Vegan Shepherds Pie

What can I say? This is a hearty meal for the continuing (but not forever!) wintertime.
It may seem complicated but it is totally worth the effort.

Filling

3 1/2 cups water or vegetable broth
1 cup frozen peas
1 bunch asparagus, cut into 1" pieces, set the tops aside!
3 carrots, cubed
3 celery, large dice
1/2 package Daiya cheddar style cheese
2-4 cloves garlic, minced
1 small red onion, diced
1 Tbs olive oil
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp fresh ground black pepper
3 Tbs flour
1/2 C mushrooms, sliced

Potato topping 

5 medium Russet potatoes
1 clove garlic
2 Tbs margarine or coconut oil
1/2 cup almond milk
pinch of salt

Crust  (optional)

1 cup unbleached all purpose flour
1/3 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/3 cup olive oil  (works best if chilled in freezer  for 1 hour)
3 Tbs cold water
2 sheets of wax paper
a rolling pin

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. 

FILLING: Coat the bottom of your large stock pot with oil. When the oil is heated up, add onion and garlic. Cook for about 10 min. or until onion is translucent. Add carrots, asparagus, and celery. Saute for about 5 minutes or more. Add the water and the flour and stir until the flour dissolve. Bring to a boil and then let simmer until the veggies are al dente. Periodically stir the pot. Add the mushrooms and peas and continue to let it simmer for about 10 more minutes or until the mushrooms are done. Stir in the Daiya cheese and leave on at a very low temp. 

For the TOPPING: make mashed potatoes, basically.  Cover cubed potatoes with water and let boil for 15 minutes. Drain the water and add the garlic, margarine, almond milk and salt and about a 1/4th of what is left of the Daiya cheese. Mash together.  

CRUST: While the potatoes are boiling, prepare the crust. Use a medium sized bowl and mix both flours and the salt. Then add the chilled olive oil. Roughly fork the mixture and do not over work it if you want a flaky crust! Add a tablespoon of the cold water at a time and mix it with a fork. Roll the dough into a ball, if it doesn't stick together then add more water. Lay the ball of dough on the waxed paper and knead it a couple of times.  Place the other sheet of waxed paper on top and roll the dough into a very thin crust. Make it large enough to cover the bottom and sides of your baking dish. I used a round Pyrex casserole dish. Remove the top piece of waxed paper and turn your bowl upside down and lift up the waxed paper and carefully guide the dough into the bowl. 

Once the crust is in place, fill it with the veggies. Not all of the filling will fit and so I ended up using another smaller casserole dish and poured the remainder into it sans crust. Spoon up some potatoes and flatten them between your palms. Carefully lay the potato topping onto both of the shepherds pies. Decorate the top with the asparagus heads. 

Bake at 400 degrees for 35 minutes.

Servings: 6-8 (depending on how generous the portions are!)

This recipe was adapted from: http://thekindlife.com/blog/2013/03/vegan-shepard-pie/

A good soak.

Do you own a bathtub? I haven't had a bathtub in almost a decade which is a CRYING SHAME! Every time I go on vacation, our lodging must supply a bathtub. Now that I know how to make my own bath salts, I crave a bathtub even more! Bath salts are also great for dry skin.  Pour about a tablespoon into your hand and add a little water to form a paste, then massage into areas of dry skin. Rinse.

   

BATH SALTS

3 cups Epsom salt

1 cup Sea salt

10-20 drops of essential oil 

2 Tbs. jojoba oil

2 bowls 

waxed paper

cookie sheet

glass jars

Alternative additions:

1/2 cup baking soda 

dried herbs

Combine the salts in a metal bowl.

Mix in the jojoba oil and then if you want to do two types of scents,

separate the salts into two bowls and add your essential oils to each one.  

Slowly mix the ingredients together making sure to break up the clumps.  

Spread the salts out onto a cookie sheet that's covered with waxed paper

and let dry for 24 hours before bottling.  

...that's all there is to it! 

Sweet bark without a bite.

I've been making nut clusters this winter but this week, I decided to just pour all of the chocolate directly onto the nuts and then break them apart, like when you make brittle. The clusters looked prettier but the bark has more nuts! I used the Enjoy Life chocolate chips which I melted down with my macgyvered double boiler. I used a pyrex, oven safe bowl and a glass pot that I filled with about an inch or two of water.

Nuts aren't cheap so this time around, I bought the student trail mix from the bulk section at our local health food store (New Pioneer Co-op).It has peanuts, raisins, sunflower seeds, cashews and almonds in it.

My rigged up double boiler in action. 

Stirring helps the chocolate melt faster!

        Cover cookie sheet with waxed paper and spread nuts over top.

             

       

     Spreading the chocolate wasn't as easy as I was hoping for.

         

      Break the bark apart after the chocolate hardens.

Nutty Chocolate Bark

Ingredients

3-4 cups Trail Mix (or any kind of nuts that you desire)

1 bag Enjoy LIfe chocolate chips 

small cookie sheet 

Waxed paper

Directions

Cover cookie sheet with waxed paper. Spread trail mix evenly across the cookie sheet. Set your double boiler up. I make my double boiler out of a small glass pot and a medium sized pyrex oven-safe bowl. First, fill the pot with about 2 inches of water then place the bowl on top of it. The bowl does not need to be submerged into the water. Bring water to a bowl and stir the chocolate occasionally. When the chocolate is completely melted, remove it from heat and let cool for a few minutes. Spread chocolate over the nuts using a spoon to guide it. Place the pan in the refrigerator until the chocolate hardens. Lastly, break the bark apart into as many pieces as you see fit. As always, ENJOY! 

P.S.

Nut clusters are prettier!

Melt the chocolate as stated above.  

Spoon it onto the waxed paper and 

add the nuts and dried fruit any 

which way. 

Rest in Peace, Jim D.

Photo by Laura Smith

Jim, you were such a creative force. Your freaky horror folk has always stirred me. Now you are gone and I will never get to see your elfish face again. Remember our days at Virginia's discussing lucid dreaming and how that was where you wrote your music? Then there was the time you prepared escargot for us and you didn't give me grief for being a vegan. I felt like I was eating friends but I'm glad for that snail experience. I'm sorry I didn't call you more.
I'm sorry that you're gone. 

Twelve Canons will always be one of my favorite bands. 

Thank you for the hauntingly beautiful music you have left us. 

Facebook page:  https://www.facebook.com/thetwelvecanons

Twelve Canon's last album is now available for free:

https://thetwelvecanons.bandcamp.com/album/volume-four-sacrifice

%$^# it's cold.

It's almost February. Does that mean winter is almost over? I sure hope so. Even though my travel plans have been cancelled and it's been insanely cold, I've still managed to make the most of it. Comical attempts at cross country skiing counts, right? Ice skating on a lake is most definitely a highlight. The buzzword lately has been 'hygge' have you heard of it? NPR turned me on to it. Hygge (pronounced hYOOguh) is a Danish word which basically means cozy. It definitely is about making the small things count and to live in the moment. Winter doldrums are no fun but if you light a fire and have good conversation then even the coldest nights can be wonderful.  Of course, for me that means that if we bust out the games then a delightful time can certainly be had! 

How about some hot chocolate and board games (may I suggest Othello for two or The Great Dalmuti for five or more?) to make it through yet another cold winter's night.

Crack open my cooking rag and you shall find:

Celebrations & Butternut Squash + Rosemary Pizza.

Last weekend, I went to a glorious fae-like bachelorette party entitled, Celebrating the Single-
hood of Lady T. We sat at candlelit tables and the honorary Lady wore a handcrafted, gifted crown
of roses. There wasn't a single phallic symbol in sight! An elixir of pomegranate juice + champagne 

with a slice of lime {1:3 ratio} was my concoction of choice. Vodka also mixed well 

with the pom juice. We dined on homemade pizzas and a mixed greens salad.

The vegan pizza was butternut squash with rosemary and drizzled with honey. Yes, I'm 

a vegan who eats raw, local honey. Honey is medicine. Especially 

to those who are plagued by allergies.

The pizza was so good that I had to make a stab at it at home.  The guests were all a delight and the risqué Q&A game was terribly fun. The cupcakes were adorned with Runes 

and each person was given the corresponding knowledge sheet. 

Below is a video of the pizza but not of the procedure.

p.s. I selected the lightning bolt looking Rune called Sowillo. It is a Rune of guidance, 

goal setting and success. It was just the Rune I needed.
If you feel compelled, read more of the meanings of the Rune here:
http://runesecrets.com/rune-meanings/sowilo

“The guide leads you to the doorway, then waits for your return.” 

Apple and Swiss Chard Salad

Apple season is in full swing now which means that it is pretty easy to find neglected fruit trees ripe for the picking. Why buy apples in the store when you can forage for free? You'll want to ask your neighbor first, of course but they'll most likely be game. It's better than having them rot all over their sea of grass.  So I stalked the neighbor's tree and now it's time to make applesauce. Instead of sharing my applesauce recipe, I'm going to write about my latest favorite lunch option. More on that later. 

While listening to Jo Robinson on Splendid Table, I recently learned that not all apples are created equal. Over thousands of years, humans have bred many nutrients out of the plants we eat therefore, some plant species have more phytonutrients than others. I will let Jo Robinson, author of Eating on the Wild Side, explain what phytonutrients are and why they are so important to our health.

"Phytonutrients are basically a plant compound -- all plants produce them to protect themselves against their enemies. They can't run and hide, so they make these chemicals that will ward off insects and browsers and protect them from ultraviolet (UV) light. If we eat them, then we absorb those particles, phytonutrients, and they protect us from our enemies, which happen to be cancer, cardiovascular disease, Alzheimer’s, diabetes and obesity. Their protection becomes our protection."  

The entire podcast can be read or listened to at, Splendid Table (click).

Jo Robinson also shared that some of the more nutritious apples are Granny Smiths, Fugis, Braeburns and Galas. 

Back to my favorite lunch. 

Having a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) means I get  lots of produce and I don't always know what to do with it or how to reinvent it. Being that it is my fourth year (woot!)  at it, it's been more about new food creations. Let's be honest here, I am responsible for about 25% (some would argue less) of the cooking in this vegan household but when I do cook, I make it count! Stir fry everyday? Not when I'm at the (kitchen) helm.  

My favorite lunch recipe comes from the blog, Fat Free Vegan (click).

Rainbow Chard and Apples

1 bunch rainbow chard

1- 2 apples, chopped

1/4 cup raisins

1 small onion, chopped

1 tablespoon Bragg's apple cider vinegar 

1 tablespoon soy sauce

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

almonds, optional.

extra virgin olive oil

cast iron skillet or wok

First, place raisins in a bowl with just enough water to cover them and set aside for 10 minutes. 

Okay, so this next part is sorta like stir fry.

Cut the stems off of the chard. Trim and discard the bottoms of the stems if they’re dry, and chop the stems into 1/4-inch slices. Set the sliced stems aside. Cut the leaves in half lengthwise and then slice into 1/2-inch strips. Keep the sliced leaves separate from the stems.

Heat your skillet. Add the onions and cook, stirring, until they begin to brown. (If necessary, add water a tablespoon at a time to prevent sticking.) Add the chard stems and apples and cook for another 2 minutes.

Drain the raisins, reserving the water. Add the raisins and the chard leaves to the pan and stir well. Add 1 tablespoon of the raisin water to the pan and cover tightly. Stirring every minute or two, cook until the chard is tender, about 6 minutes. Remove the lid and cook briefly to boil off any excess moisture. Remove from the heat, stir in the soy sauce and apple cider vinegar, and add salt and pepper to taste. Serve hot.

Serves 2-4 people.

Excellent with a grilled avocado + tomato sandwich!