Decadent Potato Bake

So again I was watching cooking shows on PBS. This time it was Cook's Country, and they prepared Lighthouse Inn Potatoes. It really put me in the mood for some warm, creamy potatoes, but eating how I do, I couldn't follow their recipe, which is of course full of cream and butter and cheese. That's why I decided to veganize the recipe while adding my own personal twists to it.

My husband always asks me why I watch cooking shows where they cook things that I know I cannot eat. Well, on the one hand, I can always learn at least one trick I didn't know before and on the other hand I have found that one of my favorite things to do is to flip saturated-fat laden recipes and create something I can eat. I also love showing off how you don't need cream or butter to make a decadent dish that will make your mouth water. 

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Potato Bake Recipe
vegan, plant-based, refined-sugar free

Ingredients:
Nut and Bean Cream:

• 1 cups of raw nuts (I used a mix of cashews and almonds)
• 2 15 oz. cans of chickpeas
• 3 cups of water
• 3 peeled and crushed garlic cloves
• 2 tsp salt

Potatoes:

• 2.5 lbs potatoes, peeled and cut into bite-sized pieces (I used a mix of regular and sweet potatoes)
• 1 onion, chopped
• ​1/8 tsp baking soda
• 1 Tbsp fresh rosemary or thyme, can also substitute 1 tsp dried herbs (optional)
• 4 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Topping:

• 1 cup bread crumbs (3-4 slices of whole-wheat, oil- and sugar-free bread)**
• 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
• 1 tsp salt

Instructions:
Nut and Bean Cream: 

1. Add all ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth.

Potatoes:

1. Add the Potato ingredients and the blended Nut and Bean Cream to a large pot.
2. Bring up to a boil and then lower heat to medium and simmer 15-20 min, stirring occasionally.
3. ​Remove from heat and add the olive oil.
4. Pour into a baking dish.

Topping:

1. Add bread, nutritional yeast, and salt to a food processor (I use my NutriBullet) and process until it is the consistency of course bread crumbs.
2. Add as a topping to the potatoes in the baking dish.
3. Bake for 15-20 min at 375°F.
4. Take out of oven and let sit for 10 min before serving.

**Note: For a gluten-free topping alternative, substitute the bread for corn tortillas. Simply add about 6 small corn tortillas to a food processor (or a coffee bean grinder) and process until the tortillas look like bread crumbs.