Vegan and Gluten Free Comfort Food — Serves 6 as a side dish or 4 as a main dish.
Here is a casserole that reminds me of my "Baby Boomer" childhood—the popular 1950’s and early 60’s casserole that Auntie May used to bring over during the holidays! Although, I have left out the canned mushroom soup and saltine cracker crust that was a staple of that era.
This recipe is great winter comfort food without all the harmful ingredients. Cleaning up your diet with delicious whole foods is a wonderful first step to improving your health and gut vitality.
Equipment needed: High-speed blender, deep baking dish with a lid. Prep time: 30 mins | Bake time: 30–40 mins.
Ingredients
Baking Dish:
- 1 bunch of fresh broccoli, cut into bite-size pieces
- 1 medium sweet potato, cut into bite-size pieces
- 5 or 6 fresh mushrooms (shiitake or maitake for medicinal immune qualities)
- 1 yellow onion, diced
Creamy Sauce Mixture:
- 1 cup raw cashews (soaked 2–4 hours)
- 3 cups filtered water
- 1 to 2 tablespoons organic miso paste
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 2 tablespoons raw apple cider vinegar
Top Crumble:
- 2 handfuls Mary’s organic gluten-free crackers (or equivalent seed cracker)
Directions
- Preheat oven to 375°F (200°C).
- Make Top Crumble: Place Mary’s crackers in a dry blender and pulse until broken into a rustic crumble texture. Set aside in a small bowl.
- Prep Sauce: In the blender, add soaked cashews, filtered water, miso paste, nutritional yeast, and apple cider vinegar. Let sit while prepping vegetables.
- Assemble Casserole: Chop broccoli and sweet potatoes and place into deep baking dish. In a skillet, sauté diced onion and mushrooms, then toss into baking dish with the vegetables.
- Cover baking dish and bake in oven for 10 minutes.
- Blend sauce ingredients on high speed until completely smooth. Taste test: if too salty, add a splash of vinegar; if too tart, add a pinch of salt.
- Remove dish from oven, pour creamy cashew sauce evenly over vegetables, and stir to coat. Return to oven covered for 20 minutes.
- Remove lid, sprinkle cracker crumble over the top, and return to oven uncovered for 5 to 10 minutes until golden and bubbling.
- Test vegetables for tenderness with a fork, serve warm, and enjoy!
