Kale and Mushroom Gratin

This was truly a comfort food at its finest. Perfect for these cooler winter days and nights.
The creaminess and flavors of this dish will have you oooing and ahhing in delight. It's simple, easy to prepare and just about fool proof. And oh so delicious!

Kale and Mushroom Gratin

Ingredients

For the Gratin:

• 1-2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 shallot, diced
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 pound mushrooms, sliced or quartered, cremini or baby bellas
• 1 large bunch kale, stems removed
• Handful spinach, optional
• 1/4 cup white wine
• 1 cup heavy cream (recipe below)
• 1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk, more as needed
• Himalayan salt and cracked pepper, to taste
• Almond parmesan
• Farro, barley, brown rice pasta, jasmine or basmati rice

 For the Heavy Cream:

• 3/4 cup cashews, soaked 8 hours or overnight
• 1/2 cup water, slightly more as needed
• Juice of 1/2 lemon

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Start with your cream. Place all ingredients in to blender/food processor and blend until smooth and creamy. (The magic bullet is a perfect size blender for this job.) Add water two teaspoons at a time as needed to create desired thickness/thinness. Set aside.
3. Heat oil over medium high heat, add onion, garlic and mushrooms and saute, stirring occasionally until some of mushroom liquid cooks away and they start to brown, I found this to be about 12 minutes or so. Add the white wine and boil for a couple minutes. Then add cream and milk, let simmer for several more minutes. Turn off heat. (If you have time, leave this mixture to steep; the cream and milk will get wonderfully mushroomy.)
4. Wash and shred your kale. I liked mine to be in smaller pieces. To steam, place in a large pot or wok with cover, cook on low, stirring occasionally until it wilts, about 5 to 10 min. No need to add water as the washing done right before will give enough moisture.
5. Add kale and a couple tablespoons of almond parmesan to the mushroom-cream mixture. Season with salt and pepper to taste and transfer to a shallow baking dish. Lightly sprinkle a few more tablespoons almond parmesan on top. Cook for about 25-30 minutes, or until golden.
6. Serve over a bed of farro, barley, brown rice pasta or pasta of choice, jasmine or basmati rice. Top with a tad more almond parmesan and salt & pepper to taste. Enjoy it with the rest of the wine or a nice glass of lemon water.

http://www.onegreenplanet.org/vegan-recipe/recipe-kale-and-mushroom-gratin/