Vegan Shepherd's Pie

I cannot believe it has been over a month since my last post. I told myself that I was going to do this at least once a week, but we all know how that goes. Between dealing with the flu for over a week and then my wild and crazy holiday, I guess I just lost track of time. Don't get me wrong. I did set foot in the kitchen over the holiday even with the baby locks on all the cabinets in Virginia, where I spent my Christmas. It took me the whole week to figure them out, and, just as I did, it was time to pack up and head back to Charleston.

After a week of delicious food, I was not ready to go back to healthy eating and continued to crave the warmth of holiday comfort foods. I found the following recipe in one of my new favorite cookbooks, Clean Food, by Terry Walters. The recipe, a delicious veggie version of Shepherd's Pie, was tweaked a little bit to add my own flare. That and I can never follow a recipe...no matter how hard I try.

Enjoy!



One of the best things about this dish is that you can just throw it all together and "in the oven it goes" for 30 minutes. So warm and comforting, I couldn't help but eat a few bites right out of the oven.



The biggest change I made is was using sweet potatoes instead of regular potatoes. Not only did it add a little sweetness, but I think it looks nice too! I also took out the mushrooms and made a couple other little changes depending mostly on what I had in the house. Please do check out the original, however. The book has a ton of great recipes all categorized by ingredients available by season. It's a great guide to eating local, which seems to be growing in popularity these days. I actually hope this is a trend that sticks because it just makes so much more sense, and I just feel, as human beings, we are entitled to reasonably priced, good for us food without all the added "this" and "that." Anyway, I'm off my soapbox, so please enjoy this delicious recipe.



Liz's Version of Vegan Shepherd's Pie:

Makes about 4 servings:

Potato Top:
2 medium sweet potatoes
1/4 c. unsweetened almond milk
1 tsp. salt
a couple Tbsp. olive oil

Filling:
16-20 oz. seitan
1-2 Tbsp olive oil
1-3 cloves minced garlic--I like my garlic
1 shallot, chopped
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. dried green goddess
pinch of white pepper
1 c. baby sweet corn
3-4 oz. baby spinach
1/4 c. mirin
1 c. vegetable stock
1 tsp. cornstarch
salt and pepper to taste
paprika

Cut up potatoes into smaller chunks. Then place in a pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil and cook until tender--until a fork easily goes into the potatoes. Drain water and add almond milk, olive oil and salt. Mash until the mixture is smooth and then set aside for later.

Chop up seitan and place, with shallot, in a heated pan containing the olive oil. Saute until lightly browned and then add the corn, spinach, mirin, and stock. Cook until spinach is tender but still bright green. Add the cornstarch mixed with a tablespoon of water and cook until mixture begins to thicken. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Pour the seitan mixture into a casserole pan and spread the sweet potato mixture on top. Sprinkle with paprika.

Bake at 350 for 30 minutes until sauce starts to bubble. Remove from the oven and allow pie to cool slightly before serving.

Sweet citrus sweet potato casserole with orange,vanilla candied nuts

I know Thanksgiving was a week ago, but I just couldn't resist sharing this recipe. It is super delicious and a great way to warm up this fall. There is just such a great flavor and texture contrast with the gingersnap crust, the soft sweet potato and the whole, sweet crunch of the nut topping. I have never actually candied nuts before so this was an experience. The casserole was actually for a potluck, but I decided to toss a mini version in a ramekin for a me-sized treat for later.


The individual portions turned out even better than the full sized. I also think small portions are a little classier, or maybe that is not the word I'm looking for. Eating something from a ramekin can make a person feel special, like a little treasure. It's like when you were a kid and you brought home the pictures you drew in kindergarden. I felt so special when my mom would hang it on the refrigerator. That's how I feel when I make individual portions. Except it's better because I get to eat it! I hope this dish is as comforting to you as it was to me. Happy Holidays.

the candied nuts:

2 c. mixed nuts, I used pistachios, pecans, almonds, and cashews
2 c. sugar
2 c. vegetable oil
2 tsp. cinnamon
2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. orange extract

Blanche the nuts for 1-2 minutes. Drain and lay on towels to get rid of most of the liquid. In a bowl mix together the sugar, spices, and extracts. Coat the nuts in the flavored sugar. In a deep pan, heat the vegetable oil until a nut placed in the oil sizzles. When the oil is hot enough put the rest of the coated nuts into the pan--be careful, it may spit some. Fry for 5-7, until nuts turn a darker brown in color. Use a slotted spoon and to drain the nuts and place them on a sheet pan lined with parchment. Sprinkle any remaining sugar over the nuts and allow then to cool slightly before placing the pan in the refrigerator to set.

the casserole:

5 large sweet potatoes
2 eggs, lightly beaten
tsp. orange zest
tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. milk
2 Tbsp butter

crust:
6 oz crushed gingersnaps
6 oz crushed graham crackers
3 Tbsp butter, melted

Make a cut across the top of each potato before placing them on a foil lined baking sheet. Bake at 375 for 1 hour, or until tender. Once cool enough to touch, peel away the skin of the potatoes and place the insides in a bowl. Mix roasted potato with the eggs, zest, vanilla, nutmeg, cinnamon, brown sugar, milk, and butter.

Using a 9x9 glass pan, fill the bottom of the pan with the crushed snaps and grahams. Pour the melted butter over the crumbs and press down to form a crust.

Pour the sweet potato mixture over the crust and top with the candied nuts. Bake at 350 for 40-45 min.

Couscous, red pepper, and goat cheese quiche

So, this is my first post ever. I decided to start this blog to share with others my love of food and photography. After receiving my art degree from the University of Virginia, I moved further south to Charleston, SC to pursue my second passion-the kitchen. I am now in my first semester at the Culinary Institute of Charleston, and, even though I only have class a couple days a week, I am in the kitchen as much as is temporally possible. My first post is a recipe for a little something I whipped up for brunch a couple weekends ago. As a student, I tend to make large portions of things, like pasta or rice, and use those as the base for meals when I am in a time crunch. After a dinner of couscous on Friday, I decided to see what interesting concoction I could invent with the leftovers. So here it is. My garlic couscous, red pepper, and goat cheese quiche. It's great for breakfast or lunch, and even better with side of roasted lemongrass, dill potato wedges.





Couscous, red pepper, and goat cheese quiche with dill, lemongrass roasted potatoes:


The Quiche:
1 shallot
1 clove garlic
1 red pepper
2 roma tomatoes
3-4 leaves fresh basil, chifonade
olive oil
8 eggs
1/2 c. unsweetened almond milk

2 c. cooked couscous, about 2/3 c. dry

salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 450. Cook couscous using package directions. Set aside. Saute diced shallot, garlic, red pepper and tomatoes in olive oil until almost tender. Add the basil and cook until tender. Remove them from the heat and set aside. Saute cooked couscous just to brown. Grease a 9x9 glass pan and layer the couscous in the pan, pressing down to form a crust. Then layer on the sautéed vegetables. Wisk together the eggs, milk, and salt and pepper to taste. Pour the egg mixture over the vegetable layer. Crumble plain goat cheese on the top. Bake in 450 oven for 20 minutes.













Dill and Lemongrass Potatoes:

1/2 # mix of purple, pink, and yellow potatoes
3 Tbsp. olive oil
2 sprigs fresh dill, minced
1 Tbsp. dried lemongrass

Preheat oven to 400. Cube potatoes or cut into wedges and place on a baking sheet. Coat potatoes with olive oil then sprinkle with dill and lemongrass. Cook for 20-30 minutes, depending on size of potatoes and oven variations, or until the edges brown.