Sweet Potato and Kale Pizza

Disclaimer: My kids wouldn't touch this! Not even my oldest, who will eat anything (and who I am finding shares many of my tastes). You know what that means? More for mama. Which is fine with me, because this pizza is absolutely fantastic. I was skeptical myself--kale? Sweet potatoes? Trust me, get over the doubt and try it at least once if you like either of those ingredients one bit. I'm going out on a limb and assuming you love red onions...because everybody HAS to love red onions. Right?

I made this on homemade pizza night along with the typical plain cheese pizza for the littles, and the spicy-meat-bonanza pizza my husband and older son crave, so that my family would not run away. But I savored every single bite of this amazing discovery. The rest of the fam has NO idea what they are missing! It reheats well, but the kale will only have a luscious crisp when it's first baked.

I altered the recipe just a tad from this one over at twopeasandtheirpod.com. I only used about a third of the dough recipe (a pizza dough you have to try...it's getting it's own post here on the blog, too). Since I was only using a portion of the dough for a smaller pizza, most of the ingredients needed cut down. Also, I sprinkled dried rosemary on top instead of fresh.

Sweet Potato Kale Pizza with Rosemary & Red Onion

Yield: 1 pizza

Cook Time: 10-15 minutes

ingredients:

Your favorite pizza dough-we used this pizza dough recipe
1 large sweet potato, thinly sliced, about 1/4 inch thick
1/2 red onion, sliced
1 1/2 tablespoon olive oil, divided
Salt and pepper, for seasoning potato slices and onion
1 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese
1 1/2 cups chopped kale
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon, freshly chopped rosemary

directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Place the sweet potato slices and red onion slices in a bow and toss with 1/2 tablespoon of the olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Place on a large baking sheet and bake for about 20 minutes, or until the sweet potatoes are soft and tender. Make sure you turn them once during the 20 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool while you prepare the pizza dough.

2. Turn the oven to 500 degrees F or as high as your oven will go. If you have a pizza stone, place the pizza stone in the oven to get hot. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the pizza dough, using a rolling pin. Roll it out to about 3/8 of an inch. Place the pizza dough on a pizza peel or pan that has been generously coated with corn meal. Lightly brush the dough with the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil. In a small bowl, toss the kale with balsamic vinegar. Top the pizza dough with mozzarella cheese, sweet potato slices, kale, red onion slices, and fresh rosemary.

3. Place the pizza in the oven-directly on the pizza stone, if using one, or on the oven rack. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until pizza crust is golden and cheese is melted. Remove from oven and let cool for a few minutes before slicing. Slice and serve warm.

Hearty Lentil Stew

I have a love-hate relationship with lentils. I want to love them all the time, but some recipes that include them are just unbearable. My digestive system definitely hates lentils (oh boy)--a little bean-o, however, goes a long way in that department! 

I've been spoiled since my discovery of red lentils, which have a milder, less...'lentil-y' taste (this soup is the bomb). But I don't want to give up on humble old brown lentils. They are so inexpensive and good for you, and can really be made in so many different ways. For me, lentils are delicious when they are put with the right ingredients, and this recipe was a huge success at making the lentils shine. A little shredded sharp cheddar cheese on top makes the stew even more delicious. It's amazingly filling, and super healthy. Just don't forget to take a bean-o or two if your guts hate lentils like my guts do. ;)

Hearty Lentil Stew 

1 T. olive oil

4 celery stalks, finely chopped

1 small onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

3 1/2 cups cooked brown lentils

1 c. canned crushed tomatoes

3 c. low sodium V-8 juice

1 (1/2 lb) bunch kale, tough stems removed and leaves roughly chopped

salt, freshly ground black pepper

First cook your lentils and set them aside. You can use two 15 oz cans of lentils, drained and rinsed, if you prefer. If using dried, 1 1/3 c. dried will make about 3.5 c. cooked. Here's a handy site to help with conversions like that.

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add celery, onion, and garlic; cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally (do not brown).

Add lentils, tomatoes, juice, and kale; stir to combine and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to low, cover, and cook 15 to 20 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Wild Mushroom and Greens Soup

This is a simple mushroom soup that is great if you need to use up some greens. I had a bunch of chard from my CSA that needed a home, and this is where it went! I was able to find each type of mushroom needed at Meijer. The different mushrooms add such nice texture. I halved the recipe and froze portions for myself for lunches, because although I find it filling and good, my family is not crazy for greens in their soup. One of these days I WILL convert them!

WILD MUSHROOM, WHITE BEAN AND GREENS SOUP

Souper Jenny

Ingredients

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 large yellow onion, chopped

3 garlic cloves, peeled and minced

4 cups shiitake mushrooms, cleaned and quartered

4 cups oyster mushrooms, cleaned and quartered

8 ounces button mushrooms, cleaned and sliced

1 cup dry sherry

4 cups white beans (canned), rinsed

2 bunches of your favorite winter greens, chopped (kale, Swiss chard or broccoli leaves)

4 quarts low-sodium vegetable broth

Preparation

Heat olive oil in soup pot. On medium heat saute onion and garlic until soft. Add all mushrooms and saute until soft. Add sherry and broth and bring to a boil. Lower heat, add greens and white beans and simmer 45 minutes. With a hand blender, pulse soup a few times. If too thick for your taste, add more broth.