Sweet Potato Gratin - The Veggie Table

Sweet potatoes layered with black beans, rice, and spinach make a hearty, healthy main course.

Yield	6-8 servings
Time	1½ hours
Tools	9×13 baking dish fine grater medium bowl potato peeler knife small bowl
Ingredients	1 t oil 1 clove garlic, minced 2 T lime juice 1½ t lime zest (grated peel) 2 T fresh cilantro, chopped ½ t dried thyme 1½ t salt ½ t pepper 2½ c coconut milk 4 c sweet potatoes (about 1½ pounds), peeled and thinly sliced 1 c cooked rice 1½ c cooked black beans (or 15 oz can, drained) 1½ c fresh spinach, cleaned, de-stemmed, and finely chopped ¾ c cornmeal 1 T vegetable oil ½ t dried thyme ¼ t cumin ¼ t salt
Directions	Preheat oven to 350, and lightly oil the baking dish. Combine garlic, lime juice, lime zest, spices, and coconut milk in the medium bowl, and pour a third of it into the dish. Spread half of the sweet potatoes in the dish, then half of the rice, beans, and then spinach. Pour another third of the coconut milk mixture on top, followed by the rest of the sweet potatoes, rice, beans, and spinach. Top with the rest of the coconut milk. Mix cornmeal, oil, thyme, cumin, and salt and sprinkle over the gratin. Bake for 30 minutes, rotate the pan in the over, and bake another half hour, until the topping is golden and the sweet potatoes are tender. Remove from oven and let sit for a few minutes, until any remaining liquid has been absorbed.
Notes	Adapted from The Moosewood Collective’s Moosewood Restaurant New Classics: 350 recipes for homestyle favorites and everyday feasts, in which it’s called "Caribbean sweet potato gratin." Buy it: Amazon.com \| Amazon.co.uk This recipe is part of my vegetarian Thanksgiving menu.
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