This hempy vegan version of Parmesan is definitely not cheese, but it tops these amped-up stuffed potatoes with all the nutty, savoury flavour your taste buds yearn for. For a booze-free sauce, you can replace the wine with vegetable broth. Extras of the Hemp Parm can be sprinkled over steamed broccoli, pasta dishes, and tomato soup. Or blend it into vegan pesto.
Better together
When sautéing onions, be sure to also toss salt into the pan; it draws out moisture, resulting in faster softening and better browning.
Ingredients
4 medium-sized sweet potatoes
2 tsp (10 mL) grapeseed oil or sunflower oil
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1 large carrot, chopped
1/2 tsp (2 mL) salt, divided
2 celery stalks, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp (5 mL) dried Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp (2 mL) cumin
1/2 tsp (2 mL) crushed dried chili flakes
1/4 tsp (1 mL) black pepper
1 cup (250 mL) dry red wine
1 1/2 cups (350 mL) marinara sauce
2 cups (500 mL) cooked black or green lentils
2 Tbsp (30 mL) balsamic vinegar
1/3 cup (80 mL) hempseeds (hemp hearts)
2 Tbsp (30 mL) nutritional yeast
1/2 tsp (2 mL) garlic powder
1/2 tsp (2 mL) onion powder
1/3 cup (80 mL) chopped parsley
Directions
Preheat oven to 375 F (190 C). Prick each sweet potato several times with fork, place on baking sheet, and bake for 40 minutes, or until centres of potatoes are easily pierced with the tip of a knife.
As potatoes cook, in medium saucepan, heat oil over medium. Add onion, carrot, and 1/4 tsp (1 mL) salt; heat until beginning to soften, about 5 minutes. Add celery and garlic; heat for 3 minutes. Stir in Italian seasoning, cumin, chili flakes, and black pepper; heat for 30 seconds. Place wine in pan and simmer for 3 minutes, scraping up any brown bits from bottom of pan. Stir in marinara sauce and simmer for 15 minutes. Stir in lentils and balsamic vinegar; simmer for 5 minutes.
In small bowl, stir together hempseeds, nutritional yeast, garlic powder, onion powder, and remaining 1/4 tsp (1 mL) salt.
Slice open potatoes along their length and top with Lentil Bolognese. Sprinkle on Hemp Parm mixture and garnish with parsley.
Each serving contains: 451 calories; 19 g protein; 10 g total fat (1 g sat. fat, 0 g trans fat); 63 g total carbohydrates (15 g sugars, 16 g fibre); 416 mg sodium
