Meatless Shepherd's Pie

I love Shepherd's pie. It's a great way to use up veggies that are still ok, but looking a little wilty, to create a hearty dinner that is similar to a pot pie. By doing this, you're cutting down on the waste in your kitchen as well because they may not be PRETTY vegetables, but because they're cooked down into a hearty sauce, it doesn't much matter. My mom and I decided to do some creating in the kitchen on this because we had a frozen Marie Callendar's pie crust that puffed up when we were making pies for her office for Pi Day (a post for another time).

As a vegetarian, it takes some creative cooking to make foods taste like they're "supposed" to taste. For this recipe, I use a vegan beef flavored base. Check out the review on my blog here.

This is a "use whatever vegetables you have on hand" recipe which basically makes a vegetable stew in a pie crust topped with herbed mashed potatoes. My favorite would be a mushroom mix (crimini, white, portobello, and trumpet) with garlic, leeks and yellow onions.


This one used the following for the filling:



Filling:
*Crimini Mushrooms (sliced)
*Yellow Onions (half moon slices, then quartered)
*Garlic (6-8 cloves, roughly chopped)
*Red bell pepper (diced)
*haricots vert (fresh green beans) (rough chop)
*carrots (sliced into "chips" or coin shapes)
*celery (rough chop)
*frozen peas (add at the end)
*frozen corn (add at the end)

Gravy
2 -3 cups boiling water
2 Tbs. Better than Bouillon Vegan No Beef stock (more or less based on your personal tastes)
1-2 Tbs corn starch dissolved in 1/4 cup hot water or broth

Topping:
1-2 lbs of potatoes (new, red, yukon gold, peeled russets, whatever you like for mashed potatoes), boiled in salted water
4 Tbs butter or margarine
1/4 cup sour cream or sour cream substitute
1/4 cup reserved boiling liquid
1/4 cup fresh chopped parsley
1/4 cup fresh chopped scallions or chives
salt and pepper to taste
Paprika

Crust:
Lazy way 1 - buy a vegan frozen pie crust and pre-bake it according to the directions. Keep an eye on it so it doesn't puff up in the middle.
Lazy way 2 - make a box of vegetarian stuffing, put it in the bottom of a round dish and up the sides, then bake it off for about 20 minutes at 350.

1) Bring a pot of lightly salted water to a rolling boil, add your chopped potatoes, and cook til fork tender; drain, reserving 1/4 cup of the water, and place in a mixing bowl or back in the pot to be mashed. Mix in the water, the butter, sour cream, scallions, and parsley, and mash til smooth enough to feed through a piping bag with a large tip.

2) Over medium-high heat, sautee all but the frozen vegetables in some olive oil and sea-salt until they are soft, but not mushy.


3) Mix the vegan beef base into the hot water, and pour over the vegetables. Bring to a boil. Ladle out 1/4 cup of broth (give or take) into a small bowl and stir in the cornstarch. Pour back into the vegetables and broth, and cook til it has thickened up like a stew or gravy. Repeat this step if you need to thicken it more. Just be sure to cook out the cornstarch taste.(I think a little thicker is better since it won't soak the pie crust). At this point, stir in your frozen corn and peas.

4) Pour the veggie-gravy mix into the cooled pie crust. Using either a cookie scoop or a piping bag (I used the cookie scoop on this one) start topping the mixture with the mashed potatoes in a decorative design. If you scoop the potatoes, you can gently press them down and make them look like scallops on top of the pie.

5) Top the potatoes with a generous dose of paprika to aid in browning. I also sprayed a little bit of Pam on top to help it get a crunchy golden-brown color.


6) Bake at 375º for about a half hour or until the potatoes are golden, and the gravy is bubbling around the edges.



Serve up with a dollop of sour cream and any left-over chives/scallions/parsley.

Add vegetables of your liking; I think eggplant would be good in this. You can, of course add meat or the meat substitute of your choice (Gardein supposedly makes a delicious meat crumble). By changing the beef base and certain veggies, you could make this a "chicken" pot pie instead.

Some shredded sharp cheddar cheese in the potatoes would be yummy too.

You could also put these in small ramekins and bake individual sized pies for each family member.

Megan's Vegetarian/Vegan Chili

I love chili, but I wanted to prove a great chili doesn't need meat. This one starts with a beautiful rainbow of fresh vegetables that flavor the chili with a depth you don't get from a meat base. I also wanted to try to control the amount of salt in the seasonings. If you cannot find salt free, look for low sodium products
This is a hearty chili, and can be tailored to your own family’s tastes.

One medium yellow onion, diced	Two carrots peeled and diced
1 yellow and 1 red or green bell pepper, diced	Three to six cloves of garlic, minced
3-4 ribs of celery, chopped	4 medium fresh tomatoes, diced and roasted
One 28 oz can salt free diced tomatoes*	2-3 Tbs salt free tomato paste (buy the tube)*
Two small cans salt free tomato sauce*	2 tablespoons oil (grapeseed or olive oil
12 to 16 oz water or low salt veggie broth (or bean cooking water, if you started with dry beans)	One cup each, or One 16 oz can each: Black beans, Dark Kidney beans, Pinto beans and Light Kidney beans or Pink beans
Two or three small zucchini, diced

Spices

*Kosher salt (has a better taste, and is easier to control than table salt)
*Ground cumin
*Ground chili powder (regular, not ancho)
*Garlic powder
*Onion powder
*Cayenne pepper (just a dash to start)




1) Heat oil in a large soup pot. Add onions, celery, carrots, bell pepper, garlic, and a small amount of kosher salt. Cook until onions are translucent and carrots and peppers are crisp-tender. Keep stirring so that the garlic doesn’t burn, otherwise it will take on a bitter taste.


2) Add all remaining ingredients, including the broth or reserved bean cooking liquid, except the zucchini. (Be sure to drain and rinse the beans if using canned. If you use dried beans, you’ll need to soak them overnight in cold water, then simmer them on the stove for 60-90 minutes before starting the chili – the beans in this recipe all need the same soak and cooking time. Use about 1/3 cup of each dried bean before the soak to equal one cup rehydrated).


3) Begin adding your spices. To start: 1 Tbs each cumin, chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, and smoked paprika; 1 to 2 tsp KOSHER salt; 1-2 dashes of cayenne. Since you do not have to worry about meat in this recipe, you can sample the flavor of the chili as it cooks down. You may need to add salt or more cayenne depending on your tastes. I like lots of chili powder and cumin in my chili, but 1 to 2 light dashes of the pepper is plenty of spice for an entire pot.



4) When the chili has cooked for about 40 minutes, the flavors should be well developed. Add the zucchini now and stir for about 2-3 minutes. It will soften quickly.

Serve with your choice of toppings: Cheese, red onion, sour cream, chives, corn bread, etc.



TIPS:

consider adding some frozen corn, diced turnip or parsnip, canned green chilis, jalapeño peppers, or other hearty veggies when you are sautéing in the beginning – add lentils at the same time as the spices for more protein; add rehydrated tvp for a meaty texture – use your imagination.

Million Dollar Mac and Cheese

Macaroni and Cheese. Cheese and Macaroni. It's a delicious treat. It's a comfort food. It can also be made really, really badly. I mean, who hasn't in their life eaten a box of THIS STUFF? Yellow death. Loaded with preservatives and salt, it's horrible for you and in all honesty, doesn't really taste that great unless you doctor it up with some real melty gouda, some scallions or shallots, and a bread crumb topping. Even then, it's still pretty foul.

In this post, we'll learn how to make REAL homemade Mac and Cheese with quality ingredients. It's delicious, gooey, cheesey, and has a lot of FLAVOR and really doesn't take much time. It uses a French technique, but never fear. It just sounds impressive. I guarantee your family will want to lick the casserole dish when you're done with this meal.

(for a family size meal):

• 1 lb. Pasta (rotini, mini-penne, rigatoni, Macaroni shells or elbows - something bite-size that will hold on to the sauce)
• 1 1/2 cups Shredded Cheese (sharp cheddar, smoked gouda, pepper jack, Parmesan, Romano...choose something with a strong taste that will stand up to the pasta - make a mix if you want to)
• 2 Tbs. butter
• 2 Tbs. all purpose flour
• 1 cup non-fat or low-fat milk
• salt
• pepper
• panko bread-crumbs

1) Prepare the Pasta
Bring lightly salted water [you need to salt the water to infuse a little flavor into the pasta since we won't be doing anything else to it] to a boil and add16 oz (by weight) dry small pasta - I used mini-Penne pasta, but you can use traditional macaroni, shells, or small rotini, rigatoni, or another smaller pasta. Cook to desired doneness. I like mine a little beyond "al dente" which literally translates to mean "to the tooth." It means the pasta is not hard, but has some resistance and is a little chewy. I prefer mine softer than that.

2) Make your cheese sauce
This sauce starts with a béchamel, one of the Mother Sauces of French cooking. Don't be intimidated, however; it is surprisingly easy to create this sauce.
You will need
2 Tablespoons of butter
2 Tablespoons of All Purpose flour
1 cup of non-fat milk (warmed in the microwave)
1 cup (or a little more) of your favorite shredded cheese* [I used shredded colby/jack]
Salt and Pepper to taste.
*Note: The stronger cheeses, like sharp cheddar or smoked gouda will give a cheesier taste, but the Colby/Jack mix works well too.

We start this sauce with a roux, which is just equal parts butter and flour. Over medium heat in a non-stick pot, melt the butter, being conscious not to let it burn! Once the butter is melted, use a wisk and blend the flour into the butter. Keep stirring, being sure not to let the roux darken, otherwise your sauce will take on the wrong color and perhaps a burned taste. It should take on a very light caramel color.

After about 2 minutes, we turn the roux into the béchamel by SLOWLY adding the milk, about a quarter cup at a time, into the roux. KEEP WISKING or you will get a lumpy sauce. (Note, this sauce will be thick, so if you like it thinner, add 1/4 to 1/3 cup more milk). Reduce the heat to medium-low and stir often, especially the bottom of your pot, until it thickens and JUST begins to boil (anywhere from 5 to 15 minutes). At this point, I add my pepper and salt.

Pull off the heat and add 1 cup of your cheese, a couple handfuls at a time, stirring vigorously to melt it. It will be thick, and cheesy and gooey (mmmm gooey). You may be asking about the other 1/2 cup of cheese. HOLD ON!

3) We Move to the Oven

Spray an oven safe dish with cooking spray. Pour your cooked pasta into the dish, and spread the cheese sauce over the pasta, stirring it together to incorporate all the pasta into your sauce. Smooth it out and top with a very thin layer of bread crumbs. Spread the last 1/2 cup of cheese on top, then load it into a 375 degree oven for 20-25 minutes. It is done when topping is golden brown and sauce is bubbly.

Let set on the counter for about 5 minutes so everything is cohesive and cools enough to be safe, then dish up. Waiting on this gooey treat is the hardest part!

TIPS/Add Ins:

Add frozen peas, spinach, finely diced cooked carrots, small florets of pre-cooked broccoli or cauliflower, etc. when you mix the cheese sauce into the pasta to increase the vegetables in this dish. Your kids will eat it up because who doesn't love veggies smothered in cheese sauce?

Add 1/4 cup of silken tofu to boost the protein in this dish. (Blend 1/4 cup of the milk and tofu in the blender before mixing it into your roux)

Add 1/4 cup of diced chicken or ham if you're into that kind of thing; I don't eat meat.