This was truly a comfort food at its finest. Perfect for these cooler winter days and nights. The creaminess and flavors of this dish will have you oooing and ahhing in delight. It's simple, easy to prepare and just about fool proof. And oh so delicious! I wish everyone a chance to give this a try you will not miss any of the standard animal products typically used in dishes like this. And that I promise you! I served my gratin over a bed of farro but you can use whatever you like or fits into your dietary guidelines. If you’re not gluten intolerant, farro is a wonderful ancient grain to add to your meal plans. It's a lot like barley in taste and texture. Per serving, about 1/4 cup, farro has 290 calories with only 1.5 grams fat, 7 grams of protein and 5 grams of fiber. It will stick with you leaving you feeling satisfied for a good while. I picked up bag of 10 minute farro and it was ready right along with the gratin.
Kale and Mushroom Gratin
Ingredients You Need for Kale and Mushroom Gratin
For the Gratin:
- 1-2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 shallot, diced
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 pound mushrooms, sliced or quartered, cremini or baby bellas
- 1 large bunch kale, stems removed
- Handful spinach, optional
- 1/4 cup white wine
- 1 cup heavy cream (recipe below)
- 1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk, more as needed
- Himalayan salt and cracked pepper, to taste
- Almond parmesan
- Farro, barley, brown rice pasta, jasmine or basmati rice
For the Heavy Cream:
- 3/4 cup cashews, soaked 8 hours or overnight
- 1/2 cup water, slightly more as needed
- Juice of 1/2 lemon
How to Prepare Kale and Mushroom Gratin
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Start with your cream. Place all ingredients in to blender/food processor and blend until smooth and creamy. (The magic bullet is a perfect size blender for this job.) Add water two teaspoons at a time as needed to create desired thickness/thinness. Set aside.
- Heat oil over medium high heat, add onion, garlic and mushrooms and saute, stirring occasionally until some of mushroom liquid cooks away and they start to brown, I found this to be about 12 minutes or so. Add the white wine and boil for a couple minutes. Then add cream and milk, let simmer for several more minutes. Turn off heat. (If you have time, leave this mixture to steep; the cream and milk will get wonderfully mushroomy.)
- Wash and shred your kale. I liked mine to be in smaller pieces. To steam, place in a large pot or wok with cover, cook on low, stirring occasionally until it wilts, about 5 to 10 min. No need to add water as the washing done right before will give enough moisture.
- Add kale and a couple tablespoons of almond parmesan to the mushroom-cream mixture. Season with salt and pepper to taste and transfer to a shallow baking dish. Lightly sprinkle a few more tablespoons almond parmesan on top. Cook for about 25-30 minutes, or until golden.
- Serve over a bed of farro, barley, brown rice pasta or pasta of choice, jasmine or basmati rice. Top with a tad more almond parmesan and salt & pepper to taste. Enjoy it with the rest of the wine or a nice glass of lemon water.
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Nutritional Information
Total Calories: 676 | Total Carbs: 54 g | Total Fat: 40 g | Total Protein: 34 g | Total Sodium: 218 g | Total Sugar: 19 g
Note: The information shown is based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.Help keep One Green Planet free and independent! Together we can ensure our platform remains a hub for empowering ideas committed to fighting for a sustainable, healthy, and compassionate world. Please support us in keeping our mission strong.
About The Author
Julie West
See My RecipesJulie West loves sharing the wonderful world of vegan foods and healthful eating and living. She began a vegan lifestyle in the early part of 2011 and hasn't looked back. Since then, Julie has become passionate about creating healthy vegan dishes, some 100% raw, and sharing her lifestyle. Her blog, The Simple Veganista, is about all the simple, beautiful plant foods and the different ways to put them together that taste great. Eating vegan is not about restrictions; it's about creating new habits, healthy habits that encompass the world around us, making it a better place for all.
I\’m doing this just on the hob rather than it having any oven time. Reason being the break down of nutrients when food is cooked is lessened, the less you cook it, roughly. Either way you do this (oven or not), you can just roll in the raw kale when you pop in the \’heavy cream\’. It only needs 2 or 3 minutes in the sauce to soften up. Looks good without the oven time.
Also this is the first time I\’ve done heavy cream à la cashew! It took me 20 minutes as I\’m not sure if I have the right food processor to break it into a smooth enough paste before you start to add water. Wish it were quicker.
Just to note this is quite a fatty dish, I\’d just be a little careful how much you have. You have the nut fat, the almond milk fat, the almond parmesan fat too. The recommended intake is 70 g in UK (and looks like 53 to 93 g in USA). 3/4 cup (translated to 125 g) of cashews is about 53 g alone.