Fresh from the oven
Here’s the second recipe from Vegetarian Times for 2011; it’s also from the January/February edition, like the kale lasagna. It’s topped with breadcrumbs, but you could make it gluten-free by leaving those off, and I think it would still be pretty good.
Here’s the thing: the recipe calls for 3 medium leeks, so that’s what I got, but it says they will come to 6 cups chopped. My 3 medium leeks only amounted to 3 cups (26.9 ounces, to be exact), so I’m not sure if there was a misprint in there or if I just needed to buy bigger leeks. The whole time I was making it I wondered if it was going to be overpowered by all the rosemary since there only seemed to be half as much of the leeks in there. Next time I make this I’m going to have to try it with twice the amount, so I can see the difference. I considered only using half the rosemary, but decided to just go with it and see what happens.
3 Medium Leeks, right?
I forgot to pick up some breadcrumbs, so I made my own, using this recipe, but since I was out of garlic powder I had to use garlic salt. SO…instead of using salt, I just used a half teaspoon garlic salt and when I ran it for stats I called it 1/4 tsp. garlic powder and 1/4 tsp salt…not exactly right, but you can do it however you want.
When I went outside to pick the rosemary, I found that mine is looking pretty pathetic, so I called my friend Julie to see if I could come over and take some of hers. Hers is so much better than mine – when I drop her kids off after school, I tend to squeeze her plants so I get the oils on my hands and can smell them all day. My hand-sniffing might look a little creepy to folks who pass me in the car, but I don’t care. ;0)~
Rosemary & Leeks
Side note: my horoscope said my intuition would be RIGHT ON this month, and it was so right. I was at the store today and thought, “oh, I should pick up some garlic powder since I’m out” but I rounded a corner and forgot. Should have paid attention…
How did it turn out? Pretty good, although it is a little overwhelmed by the rosemary, which leads me to believe that I definitely need to double the leeks next time so I actually get 6 cups. (You should too) Still, I look forward to eating it with a kale salad, and something else I’m planning to try tomorrow morning…(stay tuned)
And WHOA – check out those beautiful stats down below – it’s even high in iron! Another low-cal and nutrient dense recipe from the VT! WHOOHOOOOO!
Sliced Leeks
After slicing, it’s a good idea to wash them again, since they get some serious dirt in between those layers.
Ah, nice and clean
Ingredients:
1 1/2 T olive oil, divided
3 medium leeks, white and light green parts chopped (6 cups) (only 3 cups here)
3 cloves garlic
Add a little extra garlic
3 T chopped fresh rosemary, divided
2 medium sweet potatoes (2 lb. – this was 3 potatoes for me) peeled and cut into 1/8-inch-thick slices
1/2 cup low-sodium vegetable broth
3 T Italian-seasoned dry breadcrumbs
Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 450 and coat a 10-inch round casserole dish with cooking spray
First Layer
2. Heat 1 T oil in skillet over medium-high heat. Add leeks, garlic and 1/5 T rosemary; saute 8 minutes, or until softened. Season with salt and pepper, if desired. (I didn’t) Arrange 1/3 sweet potato slices over bottom of casserole, overlapping slightly. Spread 1/2 of leek mixture on top. Arrange another 1/3 sweet potato slices over leeks; top with remaining leeks, followed by remaining sweet potatoes. Drizzle broth over top, cover pan and bake 35 minutes.
Step 1
My stepson woke up from a nap and asked me if I had onions cooking. It smelled so good. Leeks have a sweeter smell when they cook than regular onions.
This layer of leeks could be thicker
Going into the oven...and coming out
This is your last step if you want it to be gluten-free
3. Stir together breadcrumbs, remaining 1 1/2 tsp oil, and remaining 1 1/2 T rosemary in small bowl. Remove cover of dish and sprinkle breadcrumb mixture over top. Bake, uncovered, 15 minutes, or until breadcrumbs are browned and crisp. Let gratin cool slightly before cutting into 8 wedges.
Back into the oven
This recipe is a little time-consuming, but if you take the time to make it on the weekend, you can enjoy it through the week. It’s always nice to have something like this prepared ahead so all you have to do after work is just heat it up! I tell you what, though: it would be nice to have a mandoline – it would have made slicing up those sweet potatoes go a lot faster!
All that’s left to do now is eat…
Dig in...
...and take a bite!
Estimated Nutritional data based on 8 servings:
The Whole Picture 