO happy!), and me wanting to make a vegan version using some Teese. So…I grabbed my pizza recipe, and got creative. In determining what the filling should be, I thought that black olives (LOVE THEM!) and chopped spinach would be a great compliment to the saltiness of the cheez. I also seasoned the crust with some Italian herbs and crushed garlic…I LOVE GARLIC…. Needless to say, this was a HUGE hit! AND it was super easy. The pizza crust recipe makes 2 individual pizzas (the way that we eat them), and made 2 perfectly-sized personal calzones. Because the crust is “thin” you don’t get too much bread, but it held together really well. It wasn’t shiny or incredibly pretty, but it was definitely worth posting the recipe AND making them again! I baked both calzones together, and it worked out wonderfully. (If you have a larger family, I would make 2 batches, rather than double the recipe, as I’m not sure how the crust would turn out at that point.) I did serve these with a large green salad and marinara sauce (I seasoned it with some Parma). So…without further ado…

Vegan Calzones

You will need:

Pizza Crust, seasoned with 1/4 c Italian Seasoning & 3 cloves crushed garlic

Parchment Paper (so that your calzones don’t stick)

3/4 c grated vegan cheez (I used Teese)
1/2 c chopped spinach, pressed and drained
1 small can sliced black olives

2 c of your favorite marinara sauce
1/4 c Parma

Method:

Pre-heat your oven to 400 degrees. While your oven is heating, prepare your dough, adding the seasonings with the flour. Toss together the spinach, cheez & olives. Press dough out on parchment, making two equal circles. Spoon 1/2 the filling mix onto 1/2 of each circle of dough. Fold the dough over on itself, crimping the edges together. You can flute them if you like…just make sure that there’s no room for leaking. Take a knife and make a slit in the top of each calzone so that steam can escape (it’s also a helpful guide for cutting them in 1/2 to serve). Move the calzones and parchment to a pizza stone or tray. Put your calzones in the oven for 15-20 minutes, depending on your oven. Mine doesn’t stay really hot, so it took 20 minutes. The crust should be firm when you take them out.

Let your calzones cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes. While the calzones are cooling a bit, mix together the marinara and Parma, and put into 2 bowls. Cut the calzones in 1/2, and serve with the marinara mix for dipping. YUM!

Tagged as: diet, Recipe, Vegan