‘Karma Chow’s Ultimate Cookbook’: Un-Shepherd’s Pie
- Posted on December 8, 2012
- in Cook Books, Nutrition
- by Natalie
One of my boyfriend’s favorite meals is Shepherd’s Pie. So naturally, I had to make an Un-Shepherd’s Pie for him (the key to a man’s heart is through his…uh..stomach….sure). I have made this recipe a couple times now because, well, I like it! I would recommend it to anyone who is a fan of the traditional shepherd’s pie. ‘Cept this one is not stuffed with meat and other ridiculousness.
Oh look! I’m making a shepherd’s pie!
I made this recipe for a second time at my parents’ house over Thanksgiving. It is a perfect meal for the cold months. It uses tempeh instead of meat and, of course, a whole bunch of veggies. If you like traditional shepherd’s pie, then give this recipe a whirl! You get to use the ‘smashed’ potato variety, where you leave in the skins, versus plain old ‘mashed’ potatoes. Plus, smashed potatoes are just a little more badass, eh? Anyway, I digress.
The only difficult aspect to this recipe is all the chopping. But if you work as a team, the prep work isn’t so bad.
1. Cut 3 pounds of red potatoes into 1/2 in. cubes. (I forgot to cut my potatoes before I boiled them which was a big mistake! It took much longer!) Boil the cubed potatoes until soft for about 20 minutes. Drain and put back into the pot.
2. Add 1/3 cup of unsweetened almond or soy or coconut milk, 1 tsp. salt, and 2 Tbs. of olive oil or Earth Balance to the potatoes, and SMASH!
3. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees, and wipe some oil in a casserole dish for later.
4. Heat some oil in a (large!) pan and sauté 1 onion, 2 cloves of garlic, and 2 cups of sliced mushrooms on medium heat, until tender. Add 2 Tbs. of balsamic vinegar and cook for a couple of minutes on low.
5. Add 2 diced stalks of celery, and 2 diced carrots to the pan and cook until soft but still crisp.
6. Add 2 8oz. packets of your favorite tempeh, and crumble in the pan as you mix it.
7. Stir in 1 tsp. thyme, 1 tsp. oregano, 1 tsp. coriander, and 3 Tbs. of (vegan!) Worcestershire sauce.
8. Put 1 Tbs. of arrowroot powder in 1/2 cup of vegetable broth until it dissolves. Then add this mixture to the pan with 1 15oz. can of drained (and rinsed!- rinsing beans help to minimize their flatulent properties) kidney beans. Mix well, then cover, and lower the heat for 10 minutes while the flavors simmer together and the concoction gets thicker. Make sure to give it a mix occasionally because tempeh is rather sticky!
9. Add 1 cup of frozen peas and 1 cup of frozen corn. Mix, then cover again for another 2 minutes.
10. Stir well, then scoop out the mixture into the greased casserole dish. Put the ‘smashed’ potatoes on top and spread even. Finally, put the dish into the oven for about 35 minutes. Cool for about 10 minutes.
Naturalie’s Note: Add some ketchup on top of the pie, or put some on your plate for dipping. If you are not a fan of white potato, or you’d like to get just a little more beta-carotene and other dandy nutrients in ya, then use sweet potatoes instead!
Tags: karma chow, karma chow's ultimate cookbook, melissa costello, shepherd's pie, Un-Shepherd's Pie, UnShepherd's Pie, veg, vegan, vegan dinner, vegan shepherd's pie