The snow this morning was, as snow goes in the south, beautiful and disappointing. Regardless, even the smallest of a flurry shower can bring a stillness to the morning; one that I would love to fill with a cup of hot tea and a sweet bite for breakfast by the window. The early winter months can be so dreary with grey skies, biting wind, and early sunsets. I am no doctor, but I think having a healthy dose of sweets at any time of the day is good for one’s health this time of year. Which is why I’m going to share one of my favorite Tomato Head recipes with you: Flour Head Bakery’s Sweet Potato Pie.

First of all, you’ll need the ingredients:

1 ¼ cup sweet potato, baked, peeled and mashed

¾ cup sour cream

1/3 cup whole milk

3 egg yolk

1/3 cup packed light brown sugar

½ tsp cinnamon

¼ tsp nutmeg

1/8 tsp salt

1 – 9inch prepared pie crust

Next, you need to prepare the crust. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Using the tines of a fork, prick the bottom of the pie shell. Then line the shell with parchment paper and place pie weights inside of the shell. Place into the oven and bake for 10 minutes. Take the crust out of the oven and set it aside to cool. Wait to remove the weights until the crust has cooled. Reduce the temperature of your oven to 325 degrees.

Now place the mashed sweet potatoes in a bowl large enough to mix in. Add the sour cream along with the milk and whisk until smoothly even. Add the yolks and whisk again so that everything comes together. Add the remaining ingredients in any order you choose, then whisk until everything is well mixed.

Pour your concoction into the pie crust and bake at 325 degrees for approximately 45-50 minutes. Look for the center to seem set. If you have a temperature measuring device, make sure the filling reaches 170 degrees. That will be your sign that it is ready to come out of the oven. Remove the pie from the oven, and allow it to cool. Warning: it will be difficult to refrain from diving right into the pie, but for your taste buds’ sake, wait for the pie to not be piping hot.

Sweet potato pie is best served at room temperature, and in my humble opinion, by a window in the morning or with friends in the evening.

Here is a simple and healthy pizza recipe. I know what you’re thinking – healthy pizza? Yes, it can be done. By incorporating a few “Super Foods” like kale and sweet potato, Mahasti’s recipe is rich in many vitamins and minerals. And do not forget that great pizza doesn’t have to be smothered in cheese, and a lean, well-seasoned protein will be much friendlier to your waistline.

Today, we have a recipe for kale, sweet potato and caramelized onion pizza.

Kale is an excellent source of fiber, vitamin A and calcium. It also contains beta-carotene, which is believed to lower one’s risk of developing heart disease and cancer. Notice in the recipe how we don’t add sugar to the sweet potatoes robbing them of their nutrients. The Center for Science in the Public Interest regards sweet potatoes as one of the most nutritious vegetables because of the high levels of calcium, potassium, vitamin C and beta-carotene in each serving. They also recommend not removing the skins where many of the nutrients are found.

A little salt, pepper and oil showcase the flavors of each ingredient.  If you do not want to make homemade dough, you can purchase a 9 or 14” crust from either location of The Tomato Head, bringing a little Tomato Head home with you.

Although this recipe calls for a spicy sausage, swap it for soysage and you’ll have a vegetarian-friendly pie. Cooking should be fun and stress-free so play around with this recipe and share your successes with us.

For Kale:

8 cups Kale, chopped

½ tsp salt

4 Tbl Balsamic Vinegar

¼  cup oil

Wash Kale well and chop into thin strips.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Toss Kale with oil, vinegar and salt.  Place the kale on a cookie sheet and roast in oven for 6 minutes.  Set kale aside to cool.

For Sweet Potato:

4 cups sweet potato

1/8 cup oil

1/2 tsp salt

¼ tsp black pepper

Scrub Sweet potatoes, and cut into small cubes or thick slices.  Toss sweet potatoes with Oil, salt and pepper.  Place the potatoes on a cookie sheet and roast in oven for 30 minutes or until soft.

For Caramelized Onion:

1 large Red Onion

¼ cup oil

¼  tsp salt

Peel and slice onion.  Place a large skillet over high heat, add oil, onion, salt and pepper.  Saute onion for 1 -2 minutes over high heat.  Reduce heat to low, cook onions, stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes.

To assemble pizza:

One prepared pizza crust

Shredded Mozzarella Cheese

Sweet Potatoes

Kale

Caramelized onion

Spicy sausage of your choice (We recommend visiting Three Rivers Market and selecting among the many area farmers such as West Wind Farm, River Ridge Farms and Mitchell Family Farm).

Preheat oven to 475 degrees – or follow the instructions on the prepared pizza crust.

Top pizza crust with desired amount of shredded cheese – followed by desired amounts of Kale, sweet potato, onion and sausage.  Place pizza on a preheated pizza stone, or directly on the middle rack of your oven.  Bake for 10 – 12 minutes or until the bottom of the crust is golden brown, and the cheese has melted.

Pizza’s may be assembled up to 2 hours in advance and kept cold in refrigerator.

Serve immediately.