Sweet vegetable pie

This is quite a sweet meal which is jammed pack with nutrients.

Ingredients for the base:

1 cup wholegrain oats

1/2 cup sunflower seeds

1/2 cup almonds

1/2 cup quinoa flour (or buckwheat flour)

3 – 4 Tbsp coconut oil (melted)

Ingredients for the filling:

1 large onion, diced (red or brown)

5 Medjool dates, pits removed and finely chopped

1 cup water (to help caramelise the onions and dates)

2 cups sweet potato, chopped

2 cups Kent or Jap pumpkin, chopped

1 cup kale, processed or finely chopped (about 3-4 leaves)

5 Brussels sprouts, processed or finely chopped

4 -5 cups spinach, processed or finely chopped

1.5 cups broccoli

1.5 cups cauliflower

sunflower and pumpkin seeds for the top layer

Method for the base:

Process the oats, sunflower seeds, almonds, quinoa flour in a processor until well processed. Add the melted coconut oil and mix into a dough with a fork.

Oil a baking dish with coconut oil and press the dough flat into the dish. Bake for about 15 minutes at 180 degrees C (350F). Remove from oven and set aside.

Method for the filling:

In preparation for the filling, steam or boil the chopped sweet potato and pumpkin until tender and set aside. This is used for Layer 2 of the pie.

After this, lightly steam the broccoli and cauliflower until just tender and set aside. The broccoli is used for Layer 3 and the cauliflower for Layer 4.

Layer 1 –

Fry the chopped onion in coconut oil until tender and slightly brown. Add the 4 finely chopped Medjool dates and about 1 cup of water. This is how you caramelise the onions. Slowly burn off the water and mix continually until the dates and onions form a sticky concoction. Remove from heat and move to your processor.

Process the kale and Brussels sprouts until finely chopped. Add them to the caramelised onion mix and return to heat. Mix together and cook well for about 3 minutes until greens are tender.

Spread this mix over the partially-cooked base. This is Layer 1.

Layer 2 –

Place the boiled pumpkin and sweet potato in a food processor or mash until consistent in texture. Place 2/3 of the mix in the dish and reserve 1/3 for the top layer.

Layer 3 – 

Place the broccoli and 4 cups of spinach in a processor until finely chopped. This is Layer 3.

Layer 4 –

Place the cooked cauliflower and the reserved 1/3 of the pumpkin-sweet potato mix into a process until blended. You can mash by hand if you need to. This is Layer 4 and the top layer. Add some mixed seeds to the top – sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds work well.

Bake at 180 degrees (350F) for about 30 – 60 minutes, until the top layer is nicely crisp.

Serve on its own or with a salad or more veggies.