Friday, January 27, 2012

"Kashi" Mayan Harvest Bake


I love Kashi. I love Kashi's Mayan Harvest Bake. I do not love paying $5.00 for a frozen dinner (the best frozen dinner that I have ever eaten). Solution: Make it myself. I browsed the internet and noticed some copy cat recipes for this frozen dinner, and I was inspired to take on the copy cat task myself. I just wasn't satisfied with what I was finding. Many of the recipes were missing very important key ingredients that are listed on the back of the box for this dinner. The major ingredients are Amaranth Polenta, Kashi's Pilaf (I purchased this directly from Kashi since my grocer doesn't carry this product), Plantains, Black Beans, Kale, Ancho Chile Sauce and Pepitas (toasted and salted pumpkin seeds). I give the final results two thumbs up. The ingredient list and a picture of the box can be found on Kashi's website... here.
Everything is made separately and then mixed or layered before it is put into the oven to bake.

Amaranth Polenta
  • 1 cup amaranth
  • 3 cups water
  • 1/3 cup chopped onion
  • 1 clove chopped garlic
  • 1 tsp. sesame seeds
  • 1 tsp. ancho chili powder
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
Bring all ingredients, except for the cilantro, to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook covered for 25-30 minutes, or until all of the water is absorbed. Save the cilantro for the final preparation.

Kashi Pilaf
  • 1 1/4 cups Kashi Pilaf
  • 2 1/2 cups water
  1. Bring the water to a boil and add the pilaf. Cook over medium heat, either covered or uncovered, for 25 minutes or until all the water is absorbed.
Ancho Chile Sauce
  • 2-3 dried ancho chilies, re-hydrated and seeds removed (I used a New Mexico chile and a Pasilla chile along with 2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, because that's all I had)
  • 3/4 of a 15 ounce can of tomato sauce
  • 1/2 of a small can of tomato paste
  • 1 large clove of garlic
  • 1/2 of an onion
  • 1/4 cup of honey
  • 1-2 tbs. of olive oil
  • 8-12 ounces of chicken or vegetable broth
  • 1/4-1/2 cup of cilantro
  • 1 tbs. of ancho chili powder
  • 1 tsp. of sesame seeds
  • salt and pepper to taste
Blend all ingredients in a food processor or blender until emulsified. If the sauce is too thick, add more broth.

Plantains
  • 2 very ripe plantains (black on the outside)
  • 1/4-1/2 cup of flour or cornstarch
  • oil for frying
Cut the plantains into thirds and then cut each piece lengthwise into four pieces (12 from each plantain). Coat each piece in the flour and then pan fry until golden brown. I sprinkled them with a little salt when finished cooking them.

Sweet Potatoes
  • 2 sweet potatoes, peeled and diced into 1/2 inch cubes
  • oil
Lightly coat the sweet potatoes with oil and oven roast for about 40 minutes at 350 degrees, or until cooked through.

Kale

Finely chop about 1/4-1/3 bunch of kale.

Black Beans

One can of black beans, drained and rinsed.

Pepitas (Pumpkin Seeds)

1/2 cup toasted and salted pumpkin seeds. This can be done by spraying a frying pan with oil, adding the seeds and stirring over medium heat until toasted, being careful not to burn the seeds. Lightly season with salt when they are finished cooking.

Preparation
  1. Combine the amaranth polenta and the Kashi pilaf together. Add the cilantro. Layer on the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish.
  2. Layer the chopped kale onto the polenta/pilaf mixture.
  3. Layer the black beans onto the kale.
  4. Layer the sweet potatoes onto the black beans.
  5. Pour the ancho sauce over the entire dish (Not all of the sauce has to be used, but does add a lot of flavor. You'll probably add more after it has finished cooking).
  6. Lay the fried plantains over the sauce.
  7. Sprinkle the entire dish with the pepitas.
  8. Bake in a pre-heated 375 degree oven for 25-30 minutes.
There is quite a bit of preparation that goes into making this dish. It was well worth it in my opinion. I will definitely be making this again. This makes quite a few servings, maybe 8-10. I took the leftovers and put them in the freezer to make my own frozen dinners.

12 comments:

  1. Thank you SO much for this recipe. I also love this frozen entree. Can't wait to try it!

    Pam

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  2. You're welcome. I hope you enjoy it!

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  3. Tried this tonight, substituting BUCKWHEAT for kashi pilaf and QUINOA for amaranth polenta. This recipe ROCKS! Honestly, I haven't had one of the actual Kashi meals in several weeks, but I'm not sure if I could tell the difference! The ancho chile sauce was so yummy and the star of the dish. So tasty and so healthy - ok, so it has fried plantains...it has so many other healthy ingredients, who cares? Thanks so much for nailing this recipe!

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  4. Thanks for looking and your feedback! I like your substitutions, cooking is about experimentation and using what you have available. I think I have it posted elsewhere on here, but if you have leftover sauce it goes great on enchiladas. It would probably even be tasty on tamales.

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  5. So excited. This recipe looks very close, and I'm lucky enough to live near a grocery store that carries Kashi's pilaf. Can't wait to try it and start saving money!

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    1. Post back and let me know how it goes or if you have any suggestions for improvement.

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  6. It really needs to be said that this recipe is GORGEOUS at every step! It takes 90 minutes or so to assemble, but so does a good lasagna bolognese with a comparable yield. Thank you so much for hacking the Kashi recipe so expertly. What a winner! PS - I couldn't find Kashi Pilaf (even though the Kashi website claims that 3 Whole Foods in DC carry it - not so!), so I used the Whole Foods Super Grain blend (red and white quinoa and millet). Worked well enough and combined beautifully with the amaranth polenta.

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    1. Thanks for the compliment! I just made this again a few days ago. It's one of my favorite recipes and I thought this last batch that I made was one of the best yet. I have the Kashi Pilaf in my pantry but I would like to try some of the grain substitutions some have suggested. I visited DC a couple of years ago and I had some items from Sticky Fingers. If you haven't tried it, I suggest the oatmeal cream pie cookies. They are yummy and vegan, and if you're not vegan it doesn't matter because carnivores love them as well!

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    2. I live a mile from Sticky Fingers and, as a seasonal spring/summer vegan, definitely enjoy quite a few meals (and lattes!) from there. I'm glad you managed to find them when you were in town. Our local Whole Foods are even carrying Sticky Fingers brownies and whoopie pies in-store now - it's great!

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  7. Cannot wait to try this.. Fell in love with the frozen dinner and wanted to find a recipe but noticed like you that important flavors & textures were missing. Thank You!! Wish I could "pin" it. ♥

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  8. Oh I love Mayan Bake by Kashi ... I have to try. Thanks so much!

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  9. I know this is an older post, but I just had to say what an incredible adaptation this is. Thanks! I use an ancho sauce recipe from Chili Pepper Madness, and take a couple of shortcuts such as quick grits, microwaveable 7-grain blend, and steam-in-bag butternut squash, but it tastes almost exactly like the original, which has been discontinued for years. I appreciate this!

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