14 Mar

Pi Day, Pie Day, Pizza Day!

Today we celebrate Pi Day and Einstein’s Birthday! What’s Pi Day, you ask?

It’s a celebration of Pi (π) 3.14, because, it’s March 14th!

Pi Day was the best classroom holiday. It didn’t matter if school wasn’t let out — nothing compared to that one day when we’d combine a routine math lesson plan with pies and other circular treats. My favorite kind of pie: pizza!

Much like the endless digits in Pi, the toppings you can choose for pizza are limitless. Let’s take the time to celebrate this March 14th with a healthy yet decadent take on the classic pizza.

Skip the cheese, and switch things up with a sweet and rich paste that’s a far cry from your basic tomato sauce. Baked in a cast iron skillet, this recipe makes the crispiest crust and fluffiest dough. And the best part? Painlessly simple cleanup.

Vegan Cast-Iron Deep Dish Pizza

1 refrigerated pizza dough
2 c chopped lacinato kale
½ large onion, chopped and caramelized
1 ripe bosc pear, sliced into slivers
Pinch of sea salt

Sweet potato puree:

2-3 small sweet potatoes
Pinch of sea salt
Pinch of pepper
1 tbsp. olive oil

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Boil pot of water. Rinse, peel and cube sweet potatoes. Boil until tender, 10-12 min.
Sautee onion in olive oil over medium heat, stirring gently until caramelized. Set aside.
Put sweet potato in a food processor and blend into a puree.
Stretch pizza dough out in a greased 10-12” cast iron skillet.
Spread sweet potato puree over dough and sprinkle with pinch of sea salt.
Arrange pear slices across puree.
Bake for 25 minutes.
Remove skillet from oven and top with chopped kale and caramelized onions.
Continue baking pizza for 30 more minutes, removing when the crust is golden brown.