Sweet Potato Gratin

This Sweet Potato Gratin is the perfect vegetarian main dish for meatless Monday but I also created a chicken version for people who are intolerant to legumes. This dish is sweet and deeply satisfying.

Ingredients:

4 cups (1 L) sweet potatoes, peeled, halved, then sliced thinly
1 large sweet onion, sliced into half moons
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp coconut or avocado oil
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp cinnamon
1 cup kale or spinach
15 oz (415 mL) cooked black beans
or
1½ cups (375 mL) cooked chicken, chopped into small pieces.

Non-dairy cream:

¼ cup raw cashews, soaked overnight and drained
½ tsp sea salt
2 tbsp nutritional yeast
½ cup coconut milk

Topping:

1/2 cup coconut cream*        
1 ½ tbsp nutritional yeast
2 tbsp shredded coconut
1 tbsp Italian Seasoning

Directions:

1. Be sure to thinly slice the sweet potatoes so they’ll cook properly and release enough starch to thicken and set the gratin. Slicing the kale into ribbons helps disperse the flavour throughout.

2. In a pot heated to medium heat, cook the onions and garlic in the coconut oil until the onions are translucent and very fragrant. Stir in baby kale or spinach, season with salt and cinnamon and remove from heat. Set aside.

3. In a food processor, blend the cashews, nutritional yeast, and ½ cup coconut milk and blend until smooth; about 3 minutes. You want it to be very loose and creamy.

4. Method to Assemble: Layer the ingredients in an oven-safe dish in the following order.

• Sweet potato
• Onion Kale mixture
• Cashew Cream
• Black beans or chicken (if using) and a sprinkle of salt

Repeat layering until the gratin has been assembled. Sprinkle with shredded coconut, nutritional yeast, and Italian seasoning.

5. Bake in a 400F oven for 30 minutes. This dish freezes well.

*I like to use Cha's Organics coconut whipping cream for the top but if you only have coconut milk then stick the can in the fridge. Skim off the cream for the top and keep the liquid bottom to make the cashew cream. Alternatively, you can just double the non-dairy cashew cream and use that on the top. It makes the dish cheesier and more like a scalloped potato texture.