CREAMY POTATO & SPINACH GRATIN
This is a delicious use for one of my favourite cream sauce recipes, which uses silken tofu, (so a perfect nut free 'cheeze' sauce option for pasta etc). Eat on its own as a really indulgent potato salad, or top with ground almonds and bake in the oven until golden. Serve with a crisp green salad.
Serves 4
Gluten free
Not suitable for freezing.
Soya is an excellent source of protein, calcium, selenium, manganese
and copper.
Potatoes with their skin on are a great source of fibre, vitamins and antioxidants.
INGREDIENTS
1 bag miniature potatoes, washed & chopped into bite sized pieces if necessary
2 leeks, trimmed & finely sliced
1 onion, finely sliced
2 handfuls fresh chopped baby spinach or 6 cubes frozen chopped spinach, defrosted & drained
200g frozen petit pois
1tsp sugar (leave this out if you prefer; it just adds a lovely caramelisation)
3 tablespoons cashew parmysan
1/2 tablespoon chopped fresh chives
Handful fresh mint
Olive oil
Sauce
Blitz in a hand blender until completely smooth:
1 pack silken tofu (not firm tofu!)
½ cup (30g) nutritional yeast (I like Marigold Engevita flakes)
1 ½ tsp onion powder
½ tsp garlic powder
¼ tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp Dijon mustard
¾ tablespoon white wine vinegar
3/4 tsp salt
½ cup (120ml) plant milk
Topping (if baking in oven)
Cup ground almonds
Cup fresh breadcrumbs (use gluten free bread if wanted)
Pinch salt
Black pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp paprika
You can also experiment with other seasonings and dried herbs!
METHOD
Blitz topping ingredients in a hand blender until you have a blended crumb mix. Set aside what you need for your gratin and then you can pop the rest in the freezer for future use.
Cook potatoes until tender and strain.
Pour boiling water over frozen peas and set aside.
Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a frying pan and add leeks & onion. Fry for 5 mins until softened. Add sugar and cook on lowest heat for around 15 minutes until really soft and caramelised.
Stir in sauce, peas, spinach, 2 tablespoons of the parmysan, mint & chives and stir until thoroughly combined.
Stir through cooked potatoes.
Either eat warm (or cold!) as a potato salad; or sprinkle with some of the topping crumb and the remaining parmysan, drizzle with olive oil and bake for 15-20mins until golden.
Serve with a crisp green salad.
Secret ingredient smoothie!
Be more dog...
Forest bathing