Sweet Potato Pizza Crust

Who doesn’t love pizza? I crave it all the time, but when I do indulge, I don’t usually feel very good afterwards – maybe it’s all the cheese and salt,  or the bread or the greasy toppings, or the fact that I usually leave my portion control at home (because stopping at 2 slices is SO hard!!). Most likely, it’s a combo of all that.  So for a LONG time, I’ve been searching for a pizza recipe that would skip the grains, and focus on plant foods as the crust – and in the process of discovering this recipe, I’ve played around a lot.  I spent a good amount of time trying to master cauliflower pizza crust but it just didn’t cut it. It was too soggy, and fell apart en route to my mouth and while I love cauliflower, the flavor in pizza crust was too distinct. It just didn’t ever feel like pizza. Then, one day a friend brought me a recipe for sweet potato pizza crust. I was a total skeptic and very ready to abandon this grain-free pizza mission. But she said her friend swears by it, so I felt obligated to give it one last shot.

Well, wouldn’t you know, this recipe proved to be life-changing. The crust holds up like real pizza crust and is approved (and adored) by some pretty picky pizza fanatics in my life. Bottom line: everyone who tries it, loves it. You can top it any way you like, but my one rule is that you skip tomato sauce because it makes the dough soggy. Instead, brush the crust with your favorite oil (olive or lemon avocado oil are my favs), and maybe a pinch of garlic powder and Italian herbs.  Prepare to fall in love!!

Mission Healthy Pizza: Accomplished

(A little over cooked but no less tasty! Brussels with red onion, pear, thyme and almonds with lemon avocado oil)

Sweet Potato Pizza

serves 2-3

Ingredients:

2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks (it was a little over 2 cups mashed but don't worry about precision too much)


1.5 cups cashew flour (or almond flour)


1/4 cup shredded parmesan


1 Tbsp dried Italian herbs


1 tsp baking soda


1/4 tsp garlic powder


3/4 tsp salt


black pepper


coconut flour to dust your hands

Toppings of choice (I like sautéed eggplant, mushrooms, chicken sausage, fresh basil + arugula, parmesan OR sautéed Brussels sprouts & red onion with pine nuts, thyme, goat cheese and pomegranate seeds)

mozzarella cheese, goat cheese, feta, parmesan all work well here JUST GO LIGHT- you don’t need that much because there’s so much awesome flavor and we are trying to avoid a stomach ache J, remember?

Method:


Preheat oven to 400.

Boil sweet potato pieces until very soft, about 20 minutes. Drain. Place in large mixing bowl. Mash with a fork. Alternatively, you can microwave your sweet potatoes instead of boiling.

To the bowl add the rest of the ingredients. Mix with a wooden spoon. With your hands coated in coconut flour, remove dough from bowl, and place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.

Press dough into circle form, using coconut flour as needed for stickiness. 
Bake for about 20 minutes, until lightly browned.

When you are ready to top the pizza, start by brushing a couple teaspoons of your favorite oil on top of the crust, then sprinkle with garlic powder and dried Italian herbs for a little extra UMPH. Follow with your toppings and cheese and bake again at 400 for about 15 minutes to melt the cheese and re-heat the crust. Slice into squares, and serve immediately.

*A little note: while I love using a variety of toppings, don’t use too much. The dough holds up pretty well, but it’s not as strong as a bread pizza dough. Just proceed with a little caution.