Marketday!

Today is Marketday and more often than not we spend Marketday with my sister.  We roam the market checking out what is fresh, we chat about our much anticipated garden…we have even named our gardening journey - Urban Farmer Gal’s Unite!   Today though, we spent Marketday with Dan’s parents.  They normally go to the St. Jacob’s market so we thought we would play tour guides and take them to the Kitchener market.  What a fun day!  Then we came home and started a nursery... We planted the seeds for some of the herbs and veggies that will be in our garden this summer.  F U N!  Mama brought seeds she saved from her own plants, she brought seeds from my sister and brother in law’s garden which is all the way in BC, and I had some of my own store bought heirloom seeds.  We spent some quality time digging in the dirt…on my dining room table.

 

 Last weekend we missed Marketday because we took a mini holiday and went to Buffalo.  We found a delightful restaurant that offered vegan and vegetarian options.  If you are ever in Buffalo, check out Merge…delish and lovely ambiance!  We highly recommend the Vegan Alfredo and the Gumki!!  Neither of those inspired the recipe I am posting today however…the appetizer was the inspiration for what I created in our kitchen this week…it was so good that we ate over half of it and walked around with food bellies for the rest of the night.  I can also tell you that this dish is even better the second day once the flavors have hung out and melded together.

 

 

Sweet Potato Lentil Gratin

Serves 4 to 6

 4 small/medium sweet potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced (I used my mandolin)

1 tbsp olive oil
½ sweet onion, diced
1 minced clove of garlic
1 cup chopped pineapple
¾ to 1 cup unsweetened coconut
¾ tsp ground cardamom
½ tsp cayenne (less or more depending on how hot you like it…we try to lean more to the hot side so I used more)
Salt to taste
Fresh ground pepper
½ cup finely chopped mixed nuts
1 ½ cups of organic lentils

1.       Preheat oven to 375 degrees. 

2.       Parboil the potato slices in boiling salted water for about 5 mins…maybe a bit less depending on how thick you have sliced them.
3.       Heat the olive oil in a large pan over medium heat.  Add the onion and cook until tender – about 5 minutes; add the garlic and cook for 1 minute more.  Stir in the pineapple, coconut milk, cardamom, cayenne, and salt to taste.  Heat on medium for about 2 or 3 minutes. Set aside.
4.       Lightly oil a casserole dish.  Arrange half of the sweet potatoes on the bottom of the dish; lightly season with salt and pepper; spread half of the lentils on top of the sweet potatoes.  Top with half of the pineapple mixture.  Arrange the rest of the potatoes; season; spread the remaining lentils and then top with the remaining pineapple mixture.  Sprinkle the nuts on top. 
5.       Bake for 40 minutes or until the potatoes are tender. 

Nom nom nom…nuff said!