Potato Galette w/ Red Pepper “Cream” Sauce! GF, V, BED!

Sometimes, I get really hungry. Haha — you’re probably thinking…”yeeeees, this is a food blog, I assume so.” But I mean, Mama-Bear-Just-Woke-Up-From-The-Winter Hungry! And I haven’t had that feeling in a long time while in my Ulcerative Colitis flare. And, I’m thinking that the return of this “hungry bear” is an encouraging sign that I’m getting better and healing! You see, they (Dr. Gershon & others) call your gut your “Second Brain” because it has over 100 billion neurotransmitters like those in your brain, controlling digestion and your immune system. My thinking is that, your body doesn’t give you the “hunger” signals when you’re in a UC flare because processing food is excruciating. So the fact that the past 2 days I’ve been more or less ravenous is a good sign in my book!!

sun reflecting off the lake!

So what does a hungry gal make for dinner? A Red Skinned Potato Gratin w/ Roasted Red Pepper Cashew Cream Sauce! Quite a mouthful in more ways than one!! It was delicious — and definitely hit the spot! And did I mention, it’s Gluten Free, Vegan, and Body Ecology Diet friendly??

layers of creamy potatoes!

You may be wondering how Red Skinned Potatoes are on the Body Ecology Diet, which starves the body of sugar to kill Candida yeast. Well, RSPs have less sugar than other potatoes, and therefore do not feed the Candida yeast! Yay! ;)

creamy roasted red pepper cashew cream!

So here’s what you need:
7 red skinned potatoes, sliced thin on a mandolin

1 cup sugar snap peas, sliced in half
2 carrots, diced
1 onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 each of dried oregano and basil
2 green onions, sliced (garnish)

Red Pepper Cashew Cream Sauce:
1 roasted red pepper, chopped
1/2 cup raw cashews
1 garlic clove
salt and pepper

layers of gorgeous Red Skinned Potatoes!

Preheat your oven to 400. Using a mandolin, carefully slice your Red Skinned Potatoes into about 1/4 inch rounds. Not paper-thin, but thin-ish. In a bowl, toss your rounds with 1 tsp EVOO. Then, in a oven-safe, non-stick pan, arrange your rounds overlapping, starting on the rim and spiraling in towards the center. After you have this layer, spray it w/ EVOO, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and then make another layer. Repeat, spraying after each layer until your potatoes run out — I made 4 layers.

beautiful spiral!

Delight in its beauty, and then, put it on the stove over low-to-medium heat for about 5-6 minutes.  You’ll hear the bottom layer start to sizzle, but that’s ok! Don’t touch it! It’s forming a beautiful crust. After you hear this sizzle, put it in the oven. Bake it for about 20 minutes, then carefully take it out of the oven — it’ll be screamin’ hot! You will notice that it has sort of, “shrunk” — and that’s great!

flipped and dressed to the 9′s!

Let the pan cool for about 10 minutes, and then flip it onto another plate. (I used an oven mitt). Confidence is key here for a clean flip — place the plate upside-down on the pan, and then in one big swoop, flip it! You now have a GORGEOUS red skinned potato gratin!

so delicious!

Next, the cream sauce: You can use jarred Roasted Red Peppers, but I roasted my own:

To roast the red pepper, I literally set it on our gas flame burner and kept turning it with tongs until it was completely charred. I then put it in a bowl and covered it with plastic wrap so that the steam loosened the skin. Then, after about 15 minutes, the charred skin peels right off (use your hands), and you’re left with a wonderful, roasted pepper! If you don’t have a gas flame, you can do the same right under the broiler! After you peel the skin and take out the seeds, chop the flesh and put it in the food processor with the cashews, garlic, salt and pepper. Blend until you get your smooth, creamy sauce! YUMMO!

Finally, the veggies: Saute your onions in about 1 tsp EVOO, salt, pepper, oregano and basil. Let it cook for about 5 minutes, and then add your carrots, snap peas and garlic. Let them cook for about 3-4 minutes, and then take off the heat. They will still be crunchy and vibrant!

mmm!

To assemble:

Cut the RSP gratin into 4 portions, and then using a spatula, put a slice on each plate. Top with the veggie mixture and a dollop of the cream sauce. Garnish with sliced green onions. Delish!

Gluten Free, Vegan, and Body Ecology Diet friendly!!

This meal was fabulous! It definitely squelched my hunger!! The potatoes were so rich and creamy. And with the cream sauce, they were simply outrageous! The outside had formed a beautiful golden crust that was crispy-crunchy, and then the center was creamy and decadent.

crunchy carrots and sugar snap peas!

And then the sauce was phenomenal! Not only was it a beautiful sunset-orange color, but it was luxuriously creamy and smooth! The flavor was rockin’ with the smokey-sweet roasted red pepper and buttery cashews. I could definitely see using this as a pasta sauce, or even a delicious dip for veggies and GF pita or crackers!

Do you ever get Hibernating Bear Hungry? What’s your favorite “fill you up” meal?

Until tomorrow!

This recipe utilized three of my favorite tools...here's where you can get them: