Something warm for when it's cold.

The water is frozen.  Considering the high temperature forecasted for the day is 13, it's probably at least -10 out there.  And everything is frozen.  Living in a home with small kids and no water is challenging, even when you see it coming.  New years we woke up to the same issue, when we had the same forecasted temperatures.  At least I fared better than my hubby.  He had his shower cut short when the pressure tank and hot water heater became empty.  Had it been me, I'd have had a head full of shampoo.  But still, I'm sitting in a warm house, with food in my cupboards and my hubby is at work.  How blessed are we?

And how blessed am I to have a husband who actually doesn't mind the occasional culinary experiment?  I've decided to try incorporating some different meals from various other cultures, as well as vegetarian dishes, at least once a week.  So once a week, we'll have something seemingly random and 'new'.  Last night we went vegetarian.  To my delight, both boys loved it, and my husband willingly took leftovers for lunch.  He may have told me that it was lacking 'steak', but he ate it and more.

So, form my kitchen to yours, experience Shepards' Pie.  The recipe was passed to my by a lovely friend who is vegan, and she got it from a cookbook, I believe, called How It All Vegan.  (If I'm wrong, she'll correct me.)

As I'm not vegan, and have a love of cheese, I did alter it, as you likely will in your kitchen as well!

Shepards' Pie

Filling:

1 medium onion, diced

3 small carrots, chopped

1/2 cup spinach, chopped

1 celery stalk, chopped

1 zucchini, sliced

1 large tomato, diced

2 tbs olive oil

1/2 cup smashed lentils (or beans)

1/2 tsp dried basil

3 cloves garlic, obliterated

1tbs soy sauce

salt, to taste

Topping:

Smashed potatoes, I used 3 massive baking potatoes

Shredded  cheese

In a medium saucepan, sauté the onions, carrots, spinach, celery, zucchini, garlic, and tomatoes in the oil.  Once the carrots are tender, add the mashed lentils, basil, salt, and soy sauce.  Stir and simmer without a lid until the liquid cooks off.  Yes, you will feel like you're sautéing a salad.  You are.  :)

Once your veggies are ready, spread them in the bottom of a 9" pie plate.  Yes, all of this will fit.  Top with your potatoes, then cheese.

Bake at 350 while you make gravy....  mmmm..... gravy.

Mighty Miso Gravy

6-10 mushrooms, sliced (I use the egg slicer!!!)

1 medium onion, diced

1 tbs olive oil

2 tbs soy sauce

basil, cayenne pepper, dill, pepper, to taste  (I omitted cayenne, because I didn't have any.  Do NOT omit the dill.)

1/3 cup flour

about 2 cups veggie stock

1tsp miso (I used barley miso-  you can buy it at health food stores)

Sauté the mushrooms and onion in the oil until the onion is translucent and the 'shrooms are tender.  Add your seasonings.  Remove from heat, and stir in your flour.  You want everything to be pasty and dry.  Return to heat, and slowly stir in your veggie stock, making sure to get rid of lumps.  Once your gravy thickens, add the miso.  Stir well, then remove from heat.

Sadly, if there is a way to plate this and make it look pretty, I don't know what it is.  This is one of those yummy dishes that looks better in the oven or on the counter than it does on your plate.  (Or at least in my kitchen it does!)  So I've got a shot of the finished pie, but you don't get to see what my plate looked like! 

This did take considerably longer to make than I had anticipated.  I'm sure doing it a second time, it'd be faster, but be prepared to spend about an hour and a half putting this together.

Happy Veggie Comfort Food!  :)

~While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease. Genesis 8:22 ~