Rainbow Chard Au Gratin

 
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My husband and I plant a winter garden that’s made up of primarily fresh greens : lettuces, kale, spinach and this year, rainbow chard. Chard is an excellent alternative to spinach (which has 3x more protein!) but is something I haven’t been very creative with in the past. So for Thanksgiving, this au gratin was my big experiment. Getting half of its creaminess from cauliflower, it’s indulgent with a fraction of the guilt…and my new favorite side dish!

 

Phe Count:

113 mg phe / serving
Roughly 2g of protein / 7.5 exchanges
Yield: 12 servings

Note: phe count will range considerably, depending on the breadcrumb you choose for your topping. Please do your own calculations.

Ingredients:

220g (approx 6 C) fresh rainbow chard, finely chopped (stems and leaves)
566g frozen swiss chard, chopped (two bags) 
240g yellow onion chopped fine (approx 1 medium onion) 
281g cauliflower (approx 1 head / 4 C), broken into florets & steamed 
4 Tbsp butter 
1.5 C So Delicious Coconut Milk 
6 cloves garlic, minced
1/8 tsp cayenne 
1 Tbsp dijon mustard 
1/4 tsp nutmeg 
1.5 tsp salt 
1 tsp pepper 
112g (1 C) So Delicious Mozzarella shreds

TOPPING:
⅓ C Rice Crumbs, Trader Joes (or low protein breadcrumb of choice)
2 C So Delicious Mozzarella shreds
1 C coconut milk 
6 Tbsp butter

Tasty garnish:
¼ C flat-leaf parsley, minced 
1 Tbsp grated lemon zest


Important note: Before starting this recipe, thaw your frozen chard! (Recommend overnight in the fridge, if possible).


Directions:

  1. Put your steamed cauliflower florets in a large, high-speed blender or food processor. Blend gradually, increasing the speed while adding 1.5 C So Delicious Coconut Milk to create a purée. This purée should not be super thick, but resemble the consistency of soup. Set it aside.  

  2. Melt your butter in the bottom of a large pot and add your chopped onion to cook until lightly browned (approx 10 minutes). Stir often. 

  3. Then, add your garlic and cook until it’s fragrant and beginning to soften, about 1 minute. 

  4. Add 3.5 C cauliflower purée to the pot and stir to combine all base ingredients.

  5. Stir in your fresh chard and cook until it’s wilted and well-combined with the cauliflower base (this will only take a couple minutes). Then, remove from the heat. 

  6. Stir in mustard, nutmeg, salt, pepper, and 1 C So Delicious Mozzarella shreds. 

  7. Use cheese cloth or a thin towel to squeeze excess water from your thawed, frozen chard. Then, add it to the pot and stir until all are well combined. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

  8. Transfer your creamy chard mixture to a large baking dish (recommend 13 x 9”) 

  9. To prepare your topping, melt 2 C So Delicious Mozzarella shreds, 1 C coconut milk and 6 Tbsp butter in a small saucepan. (This will force your vegan cheese to melt, which will not be the case if you just top your casserole with the shreds)

  10. When your cheese has melted, top your casserole with the mixture so there is a thin layer on top. Then sprinkle a thin layer of breadcrumbs. With the back of a spoon, gently massage the two layers, so the cheese and breadcrumbs combine a bit.

  11. For additional texture and browning, chop a small amount of mozzarella shreds and sprinkle them on top, too. *this is optional

  12. Cover with aluminum foil and bake at 425 degrees for 20 minutes.

  13. Then, remove the foil and return to the oven for 15-20 minutes, until your topping has browned.

  14. Remove from heat and let cool for about 10 minutes. Finally, mix parsley and lemon zest and sprinkle over the top to serve.      

TO REDUCE PHE:
Instead of rice crumbs, use a low-protein breadcrumb. You can make them yourself from your favorite low-protein sandwich bread, or buy online from speciality food providers.
...You can also substitute the fresh rainbow chard with thinly sliced/shredded cabbage, which is considerably lower in phe. (Do not replace the frozen, as this is a much different texture and helps act as a binder).

TO PREPARE FOR THE (NON-PKU) FAMILY:
To create a higher-protein version, I simply replaced the vegan cheese with gruyere, and used sourdough breadcrumbs in place of the rice crumbs. No one had any idea there was a cauliflower base, and it was delicious.

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