I have been neglecting my blog lately, as you may have noticed. Well, since this is a food blog I will not go into much detail. I am embarking on a career change and have gone back to school. Adjusting to homework and a new part time job has been challenging. I just finished up my pre-requisites and am going to Nursing school. I begin on August 24th.
I have still been cooking, baking and creating new recipes. When I begin school again, the hubby will be taking over some of the cooking duties. Did I ever mention that the only things that he admits to cooking well are burritos, grilled cheese and roasted chicken? Well, two out of the three can be made vegan. The hubby has been Googling recipes and looking at YouTube videos. I am sure he will adapt to my new schedule quickly. Hopefully we will have time to do some prep work over the weekend or on days when I am not in class or at work. That will definitely make our lives easier. Or possibly we will prepare some “freezer meals” on our days off so that we can just pop one in the oven when we are pressed for time. I positive we will be using the slow cooker a lot more.
Below is a recipe that I adapted from Alton Brown of Food Network for Sheperd’s Pie. I used Gardein Beefless Ground, but any vegan crumbles will work. Some even use lentils in place of crumbles, which would be good as well.
- 1 1/2 pounds russet potatoes
- 1/4 cup So Delicious unsweetened coconut milk
- 2 ounces Earth Balance
- 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons canola oil
- 1 cup chopped onion
- 2 carrots, peeled and diced small
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 package Gardein Beefless Ground
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons tomato paste
- 1 cup vegetable broth
- 1 teaspoon vegan Worcestershire sauce
- 2 teaspoons freshly chopped rosemary leaves
- 1 teaspoon freshly chopped thyme leaves
- 1/2 cup fresh or frozen corn kernels
- 1/2 cup fresh or frozen peas
- Peel the potatoes and cut into uniformly sized cubes. Place in a medium saucepan and cover with cold water. Place saucepan over high heat and bring to a boil. Once boiling, decrease the heat to a simmer and cook until tender, approximately 10 to 15 minutes. Place the vegan milk and Earth Balance into a microwave-safe container and heat in the microwave until warmed through, about 35 seconds. Drain the potatoes and return to the saucepan. Mash the potatoes and then add the milk and Earth Balance mixture, as well as salt and pepper. Continue to mash until smooth. Set aside.
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
- While the potatoes are cooking, prepare the filling. Place the canola oil into a 12-inch skillet and set over medium high heat. Once the oil is heated, add the onion and carrots and saute just until they begin to take on color, approximately 3 to 4 minutes. Add the garlic and stir to combine. Add the Gardein, salt and pepper and cook until browned and cooked through, approximately 5 minutes. Sprinkle the Gardein with the flour and toss to coat, continuing to cook for another minute. Add the tomato paste, vegetable broth, vegan Worcestershire, rosemary, thyme, and stir to combine. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer slowly 10 to 12 minutes or until the sauce is thickened slightly.
- Add the corn and peas to the Gardein mixture and spread evenly into an 13X9-inch glass baking dish. Top with the mashed potatoes, starting around the edges to create a seal to prevent the mixture from bubbling up and smooth with a rubber spatula. Place on a parchment lined sheet pan on the middle rack of the oven and bake for 25 minutes or just until the potatoes begin to brown. Remove to a cooling rack for at least 15 minutes before serving.