When you’re eating a plant-based diet and see a dish full of cheese and bacon, you might find yourself drooling at the thought of having a bite. Some of you may easily resist, but I know a tasty looking dish when I see one and my internal devil kicks in and teases me.
We struggle daily with willpower when it comes to many things like sweets, exercise, or new clothes. You’re not alone.
We all struggle with willpower. I am reading a book right now called, “The Willpower Instinct: How Self-Control Works, Why It Matters, and What You Can Do to Get More of It,” and am learning about how our primitive instincts are still active today. This book promises “to explain the new science of self-control and how it can be harnessed to improve our health, happiness, and productivity.” I’ll let you know how it goes.
In the meantime, here is a dish that has all the plant-based goodness you’re seeking AND is oh, so satisfying! Using a vegan cheese sauce easily made in the blender, this dish is layered with potatoes, onion, tempeh bacon and sprinkled with jalapeños. It was an experiment that worked. My husband and I couldn’t get enough. If you are not a jalapeño lover, you can leave them out. I used the Tofurky brand tempeh bacon to make it easy.
I'd love to hear your feedback in the comments below for this Potato Gratin with Jalapeno Tempeh Bacon! If you have a photo, post it on my Facebook page, tag me using the hashtag #plantbasedcooking
| Servings | people |
- 1 1/2 cup of raw cashews soaked in water to cover at least for an hour up to over night. Substitution: 1 can cannelloni beans
- 1/2 cup non-dairy milk I used almond
- 1/3 cup nutritional yeast
- 1 yellow or orange bell pepper seeded and rough chopped (a roasted pepper works, too)
- Juice from 1 lemon
- 2 tsp prepared mustard
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- salt to taste about 1/3 tsp.
- 3/4-1 package tempeh bacon I like the Tofurkey brand
- 1 yellow onion peeled and thinly sliced
- 4 small jalapeños cut in half lengthwise and seeds removed, thinly sliced
- 4 potatoes peeled if not organic and thinly sliced
- salt & pepper to taste
Ingredients Cheese Sauce
Filling
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- Place the soaked, drained cashews, non-dairy milk, nutritional yeast, bell pepper, lemon juice, mustard, and salt in a blender and blend a few minutes until smooth. If the sauce seems too thick, add a little more non-dairy milk or water. Set aside.
- Heat the tempeh bacon in a frying pan over medium heat. When cooled slightly, stack and cut into 1/2-1″ pieces.
- To assemble: Cover the bottom of a large baking dish with a little oil spray.
- Spread some of the cheese sauce in the bottom. Top with a layer of potatoes, sliced onions, tempeh bacon and sliced jalapeños. Top with more cheese sauce and repeat the layers once or twice depending, ending with a layer of sauce.
- Bake in a preheated 350° F. oven until the potatoes are tender, the sides are bubbling and the top is a light golden brown, about 40 minutes.
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