Wanna impress the pants off your vegetarian and meat-eating friends alike? This recipe is a sure winner- and it's perfect for a dinner party or family get-together. I was floored when I tasted the complexity of flavors and how they melded together so nicely. Plus, it’s super healthy- and you got the rice n’ beans in there for complete protein. The only ingredients I ran out to buy were the fresh cilantro, sweet potatoes and coconut milk. The rest were in the pantry! Though the prep time (chopping, peeling and such) is longer than some of my other recipes, the result is a hearty, fragrant main dish...
Ingredients:
1 t oil
1 clove garlic, minced
2 T lime juice
1½ t lime zest
2 T fresh cilantro, chopped
½ t dried thyme
1½ t salt
½ t pepper
2½ c coconut milk <---- this is the non-dairy "gratin" part of it
4 c sweet potatoes (about 1½ pounds), peeled and thinly sliced
1 c cooked rice
15 oz can black beans, drained
1½ c fresh spinach, cleaned, de-stemmed, and finely chopped
For Topping:
¾ c cornmeal
1 T vegetable oil
½ t dried thyme
¼ t cumin
¼ t salt
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350, and lightly oil the baking dish.
2. Combine garlic, lime juice, lime zest, spices, and coconut milk in the medium bowl, and pour a third of it into the dish.
3. Spread half of the sweet potatoes in the dish, then half of the rice, beans, and then spinach. Pour another third of the coconut milk mixture on top, followed by the rest of the sweet potatoes, rice, beans, and spinach. Top with the rest of the coconut milk. (Kind of like lasagna assembly!)
4. Mix cornmeal, oil, thyme, cumin, and salt and sprinkle over the gratin.
5. Bake for 30 minutes, rotate the pan in the over, and bake another half hour, until the topping is golden and the sweet potatoes are tender. Remove from oven and let sit for a few minutes, until any remaining liquid has been absorbed.
The only adjustment I'd make is adding more spinach- but that's only because I'm obsessed with spinach. And although the ingredient list seems extensive, I promise it's a breeze to put together and the result is fantastic. Healthy, satisfying and easy to assemble - that's the savvy way to dine in!
1 t oil
1 clove garlic, minced
2 T lime juice
1½ t lime zest
2 T fresh cilantro, chopped
½ t dried thyme
1½ t salt
½ t pepper
2½ c coconut milk <---- this is the non-dairy "gratin" part of it
4 c sweet potatoes (about 1½ pounds), peeled and thinly sliced
1 c cooked rice
15 oz can black beans, drained
1½ c fresh spinach, cleaned, de-stemmed, and finely chopped
For Topping:
¾ c cornmeal
1 T vegetable oil
½ t dried thyme
¼ t cumin
¼ t salt
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350, and lightly oil the baking dish.
2. Combine garlic, lime juice, lime zest, spices, and coconut milk in the medium bowl, and pour a third of it into the dish.
3. Spread half of the sweet potatoes in the dish, then half of the rice, beans, and then spinach. Pour another third of the coconut milk mixture on top, followed by the rest of the sweet potatoes, rice, beans, and spinach. Top with the rest of the coconut milk. (Kind of like lasagna assembly!)
4. Mix cornmeal, oil, thyme, cumin, and salt and sprinkle over the gratin.
5. Bake for 30 minutes, rotate the pan in the over, and bake another half hour, until the topping is golden and the sweet potatoes are tender. Remove from oven and let sit for a few minutes, until any remaining liquid has been absorbed.
The only adjustment I'd make is adding more spinach- but that's only because I'm obsessed with spinach. And although the ingredient list seems extensive, I promise it's a breeze to put together and the result is fantastic. Healthy, satisfying and easy to assemble - that's the savvy way to dine in!
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