Shepherd's Pie

Shepherd's pie is a weird thing.  Some people call it cottage pie. Some people put cheese on top; some don't.  I think it really depends on your personal preference, because every version I've ever had was delicious.

My husband makes an epic shepherd's pie; I don't know if this is because he's half-British and has the goodness of shepherd's pie running through his veins, or because he's super capable at throwing together whatever's in the fridge and making into something delicious (or, palatable, which is called the Andrew Special).

Anyway, yesterday I was craving some shepherd's pie, and Andrew wasn't around to make it.  So I veganized it, and here it is:

Shepherd's Pie
For the filling
2 T olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1/2 c. vegetable broth
1 cube vegetable buillion
2 c. frozen mixed vegetables--or, if you feel extra ambitious, fresh chopped carrots / green beans / peas / corn
1 package (12 oz.) SmartGround beef-style crumbles
2 T vegan worcestershire (I used Annie's Natural's version)

For the topping
1 small bag red-skinned potatoes (I fail at how heavy this is; I want to say 1.5 lb, but I'm not sure)
2 T EarthBalance vegan butter
1/2 c. plain soymilk
Salt and pepper to taste
4 green onions, snipped to 1/4-inch pieces
Vegan cheddar cheese (I used Daiya Vegan Cheddar, but you can use whatever's available to you)

For the filling
1)  Heat olive oil; sautee onion until just soft
2)  Add vegetable broth and vegetable bullion; heat and stir until buillion is mostly dissolved
3)  Add mixed vegetables, beef crumbles, and worcestershire.  Heat until all vegetables are thawed / cooked.
4)  Spread into a layer in the bottom of a 9x13 pan

For the topping
1)  Boil potatoes until soft.  DO NOT SKIN!  Dirty mashed potatoes are the best!
2)  Mash potatoes with EarthBalance, soy milk, salt, & pepper.  Make them as lumpy or as un-lumpy as you want.
3)  Mix in green onions.  This is best done with a spoon, as you don't want to bruise the onions.
4)  Spoon potatoes over the top of the veggie mixture in the 9x13 pan.  Spread out smoothly.
5)  Top with cheese in a thin layer.

Bake at 350 for 17-22 minutes.  Leftovers keep in the pan for up to 4 days, though I recommend re-heating on a meal-by-meal basis in a toaster oven.  (We don't own a microwave, so I couldn't tell you how this microwaves.)

Don't Call It A Comeback

Okay, I admit it:  I've pretty much totally sucked at Vegan Blogging for the past month or so.  I'm not going to give you a laundry list of excuses; suffice it to say that between my husband getting a new job in Seattle, going to Seattle to get him somewhat settled, and then returning to Chicago and figure out how to be Living Single (I wish it was that cool), I've been a little bit busy.

BUT ANYWAY!

Today I made a batch of delicious muffins.  It's pretending to be spring here--the sun is out, the sky is blue, and it's a balmy 35 degrees.  As such, I felt like making muffins that indicated the same level of sunniness.  No more heavy spices!  No more pumpkin!  Those things are best left to fall!  BRING ON THE SPRINGTIME MUFFINS!

Blueberry-Corn Muffins
1 c. whole wheat flour
1 c. cornmeal
1 T baking powder
1/2 t salt
1/3 c. sugar
1/2 c. olive oil
3/4 c. soy milk
2 T soy yogurt (I used vanilla)
1 t vanilla extract
Grated zest of 1 large lemon
1 1/4 c. fresh blueberries, rinsed and de-stemmed

1)  Preheat oven to 400F.  Grease either a) 1 12-normal-sized-muffins tin, or b) 1 6-gigantic-muffins tin (I made gigantic muffins, because gigantic muffins make better breakfasts).
2)  In a large bowl, mix together the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, salt, and sugar.
3)  Add all wet ingredients (olive oil, soy milk, soy yogurt, and vanilla).  Mix with a wooden spoon.  Make sure to scrape the bottom a lot--the cornmeal tends to make sneaky dry clumps.
4)  Fold in the blueberries and lemon zest.  Be careful not to overmix and pulverize the blueberries!
5)  Fill each muffin cup 3/4 full.  Bake for 20-25 minutes (normal muffins) or 32-25 minutes (gigantic muffins), or until toothpick inserted in the center of one muffin comes out clean.
6)  Allow to cool 5-10 minutes in tin before removing onto a cooling rack to avoid mushy muffins.

(Recipe sourced from Vegan With a Vengeance by Isa Chandra Moskowitz)