Sweet Potato “Pizza” w/ Pesto
Sweet Potato “Pizza” | with Lemon Balm Pesto
Pesto is such a delicious addition to so many dishes. The flexibility and versatility is just delightful to play around with and try different flavors and experiment. Sweet potato is a great lunch or snack for healthy hormone benefits. You can also cook your potatoes the night before to be extra prepared, and get extra benefits! Letting the potatoes sit after cooking allows something called resistant starch to form. This starch helps feed your friendly gut bacteria and increase production of short chain fatty acids like butyrate (SoFreshSoGreen).
Together with the extra addition of chicken and toppings, we have a very flavorful and colorful dish. Sweet potatoes are also loaded with gut friendly prebiotic fiber and vitamin B6. Vitamin B6 also can help your gut eliminate excess hormones like estrogen.
Why you will love this unique pesto potato pizza
Down right Delicious - All of the flavors combine into something spectacular.
Pesto - If you read my recent post (HERE), then you will know just how important pesto is to me. I love how flexible and versatile it is.
Hormone Happy - As mentioned above, this recipe is adapted from SoFreshSoGreen for my cycle-syncing you-tube series.
Ingredients & Suggestions
Ingredients are chosen with consideration for replacements.
<PESTO>
Nuts - Walnut, Pine, Peanut, etc.
Herb - Basil, Thyme, Oregano, Lemon Balm, etc.
Salt & Pepper
Vinegar (rice, ACV, or other)
Oils (Sesame or Olive)
Lemon or Lime (Juice)
Garlic
READ ON DIFFERENT PESTO VARIATIONS
<PIZZA>
Sweet Potato (1-2)
Olive Oil (1 Tbsp.)
Rotisserie Chicken (1 cup, cooked)
Pesto (~1/2 cup)
Toppings of Choice (Nuts, Arugula)
These recipes are meant to be flexible to your needs and preference. Experiment with different ingredients to find the texture, smell, and taste of your liking! Use what you have on hand and experiment to make it your own!
making the pesto | adapted recipe from Homespunseasonalliving
You’ll need:
Dried OR Fresh Herbs (Fresh Oregano + Lemon Balm)
Oil (sesame or olive)
Nuts (Pine or Peanuts)
Vinegar (Rice or Apple Cidar Vinegar)
Citrus (Lemon)
Garlic
Optional Additions (listed below)
Mortar and Pestle or Food Processor (Check out my Favorite)
[Read more on Pesto + Varieties]
Instructions
(1) MAKE PESTO: Add your ingredients into a mortar and pestle OR food processor. I often will cheat if I am pressed for time and use this blender <- from Walmart. It is cheap and has some a nice choice of cup attachments. Simple blend everything together to make a paste. You can adjust the creaminess and texture to your liking.
(2) BAKE/COOK SWEET POTATOES: Slice your sweet potato in half after washing. Preheat Air-fryer to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Add your potato and drizzle about a tablespoon of olive oil, cook for…
(3) TOPPING BLEND: Cook up your chicken if needed. Mix chicken with pesto (I did about one cup chicken to two tablespoons pesto).
(4) BROIL: Top your pizza with pesto (optionally scooping some out to make a little bowl) and sprinkle on your cheese. Broil one last time in your oven or air-fryer
(5) Let cool and serve with fresh herbs like cilantro and top with grated Parmesan! This can get a bit messy so maybe avoid cooking it for a first date ;)
< Original Video found on Youtube & Tiktok >
bonus variations or adaptations
We all know how different our preference in food is across the globe. Even in our home we might all have something different for dinner once upon a time, honestly just to fully satisfy each individuals preference. Some of us are more picky and some of us have serious sensitivities and allergies. All in all I believe in allowing creativity in our dishes, and I have never been one to get caught up if I am missing an ingredient.
<PESTO TIPS>
For extra creaminess try adding these into the mix:
Cashews
Dairy (Cheese, Creams, etc.)
Avocado
Reserved Pasta Water
White Beans
For Flavor Adjustments: Play around with the amount of garlic. If you know you really like or don’t like something, simply add more or less. Add white pepper and roasted nuts for some smokey flavor. If you don’t like the acidic taste of citrus and vinegar, try it with less or none at all.
Serving & Storage
If you are serving for a crowd, or maybe just prefer a brighter looking pesto: try blanching and doing an ice bath for your basil. If you are using Thai Basil and want a more classic flavor you can mix in some spinach or other greens.
This recipe shows just how versatile pesto can truly be! You can use a baking sheet and make as many sweet potatoes at a time and even freeze some cubes or whole potatoes! You could likely freeze the pesto and chicken mix on top as well, but the flavor will be best fresh as with anything else.
Pesto typically lasts about 5-7 days in the refrigerator but can last up to 3-4 months if frozen. Freezing is easiest by placing pesto in ice-cubes and and topping with a thin layer of olive oil to prevent browning or freezer burn. It can be thawed overnight in the refrigerator, or on low defrost setting in the microwave. The nice thing about freezing a smaller amount is how easy it is to throw into warm recipes like soups or stews without even needing to thaw!
Other Recipes & Resources
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