Garden Shepherds Pie (meatless)

Garden Shepherds Pie (Meatless)

Tonight I wanted to celebrate National "PI" Day. PI not Pie... 3.14. I know math nerds everywhere rejoice.
The base for this recipe I got from Clean Eating Mag I found online when I googled clean eating shepherds pie. It looked good so I did my best with the ingredients I had on hand. I hope you enjoy it as much as we did.

I really wanted something like pie with a nice flaky crust and yummy center... so if your looking for that kind of pie... this isn't it, I mean the nice yummy center yes, but not the flaky crust. This does not have a crust. Instead of using potatoes, I am using cauliflower, leeks and turnips with a hint of almond milk sprinkled with salt and pepper, topped with parmesan cheese. Sound yummy... I think so too. :)

The middle is full of rich delicious nutritious vegetables. Full of good nutrients and appeasing my new lifestyle of eating cleaner healthier meals. This is one of the first meatless meals I will be serving and hopefully not the last. I did use a lot of organic vegetables but not all are fresh, some have been previously canned, such as the beans and the carrots and peas were previously frozen. My house smells delicious and I'm hoping it tastes as good or better then it smells. :)

Ingredients:

Cauliflower Topping
1 cauliflower, cut off stem pieced
1 medium leek quartered and diced
1 medium turnip, diced
1 tbsp minced garlic
1/4 cup almond milk (unsweetened)
Salt and Pepper to taste

Add cauliflower, leek, turnips and garlic to a pot of water, boil until cauliflower is tender and turning translucent. Remove from heat, drain in strainer. Return to pot add almond milk. With a submersible blender, blend until creamy. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Use as topping for shepherds pie, or smooth out on a lightly greased cookie sheet and use for a pizza crust by cooking (drying out) in oven for 15 min.

Shepherds pie filling

2 tsp coconut oil
1 large leek, white and light green parts thinly sliced, rinsed well.
2 medium carrots diced or sliced (I used frozen carrots mixed with peas)
1 medium turnips, diced small about 1 1/2 cups
1/2 cup fresh or frozen peas
1/4 lb fresh green beans, trimmed and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
5 small garlic gloves (minced)
2 cups low-sodium vegetable broth, divided
3 large swiss chard leaves, torn into medium pieces - I rough chopped mine and I used Rainbow chard
1 sprig rosemary - chopped
1 sprig sage - chopped
1/4 tsp dried thyme
1 can cannelloni beans - rinsed
1/2 can black beans - rinsed
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper
1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated

Instructions:
Preheat oven 400F.
Add oil to a large dutch oven or wide sauce pot on medium-highheat. Add leek and sauté for 5 minutes, stirring often, until begins to soften. Add Carrots, turnips, peas, green beans, and garlic and sauté for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Until vegetables begin to soften and brown bits form on the bottom of the pan. Pour 1/2 a cup of broth, scraping brown bits from bottom of the pan as the broth evaporates.

Add chard and herbs (thyme, sage and rosemary) and sauté until chard wilts, about 2 minutes. add beans and remaining broth, salt and pepper and simmer for 10 minutes, until liquid thickens and reduces slightly, and vegetables are tender.

Transfer stewed vegetables to a 10-in pie dish. Spread on top of stewed vegetables cauliflower mixture over vegetables, to the edges of the dish. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese and bake in the oven for 20 minutes or until browned (mine cooked for 26 minutes to lightly brown). Remove from oven let rest for 10 minutes. and enjoy warm!

***VERDICT!!!

SUPER DELICIOUS! I will be making this again, soon! I love how healthy this is and delicious. I am so, very pleased with how delicious this turned out. I love being able to add a meatless dish to my families dinner, which helps us stay healthy and helps our tight budget. Enjoy!!! Let me know what you think and how you adjust for your family.

Black Bean, Corn and Avocado Salad

I am sorry I thought I took a picture of this beautifully, yummy salad, but I didn't. :(  I know how sad. Well. When I make it again I will take a picture of it and post it. I hope you enjoy this as much as I did. :) I brought this dish to our Cub Scout Blue and Gold banquet this tuesday. It was a real hit! Super easy to make, just lots of chopping fresh ingredients. But this is a delicious salad. Totally worth the time chopping veggies. Enjoy!

Black Bean, Corn and Avocado Salad

2 – 15 oz cans black beans, rinsed and drained

4 ears of fresh corn, cooked, and kernals cut off the cob

2 peppers – 1 yellow bell pepper and 1 orange bell pepper

2 cloves of garlic, minced

2 Tbsp minced shallots (1 Medium shallot)

2 tsp kosher salt

¼ tsp cayenne pepper

1-2 Tbsp stevia (optional)

3 passes around the bowl with olive oil

2 limes (The juice of 2 limes)

zest from 1 of the limes

½ cup chopped parsley, plus more for garnish (can substitute cilantro)

2 – medium avacado’s diced

1 cucumber, peeled and diced (if using English cucumbers leave peel on)

4 roma tomatoes, diced

1 bunch of green onion stalks (dice the green off the tops of 1 bunch of green onions)

Mix all ingredients in a bowl except the avacado. Cover and chill for a few hours or over night. Right before serving add the avacados and mix gently. *Do not mash the avacados. Garnish with a few sprigs of chopped parsley or cilantro. Serve at room temperature.

Serves 8-10 people generously

Clean Eating Fajita Taco's with Caramelized Onions

Fajita Taco's with Caramelized Onions


4 - Chicken Breasts, sliced thin
3 (1 of each) Red, Yellow, green or orange Bell Peppers, Sliced thin
2 - Onions, sliced thin(reserve one for the caramelized onions)
1/2 packet fajita spices (low sodium)
1 cup salsa (homemade)
Romain Lettuce Leaves


Cook the chicken, bell peppers and 1 of the onions until the chicken is cooked through, onions translucent and peppers are soft. Add fajita spices and salsa, add 1/3 cup water and simmer down. In a separate pan, slowly cook on low/med heat, add onions in 1/2 a tsp of  heated coconut oil, and a sprinkle of kosher salt until they are tender and browned. 


Spoon the fajita mixture into romaine lettuce leaves, then add a light layer of the caramelized onions on top of the fajita mixture. 


ENJOY! These are so super tasty and full of flavor. The sweetness from the onions and the spice of the fajita meat are a perfect combination. I made these for a dinner with my husband and they were so supper tasty! WE ate them all up.

Clean Eating Turkey Burgers with Homemade Salsa

Turkey Burgers with homemade Salsa


1 pound Ground turkey
1 zucchini (shredded)
1 onion (diced)
2 Tbsp Ms Dash
1 Tbsp kosher salt
2 Tbsp Fresh Grated Pepper

Preheat oven 350 Degrees F.
Combine all ingredients together in a medium bowl. Make a medium size ball of the mixture in your hand, and flatten to about 1/4 inch thick. Place on non-stick foil. Repeat until all mixture is completed. Or make meatballs using a medium (Pampered chef) scoop. Once all meat is used. Place in the oven and bake for 30 min, rotating the pan half way through and flipping burgers. Remove and serve warm and refrigerate the remaining meat for a different meal.

Homemade Salsa

3 Roma Tomatoes diced
1 big bunch of cilantro, minced
1 small onion, diced
1 Tbsp minced garlic
1 jalepeno, diced (seeds removed)

Mix together and eat! :)

Clean Eating Chicken Salsa Stirfry

Chicken salsa stirfry

Servings Size: 1

Chicken breast piece, Thawed and cubed, seasoned with Ms. Dash

1 cup green bell pepper slices

1 small yellow onion

1 carrot diced

2 celery stalks diced

2 Tbsp Salsa (low sugar)

In a small skillet, add bell peppers, onion, carrots, and celery. Lightly salt (less than a tsp. To pull out the moisture in the veggies. Cook until the onions are starting to turn translucent. Add the seasoned cut chicken. Cook on med/high heat. When it starts to stick, add water to deglaze the pan and help cook the chicken. The amount of water is a personal decision. I used about ¼ a cup at first, then it evaporated and I added another ¼ of a cup. By the time that one almost evaporated the chicken was fully cooked, the veggies were softer and I then added my salsa. Cooked a little more reducing the liquid (which also concentrates the flavor). Then served. This would be good in romaine lettuce leaves as tacos. But I just ate it as a stir-fry. No rice, no noodles. Just veggies and meat. It was spicy and delicious

Clean Eating Spiced Honey Apple Oats

Spiced Honey Apple Oats

Serving Size: 1

1/3 cup old fashioned oats

1 cup water

2 tbsp honey

¼ tsp pumpkin pie spice

1 apple pealed, cored, sliced and diced.

In a small pan add water and apples, bring to a boil, then add oats. Cook 10-15 min depending on desired consistency. Add honey, pumpkin pie spice. Stir and serve Warm.

2 tbsp honey

Clean Eating Honey Cinnamon Oats

Honey Cinnamon Oats

Serving Size: 1

1/3 cup old fashioned oats

1 cup water

2 tbsp honey

¼ tsp cinnamon

½ the inside of a vanilla bean

1 small pinch of Kosher Salt

Boil 1 cup water to a small pot and boil. Once boiling add the oats and cook about 10-15 min. depending on desired consistency. Then add honey, cinnamon and vanilla bean to the oats and stir. Serve Warm.