When you see a dish with nearly every color of the rainbow, you know it's going to be worth your time. This is one of my absolute favorites for pleasing a crowd with a variety of "food rules" while offering a nutritious and delicious experience. It may take a few steps but rest assured, it will be worth it.
Following a whole food, plant-based meals may or may not exclude certain humanely raised and organic fed animal proteins. When you learn to eat intuitively, you eat what your body is craving. Sometimes that may include some animal protein. What's important, now more than ever, is when you're out having a good time with friends, just focus on that. Because we all need more of that, right?
This dish is flexible, can even be called "flexitarian," because it can be made with or without animal protein, and has an option to swap goat or sheep feta with vegan feta, or omit altogether. I promise you will love the results however you choose.
As far as nutrition, nearly every ingredient offers a host of benefits. Just to cover a few:
Tomatoes are rich in vitamin C, potassium, folate (B9), vitamin K1 but are possibly most appreciated for their high levels of lycopene, an antioxidant that has been linked to cancer prevention. Something to note is that lycopene content increases when tomatoes are cooked.
Spinach is a leafy green rich in nutrients, antioxidants, fiber and...protein! Just a few ounces of raw spinach contains nearly 3 grams of plant protein. Spinach is also a great source of iron, calcium, and vitamin A as well. It's important to note that spinach is #2 on the environmental working groups dirty dozen list and has been found to contain DDT (which was banned because of high toxicity in the 1950s!). Buy organic spinach whenever possible.
Sweet Potatoes (orange varieties) contain a wide range of vitamins, mainly vitamin A (contained in most orange produce), as well as manganese, vitamin C, potassium, vitamin B6, and more. Just one cup contains nearly 7 grams of fiber (!), 41 grams of plant-based carbohydrate, and 4 grams of protein. If that's not enough, they also host a load of antioxidants that protect against free-radical damage linked to chronic illness. Their high soluble fiber content is also supportive of gut health as this helps the with water absorption and softening stool.
Back to the dish...this recipe provides ample portions to serve a crowd, anywhere from 8-10 depending on whether you serve it with a side dish or not. Try serving it with our Kale Caesar Salad and some Chickpea Croutons (recipe below) for a gluten-free option. You can also boost the flavor with a layer or garnish of a good pesto, like our Purslane Pesto or some let's now waste Carrot Top Pesto. Adding a little pesto really boosts the flavor!
For this dish, you will need:
2 lbs. ripe tomatoes
6 cloves garlic
2 medium sweet potatoes
4 oz feta cheese (or sub vegan feta)
spices
8 ounces cremini mushrooms*
2 cups organic baby spinach
1 lb organic ground turkey (or sub with double mushroom mixture)
1 small chopped yellow onion
2 medium zucchini squash
Spices, Sea salt & Freshly ground pepper, Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Pre-made pesto (optional)
Brazil nuts, nutritional yeast, garlic powder, optional for vegan "parm"
Broccoli sprouts, optional for garnish and nutrient boost
Becomes a luscious sauce...
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