Autumn has arrived within the Midwest, bringing with it a yearning for cool climate consolation meals.
For a lot of Iowans, this implies the return of soups, stews and sizzling casseroles.
The casserole, an all-in-one meal baked and served in the identical dish, is a Midwest specialty. It tends to incorporate a medley of meats, greens and starches.
Its scope is huge, and lots of international locations have their very own conventional one-dish recipes. A basic from throughout the Atlantic is the shepherd’s pie, generally referred to as cottage pie.
Easy but beloved, the shepherd’s pie is believed to have grow to be common someday within the late 18th century in England and Eire. Made with minced meat, gravy, greens, and topped with potatoes, the savory dish was each reasonably priced and filling. It was a simple manner for household cooks to make use of leftover meals scraps, but in addition grew to become a style of house at pubs and eating places.
As we speak, shepherd’s pie remains to be a savory staple within the British Isles. It has additionally grow to be a hearty favourite in North America.
For vegans worldwide who love this cozy dish, in addition to anybody searching for a more healthy various, a number of easy alterations present the specified taste and heat with out the cruelty and ldl cholesterol. It’s simple to trade minced meat for lentils, that are excessive in protein, fiber and nutritional vitamins.
Butter and milk may be exchanged for vegan butter and oat or almond milk. Vegan Worcestershire sauce, an ingredient I personally like to make use of in my shepherd’s pie, may be discovered at most grocery shops. Common Worcestershire sauce usually comprises anchovies, an pointless additive.
This vegan shepherd’s pie recipe is extra nutritious, budget-friendly, simply as comforting, and doesn’t require animals to be killed or harmed to fulfill our style buds. As the times grow to be shorter and we search solace from chilly nights in heat kitchens, a sizzling dish like this one is a rewarding technique to welcome fall.
Vegan Shepherd’s Pie
Yield: 6 beneficiant servings
Filling:
● 1 Tbsp. olive or canola oil
● 1 small yellow onion, diced (about 1 cup)
● 1 Tbsp. minced garlic (or to style)
● 1 cup celery, chopped
● 2 heaping tsp. dried thyme
● 3 cups cooked inexperienced lentils, drained (1¼ cup dried inexperienced lentils boiled in 4 cups vegetable broth or water for 40 minutes; or 2-14 oz. cans of lentils, drained)
● ¼ cup tomato paste
● 1 Tbsp. vegan Worcestershire sauce (really helpful: Annie’s model)
● 2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
● 1 cup vegetable broth (really helpful: Higher Than Bouillon No-Hen Base, broth focus)
● 1 heaping tsp. Dijon mustard
● 20 oz. frozen combined greens, thawed (may use roughly 4 cups of any mixture of contemporary corn, carrots, peas, inexperienced beans, and so on. instead of frozen greens)
● Salt and pepper, to style
Potato Topping:
● 2½ lb. russet potatoes, reduce into roughly 1-inch cubes
● ¼ cup vegan butter (suggest: Earth Stability, Miyoko’s, or Pure Grocers Natural Plant-Based mostly Butter)
● ⅓ cup unsweetened plant milk
● 1 beneficiant tsp. garlic powder or granules
● Salt and pepper, to style
If utilizing dried lentils, prepare dinner these first. Peel and slice the potatoes and boil in salted water till they’re tender and fall off the fork.
As soon as the lentils and potatoes are prepared, preheat the oven to 400 levels F.
For the filling: In a pan, prepare dinner the onion and celery in oil till gentle. Add the garlic and sauté for five extra minutes. Add the thyme and prepare dinner for one more minute or two.
Add the cooked lentils, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce and flour to the pan. Stir till the flour is included. Add the vegetable broth, Dijon mustard, combined greens and a pinch of salt and pepper. Simmer for 5-10 minutes, stirring usually. Add extra vegetable broth, salt and pepper, if desired.
For the mashed potatoes: Drain the cooked potatoes; add vegan butter, plant milk, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Use a potato masher to combine all components collectively. (For whipped potatoes, use an electrical mixer.)
Put together a 9”x9” baking dish. Pour the lentil filling into the dish and clean it flat with a spatula. Spoon the mashed potatoes fastidiously on high. Unfold evenly over the entire filling, ensuring the potatoes meet the sting of the dish.
Place the dish on a baking sheet in case there may be any overflow whereas baking. Bake uncovered for about half-hour.
Notice: This recipe may be very versatile. Use no matter greens you have got accessible for the filling. Lentils are an reasonably priced ingredient that may be bought in bulk from New Pioneer Meals Co-op or Pure Grocers.
Sara Pinkham has been vegan for greater than 9 years. She lives in Iowa Metropolis along with her husband and three cats. She works on the College of Iowa Libraries.
For questions or feedback concerning the Vegan Group of Jap Iowa, e-mail veganeasterniowa@gmail.com or go to www.veganeasterniowa.org. Everyone seems to be welcome to hitch the VCEI on Fb and MeetUp.
