Sweet Potato Pesto Pizza

If your cauliflower intake has finally peaked from all the inventive cauliflower rice and cauliflower pizza crust recipes out there lately, why not give sweet potato crust a try? This plant-based Ayurvedic pizza recipe from cookbook author and Ayurveda lifestyle expert, Sahara Rose piles a potato-powered crust high with flavor and whole food nutrition. Made without dairy or wheat, the easy-to-digest dish is the perfect combination of good and good for you. Snag the recipe from Sahara’s incredible cookbook below — it’s ideal to make and share with friends.

Just because you’re plant-based Ayurvedic, doesn’t mean the pizza party has to stop! In fact, it just got upgraded with a root veggie crust, plant-based pesto, almond feta, roasted chickpeas and assorted veggies from my book, Eat Feel Fresh: A Plant-Based Ayurvedic Cookbook.

The crust is super easy to make and chances are, you already have everything in your kitchen. You can omit the raw arugula, but I’ve found that even my Vata clients are able to digest it well when paired with warm, grounding ingredients — plus a little bit of raw foods alkalizes the body and contains cellular intelligence that can repair the gut.

This crust contains the six tastes: sweet-tasting sweet potatoes, sour lemon, salty salt, bitter arugula, pungent curry, astringent walnuts, all leaving you satiated and craving free post-pizza. Best of all, it’s tomato free so you can share it with the Pittas in your life (we all have one!).

Ingredients

For the crust:

• 1 cup baked and mashed sweet potato
• 1 cup oat flour (blended oats) or almond flour for Paleo
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp dried basil
• ¼ tsp curry powder (optional)
• ½ tsp sea salt
• 1/8 tsp freshly ground black pepper

For the plant-based pesto: (makes 1 ¼ cup)

• 2 cups tightly packed fresh basil leaves
• ½ cup walnuts or pine nuts
• 1 garlic clove, chopped (omit for Pitta/yogic path)
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 1 Tbsp lemon juice
• 3 tbsp nutritional yeast
• ½ cup extra virgin olive oil

For the toppings:

• Almond Feta
• Roasted Chickpeas
• Choice of veggies (mushrooms, kale, artichoke coated in olive oil)
• 1 handful arugula tossed in olive oil and lemon, optional

Method

For the pesto:

1. Combine all ingredients, except olive oil, in a food processor. Pulse until mixture is coarsely ground. Stream in the olive oil while blending. Transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate until ready to use.

For the crust:

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl, combine the sweet potato, flour, baking soda, oregano, basil, curry powder, salt and pepper. Knead well until the mixture resembles pizza dough.
3. Coat a wood board and rolling pin with flour and roll the dough into a large circle, about 1/2 inch thick. Bake for 15–20 minutes or until the crust edges are slightly browned.

For the pizza:

1. Remove the crust from the oven. Spread ¼ cup pesto over the crust, then top with feta, roasted chickpeas and vegetable toppings. Broil for 3–5 minutes, or until cheese is melted. Cool briefly before slicing. Top with arugula salad and enjoy.

Recipe and image published from Sahara Rose’s book: eat feel fresh.

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