As the years passed my Mother, always aware of health and nutrition, decided that vegetarianism really was right for her. And while she would cook meat for the rest of us, her diet became meatless. She was also lactose-intolerant. Back in the 80's, there were no lactose-free items so her choices were extremely limited. I remember her experimenting with making her own cheeses and "cream" sauces. It always amazed me that she would go to such great lengths to have things not only taste good, but that the textures were similar. I wondered what all the fuss was back then.
It's interesting to think back on that as I work in my kitchen now, and I often wonder if she and I would trade recipes now. I know exactly what she was after back then...I am all about taste AND texture now.
On to the reason for this blog:
I have been looking forward to spending Thanksgiving in LA with my family since last Thanksgiving! My hubby and I love going down to LA and spending time with my brothers and their families. This year, we are excited to cook dinner while in LA. Turkey and the fixings are a staple, but a few years ago, one of my brothers, sister-in-law and their family became vegetarian. I wondered what deliciousness I could serve so they still had a great Thanksgiving meal that wasn't just "the sides".
Looking through Pinterest and other vegetarian recipe sites, I realized that the easy way out was to use pre-packaged products to make a dish. One of my issues with this is I am trying to avoid gluten, and the majority of these vegetarian products have gluten - seitan IS gluten...And because I wanted to be able to eat this dish as well as everything else, I had to create something from scratch that would be gluten-free, lactose-free and vegetarian. Maybe a vegetarian meat loaf...
Flashback to childhood: I remember my mother making nut loaf. It was ok, but it wasn't meat loaf. So, I went through a number of different recipes and thought I would try at least one of the recipes I found on Pinterest. Well, one didn't do it. I found a few and then combined ingredients and made my own. And afterwards, I thought, what am I going to do with the leftovers?
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| meat loaf with spicy BBQ sauce |
A friend of mine sent me a text saying they were going to have Shepherds Pie for dinner...That was enough to provide the inspiration and so, the next thing I knew, I broke apart the day old vegetarian meatloaf into a pan and voila, Shepherd's Pie created!
I must admit, I hadn't thought of using the basis of a vegetarian meat loaf to create the "ground beef" but afterwards, I wondered why I hadn't thought of that. It does take extra time, but it is worth the effort.
The recipe below is adapted for making this as a loaf first or using it quickly. The loaf will give you more flavor and texture, but the faster method will still be yummy!
I have also accounted for making this completely gluten-free and vegan, so there is an egg substitute if desired.
MEAT
Ingredients:
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| some of the ingredients used for the "ground beef" |
1/2 cup green lentils
1/2 cup raw almonds
1/2 cup raw cashews
1/4 cup walnuts (or you could just use 1/2 cup walnuts and no pecans)
1/4 cup pecans (optional)
1 portobello mushroom
1 celery stalk
1/2 onion
2-4 cloves garlic
1 1/2 cups bread crumbs (gluten-free to make this GF)
1/4 - 1/2 cup of mushroom water as needed
2 egg (or 5 Tbls Flax soaked in 1 cup water and chilled for 30 mins for vegan option)
Soak about 1 handful of dried mushrooms in hot water for about 20-30 mins (save the liquid for use later)
1/2 cup green lentils - cooked (for about 20-30 mins) so they are soft, but not mushy
Toast the nuts to bring out some of the oils and flavor, then put into food processor until processed fine. Put into a large bowl.
Put the mushrooms (without liquid), lentils and 1 portobello mushroom into the food processor until processed fine. This is the consistency of the mushroom/lentil mixture.
Chop/mince the celery stalk, onion and cloves of garlic and saute in about 1 Tbls of the mushroom water til translucent. Add the mushroom mixture and cook a few mins til heated through.
Add this to the nut mixture, along with 11/2 cup of bread crumbs (can use gluten free bread to make this gluten free). Add salt, pepper and some Italian Seasoning (or other herbs to your preference and taste), and 2 eggs (or flax mixture). Don't over season here as you will add more when cooking the Pie.
At this point, there are a couple of options:
1) bake this like a meatloaf in a 350 degree oven for about 50-60 mins. Cool overnite and then use like ground beef. This is the better option, but does take more time. It will give you better texture and flavor.
2) use right away by cooling in freezer for about 20-30 mins (to set). Then use like ground beef and fry up.
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| This is what the beef looks like once baked and ready to be used |
SHEPHERDS PIE
This is a basic recipe that I don't think I need to recreate, but for my finished product, I sauteed chopped onions, garlic, celery and carrots. When softened slightly, I added the veggie ground beef. Then, I used the saved mushroom water to mixture (enough to moisten). Also, corn, peas and I added chopped jalapenos as I like heat in my food!
I used a little nutmeg and a jerk seasoning and cajun spice along with more salt and pepper. I added some gluten-free soy sauce as well. You could also use Worchestire sauce and other hot sauce.
Mashed Topping
While working on the filling, boil potatoes or cauliflower to mash for the top. Once either is soft enough to mash, add a little milk (almond, soy, regular, - whichever you prefer). I added about 1/4 cup Daiya cream cheese and a dash of truffle salt. I also grated a lactose-free marble cheese, but any cheese will do.
Put the meat mixture in a casserole dish, layer with the mashed topping then cheese.
Bake covered with foil at 350 for about 20-30 mins. For the last 5-10 mins, uncover if you want the cheese a little crispier.
Serve and enjoy!!
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