Shepherd's Pie

Shepherd's pie is basically meat pie (either lamb or ground beef).  So it's impossible to make vegan, right?  Wrong!  I have to admit I was nervous about this.  I basically took an old recipe for a traditional shepherd's pie and tried to make it vegan.  It could have been totally hit or miss.  Thank g-d it was a hit!

I would say that this is a good dish to make for non-vegan friends because you couldn't even really tell it was vegan and it is really filling and wholesome.

Shepherd's Pie

Ingredients:
7 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed
Handful of chives, chopped fine
1/4 cup of of fake bacon bits
1 head of garlic plus 1 tablespoon of garlic, finely chopped
1 medium onion, fine diced
1/2 cup of button mushrooms, sliced thin
1 cup of frozen corn
1/4 cup of daiya cheese
1 package of LightLife Smart Ground (usually near the tofu in the grocery store)
2-3 medium carrots, peeled and finely chopped
1/4 cup of Earth Balance plus 2 tablespoons
2 tablespoons of chickpea flour
1 cup of veggie stock
2 tablespoons of tomato paste
2 teaspoons of soy sauce
1 tablespoon of oregano
1 tablespoon of thyme
1 tablespoon of rosemary
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.

Start by cutting the top off of the head of garlic.  Wrap it in tin foil and add a bit of EVOO.  Roast at 400 degrees for 15 minutes or until completely soft.

Boil potatoes in salted water until tender, about 12-15 minutes. Drain potatoes and pour them into a bowl. Add the chives, fake bacon bits and 1/4 cup of Earth Balance and mash.  Remove the garlic from the oven and squeeze it into the potatoes (it should come out really easily).  Add a little salt and pepper to taste and continue to mash.  You can add some soy milk here if you want, but I didn't.  If you need to add a little more Earth Balance to make them more creamy.

While the potatoes are boiling, peel and dice your carrots and steam them.  Dice your onions and add them to pan with a little EVOO.  Saute them for about 3 minutes and then add the mushrooms and 1 tablespoons of chopped garlic.  Next add the Smart Ground, be sure to break it up really fine, and steamed carrots.

Saute for about another 5-10 minutes until the Smart Ground begins to brown.  Then add the chick pea flower and stir well until it has completely disappeared into the mixture.  Add the corn, veggie broth, 1 tablespoon Earth Balance, soy sauce, oregano, thyme, rosemary and tomato paste.  Cook until most of the liquid has been absorbed.

I used a round casserole dish, but you can use square too.  Take about 1/3 of your mashed potatoes and use them to coat the bottom of the casserole dish.

Then add your meat and veggie mixture to the casserole dish.  Make sure to distribute evenly so that everything cooks well.

Then add the 1/4 cup of daiya cheese on top of the meat and veggie mixture.  Scoop the remaining 2/3 of the mashed potatoes into the casserole dish and distribute evenly, making a thick top layer.

Cook this for 40 minutes at 400 degrees.  I cooked it covered for the first ten minutes and then uncovered for 30 minutes.  You know it is ready when the potatoes start to brown.

Remove it from the oven and let stand for 15 minutes.  This is absolutely crucial so that everything melds together and you are able to cut it without it falling apart too much.

Enjoy!