Recipe Makeover - Shepherd's Pie

One of the simplest and least invasive ways to eat healthier is to upgrade the meals you’re already eating using healthier ingredients.  This way, you can still enjoy the dishes you like as you begin to also explore new foods. 

Growing up, Shepherd’s Pie was a regular on our dinner table.  Truth be told, I didn’t like it.  The original recipe began with cooked ground beef and onions.  Layered on top of that was a can or two of creamed corn, followed by a thick layer of mashed potatoes.  It was baked in the oven until the top got a little crispy and was usually eaten with ketchup. 

Even to this day, I won’t eat this traditional version of Shepherd’s Pie, yet, the other day, I asked my daughter what she wanted to make for dinner and her answer was, you guessed it - ‘The Pie”.  Thankfully, she was all about a recipe makeover too, to make it more palatable for me and we were both on the same wavelength when we came up with the recipe below. 

We preplaced the standard ground beef with organic ground turkey and added chopped celery in with the onions.  For the middle layer, we eliminated the sugary creamed corn and instead combined half of the onions and celery with frozen organic corn and peas as well as fresh, chopped carrots.   My favorite part was the top layer.  We roasted cauliflower and sweet potatoes and combined them for a sweeter yet less dense topping that carries a lower glycemic load than the traditional potatoes.

In the end, we have a cleaner, fresher, and I think, tastier version of one of my family’s favorites that doesn’t need condiments.   Since this dish requires a fair amount of work, my suggestion is to make a large pan and either have it for leftovers throughout the week, or freeze some for later.  Believe it or not, though, this dish did not last long...

Shepherd’s Pie

1 head organic cauliflower, washed and cut into florets

2 large sweet potatoes, washed, peeled, and chopped into 1” pieces

olive or coconut oil

1 lb organic ground turkey

1 large Spanish onion, chopped small

2-3 stalks celery, washed, ends trimmed and diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup frozen organic corn (or fresh removed from cob if in season)

1 cup frozen organic peas

2-3 large carrots, washed, peeled, and sliced into quarters lengthwise, then diced

sea salt

pepper

oregano

thyme

Combine the cauliflower florets and sweet potatoes in a bowl.  Drizzle with oil and a dash of salt, stir to coat well, then transfer the mixture in a single layer to a baking dish and bake at 350 degrees F for ~45 min, or until both vegetables are tender.  Remove from oven and let cool slightly.

Meanwhile, brown the turkey in a frying pan, adding herbs such as oregano and thyme if desired.  Transfer the meat to a bowl and sauté the onions, celery and garlic in the pan drippings until tender, adding a small amount of oil if necessary.  

Transfer half of the vegetables to the meat and combine.  Spread the meat into an oiled 13 x 9 baking dish.

To the remaining onions and celery, add the corn, carrots, and peas and a just enough chicken or vegetable broth to steam the vegetables.  Cook covered over medium heat until the carrots are almost cooked through.  Add salt and pepper to taste and layer the mixture on top of the meat. 

While the vegetables are steaming, place the cauliflower and sweet potatoes into a food processor and process until smooth.  Add a bit of broth or milk for a thinner consistency if necessary.   Spread the potato/cauliflower mixture on the meat and vegetables. 

Bake the pie in a 350 degree F oven until heated through, ~30-45 minutes.  Serve with sautéed greens and/or a crisp green salad.

You may also like:  Vegetarian Shepherd's Pie

Comfort in Cauliflower and Millet

Since I got the original recipe for this dish from a client of mine who found it in the newspaper, I’ve made it three times. She had never tried millet, so I made it and brought it to our next meeting. It’s currently one of my favorite recipes. One, because I adore roasted cauliflower (which is one thing I changed with this recipe), and another, because I’ve never really cared for mashed (white) potatoes but like the idea of them as comfort food. This beautiful concoction, though, has the look and feel of mashed potatoes, but tastes even better, is much higher in protein, and provides all the benefits of a cruciferous vegetable, including fiber.

As mentioned, the original recipe called for boiling the cauliflower, however, I decided to roast it instead. I also substitute almond or nut milk for the soymilk and use it to replace the water, but any milk would work. I also recommend adding the caraway seeds. It adds a nice taste to the mild flavors of the millet and cauliflower.

Mashed Cauliflower and Millet

½ c uncooked millet, soaked for several hours and rinsed

1 c water

1 head cauliflower

1T grapeseed oil

1 teaspoon sea salt

½ teaspoon caraway seeds

½ to ¾ cup almond or other milk

Freshly ground pepper and nutmeg

1 tablespoon nutritional yeast flakes, optional

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Bring the water and millet to a boil in a small saucepan. Reduce the heat, cover, and simmer until cooked, ~10-15 min. Set aside.

2. Meanwhile, cut cauliflower into florets, coat lightly with the grapeseed oil and sprinkle with caraway seeds and a little salt. Transfer to a baking dish and roast in oven until tender, ~30 min. Transfer to a food processor.

3. Add the cooked millet and milk to the cauliflower. Blend until they reach the desired consistence, then add pepper and nutmeg to taste. Add nutritional yeast flakes if desired.

Shredded Beet and Jicama Salad

Beets – I love them. I love them roasted, juiced, and in salads, especially shredded. The other day felt balmy compared to the winter we’ve had and I’m already craving crunchy, refreshing salads. Not so surprising since I lived on warm bowls of something for the last few months.

So over the weekend, out of nowhere, I decided to combine shredded beets and jicama, a wonderfully, mild, slightly sweet, and crunchy root vegetable. The texture almost reminds me of a crisp pear. The combination was begging for something citrusy, so I added the last of my champagne-citrus vinegar, some freshly-squeezed orange juice, and sea salt. That was it (almost).

The result was so delicious that I already know what I’ll be eating a lot of this Spring and Summer. Not to mention that I’ll be getting a good arm workout from shredding the vegetables : ) Kidding aside, you can shred them in the food processor if you’d like, but in the time it takes to take it out, set it up, shred, empty, and wash, you could have done it by hand.

I still love my food processor, though. In fact, I used it to make dinner tonight which was a gluten-free pizza with a mustard greens and kale sauce that I love.

But here’s the recipe for the salad:

Shredded Beet and Jicama Salad

1 medium beet, shredded

1 medium jicama, shredded

1 T citrus vinegar

2-3 T freshly-squeezed orange juice

1 T olive or grapeseed oil

sea salt to taste

Combine all the ingredients, chill for 30 minutes or more, then serve. That’s it. Simple and delicious! I had to stop myself from eating the entire bowl.

It went well with a millet cauliflower “potato” dish and sautéed beet greens. I’ll be posting the potato recipe soon!

Vegetarian Shepherd's Pie

OK, I confess, I never really liked shepherd’s pie growing up. It was one of my least-favorite meals. If you’re unfamiliar with this dish, in it’s basic form, it begins with a layer of ground, cooked meat, followed by a layer of vegetables; which, for us, was creamed corn, then covered in a thick layer of mashed potatoes. The casserole is baked in the oven until the potatoes get a little crispy and in my family’s case, would be eaten with ketchup.

I have to admit, though, that I do like the concept of a layered casserole and so after talking with a yoga instructor of mine who told me about a delicious dish she had out one evening, I decided to make my version of this. There is no meat. The bottom layer is lentils and the middle, vegetable layer is mixed into this, although it could be layered.

And rather than white potatoes for the topping, I’ve used a combination of roasted cauliflower and a bit of grated cheese, or if you’d like to make this completely vegan, you can replace the cheese with sunflower seeds that have been soaked for several hours then rinsed and drained. I tried both versions of the topping and I liked them both.

The recipe got the thumbs up, although, I was told that the top layer should be much thicker next time. This would mean either doubling or even tripling the ingredients for cauliflower topping below. Just as an aside, cauliflower roasted with a bit of oil, sea salt and pepper is addictive! This dish almost didn’t happen because I came very close to eating all the cauliflower, so you might want to make extra!! I hope you enjoy it. : )

Vegetarian Shepherd’s Pie

1 c green lentils, picked through, soaked, then cooked in vegetable broth

1 T grapeseed oil

½ c chopped yellow onion

½ c celery, chopped

½ c fennel, chopped

2 medium carrots, chopped

2 – 3 large kale leaves, thick stems removed and leaves chopped

1 t dried basil or 1T fresh, chopped basil

2 c cauliflower florets

¼ c hard cheese, grated, such as parmesan or manchego, or ¼ c sunflower seeds, soaked for several hours then drained

sea salt and pepper to taste

Place cauliflower into a large bowl, then drizzle ~ 1T grapeseed or olive oil on top and sprinkle with sea salt. Toss the florets with your hands and place into a baking dish. Roast at 350°F, mixing occasionally, until it starts to lightly brown, ~35 – 40 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool slightly.

Meanwhile, in a sauté pan on medium heat, add the oil and cook the onions for a few minutes. Add the celery and fennel and sauté a few minutes more, then add the carrots and cook an additional 5 minutes. Add the kale leaves, mix well and cook the mixture just until the kale wilts.

Transfer the sautéed vegetables to a food processor and process until it resembles a fine mixture. Add the lentils and the basil and mix well. Add sea salt to taste. Transfer to an oiled pie plate.

Add the cauliflower to the food processor and process until it begins to resemble mashed potatoes. Add the cheese and mix well. As an alternative to the cheese, add the soaked and drained sunflower seeds to the cauliflower and process together.

Evenly spread the cauliflower and cheese (or seed) mixture over the lentils and vegetables. Sprinkle with pepper.

Place the casserole, uncovered into a 350°F oven and bake until the top lightly browns, ~25-30 minutes.