Easy as (Shepherd's) Pie!

Well, it has been awhile.  But, as one of my favorite running quotes says, 'forward is a pace'.  That's right.  If you're moving, if you keep getting up and trying again, you're doing ten times better than someone still sitting on the couch.  So, I've been slacking for the past month.  I have discovered many great foods, fun recipes to cook, and even gotten back into a (fairly) normal running routine - been too busy out living life to sit down and write about it.

But I'm back!  I found one that was too great to not write down, because if I don't I'll surely forget it.  And since this recipe strays quite far from my norm of sauteed vegetables in some sort of sauce (ok, I still sautee the veggies.... but it's still different I swear!!), it's worth making note of.

Shepherd's Pie

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups lentils

1 1/2 cups rice

2 large sweet potatoes

4 plum tomatoes

1 large onion

1 red bell pepper

1/2 cup frozen/fresh corn kernels

1/2 cup chopped spinach

(vary veggies as per your preference, this was a good taste combo for me)

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp black pepper

1 tbsp nutritional yeast

Salt to taste

1 tbsp olive oil

Directions

This recipe is made of 3 separate components that are combined at the end.

1. First, we will get the rice and lentils cooking as this takes about 30-45 minutes.  If using a rice cooker, simply add the rice and lentils, about 4 cups water, garlic powder and a dash of salt and cook on the 'white rice' setting.  If not, then cook same ingredients in a medium pot, starting out at a boil and then bringing to low heat until rice and lentils are soft.

2.  While the rice and lentils are cooking, peel and chop the sweet potatoes.  The only reason for cutting them into pieces is so that they cook faster - the smaller the pieces, the quicker they will cook.  Place in a large pot with water and boil over medium-high heat until soft.

3.  Now that you have the rice/lentils and the sweet potatoes cooking, cut up your other veggies.  In a large pan, add your olive oil and place over medium heat.  Make sure that this pan will be large enough to eventually hold your rice/lentil mix as well.  Add your chopped veggies one by one, starting with the onion.  Add your pepper, your tomatoes, your corn, and your spinach.  Cook over low-medium heat until veggies are soft (~20 minutes).

To the veggie mix, add your spices.  I found that cumin, black pepper, and salt, were all that I needed, but feel free to experiment.  Also, be sure to add that nutritional yeast to get your B12.

4.  If you did things in this order, they should start all being 'done' around the same time!  Heat your oven to 375 degrees, and let's start the combining!

First, you'll take the rice/lentil mix and add it to the pan with all of your veggies.  Stir so that the veggies and carbs are nicely mixed.

Then, spread this mix evenly in the bottom of a 9x13 pan.

Strain your sweet potatoes and mash them up, then spread in an even coat over your lentil/veggie mix.

Place in the oven for about 20 minutes, and voila, shepherd's pie!

(Didn't get an 'after' shot of this one, but trust me, a slice of this pie is scrumptious!)

Peanut Butter Soup

I got a special request today for lunch - peanut butter soup!  If you've been reading since the beginning, you'll recall that my first recipe was a combination of peanut butter soup and veggie stew.  Today I want to show you the soup all on its own - a Ghanian favorite done up the vegan way!

Peanut Butter Soup

Ingredients:

Olive Oil
Garlic (fresh or puree)
5 cups water
1 - 1.5 cups peanut butter

Vegetables:
2 onions
peppers (2 bell, 1 habanero for spice)
2 cups baby carrots
2 big kale leaves
about 2 inches of a ginger root
Tomato Sauce (1 can) or Tomatoes (3 large)

Spices:
1 tbsp Nutritional Yeast
1 tsp Turmeric
Salt for flavor

Preparation:

1.  Add about 2 Tbsp olive oil to large pot.  Add garlic and 1 chopped onion, allowing to cook over medium heat until onions are clear.

(Choose a large pot, we will be adding everything to this one!)

2.  While the onions are cooking, put all of the veggies in a blender.  You can see here the full leaves of kale, carrots, a piece of peeled ginger, peppers, and a chopped onion. You can add any veggies that you like, but be careful of those with an overpowering taste. This is the first time I've added kale, and any more than 2 leaves would have been too much!  Also, control the spiciness of the soup by adding more or less habanero pepper.  I have found that one is good for me.  Add 2 cups of water, and blend !

3.  When the onions are clear and the veggies blended, pour the veggie mix into your pot.  Add an additional 2-3 cups of water so that you have a thin broth. 

 4.  Add your tomato sauce to the broth, or puree your full tomatoes and add to the broth.  Cook over medium heat, so that you have a low boil, for about 20 minutes.







5.  While your broth is cooking, feel free to add your spices.  This is a small lineup due to the flavor added by all those veggies!  Hold off on adding too much salt, you can add more at the end if desired.  I have also experimented here with cumin/coriander to give more of an Indian taste, or red/black pepper to add more spice!

 6. The last thing to add is the peanut butter.  Start out with one large scoop.  You will probably end up using 1 -1.5 cups, depending on how creamy you prefer and how strong of a vegetable taste that you like.  This recipe serves at least 8-10, so you'll probably end up with less pb in your bowl than you'd put on a sandwich! Continue on a low boil for half an hour, so that your soup becomes nice and thick.

7.  Finally, add in any salt/spices to get the taste just right!

Optional : Pre-boiled potatoes or extra cooked veggies are a good addition at this point for a chunky soup.




Enjoy!  Pictured here is a bowl of peanut butter soup served with a scoop of wild grain rice.

Note: A few changes have been made to this recipe as it was passed on to me, with the goal of adding more nutrition and removing any non-vegan elements.  The first, and most notable to someone familiar, will be that this soup is meat-free.  Traditionally, peanut butter soup is cooked with goat meat and/or beef.  Mushrooms are also sometimes used, I have not yet given this a go but found that potatoes do make a nice substitute.

Secondly, since we tend to have processed peanut butter here instead of raw ground nut or peanut paste, some steps are skipped.  I have not found a need to boil the peanut butter on its own before adding it to the soup, but this is also suggested in original recipes.

Finally, I have (of course!) added more vegetables.  Ginger, carrot, pepper, onion are the most common.  Kale is something that I added on my own, because kale just makes everything better!

I hope that you find this vegan rendition to be a healthy version of the traditional recipe!  I am already on my second bowl.....