Skip to main content

Tasty Tuesday - Seitan Mushroom Shepherd's Pie

Last week I had posted pictures of a dinner Jason had made for me in a Thankful Thursday post. I know I am really lucky to have a husband who will cook, but even better, can cook really really well. He spent five years working in a French restaurant. Lucky me right? So, he definitely learned a lot. I typically do most of the cooking because he gets home later than I do, and I don't want to eat at 8 at night.

Sometimes, however, I get really burned out on cooking, trying to be creative, just spending time in the kitchen period. Last week I had one of those days. I had asked him for ideas and he tossed out a list of the ingredients we had. That sort of sent me over the edge. Yes, I knew we had those things in the fridge...thankyouverymuch.

Thankfully, he stepped up to the plate and took over. He was initially wanting a stroganoff. But ended up going a totally different direction with Shepherd's Pie. My only complaint is that he decides to get crazy creative when he gets home a little later. In other words, he starts something new that takes longer than expected, which adds up to a very hungry wife! But, at least I was well fed.

I had mentioned sharing this Shepherd's Pie recipe with you all, and I finally got him to write it down for me. Please note the newly named "fauxtatoes." He's proud of that one.

Seitan Mushroom Shepherd's Pie 
Ingredients: 
1 medium onion, diced
2-3 carrots, diced
2-3 tbsp minced garlic, diced
1 zucchini, diced
1/2 cup button mushrooms, diced
1 portobello mushroom, diced
1/2 cup frozen peas
1 package seitan (or homemade, tempeh or tofu would also work)
To taste: salt, pepper, red pepper, curry powder, thyme, rosemary, parsley
1 tbsp (approx) Tapioca powder 
16 oz no-salt vegetable broth
1 not-chicken bouillon cube
Cauliflower Mashed Fauxtatoes (see below)

Directions: 
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Saute onions, carrots, garlic with pepper and spices (except for the salt). Add in mushrooms and sear (for richer flavor).

Add in the seitan along with vegetable broth and bouillon cube. Allow to simmer and reduce for approximately 20 minutes or until vegetables begin to soften (al dente).

Add in the frozen peas.  Then stir in the tapioca flour to help thicken the mixture. Allow to simmer an additional 5 or until it's reached a thicker consistency.

Place the mixture into a glass baking dish. Top with the Cauliflower Mashed Fauxtatoes and sprinkle with breadcrumbs or panko (optional). Bake approximately 20 minutes, or until the fauxtatoes begin to brown then put on broil to finish browning (or you're just too hungry to wait any longer).

Cauliflower Mashed Fauxtatoes 
Ingredients:
1 head of cauliflower, chopped
1 tbsp nutritional yeast flakes
Almond milk - to desired consistency, but you want a slightly thicker mashed fauxtato
To taste: salt, pepper

Directions:
Steam cauliflower until tender - approximately 15 minutes.

Pour out the water and transfer the cauliflower to the hot pot to help cook out excess moisture.

Transfer to a food processor, adding in the nutritional yeast and seasonings and puree until smooth, adding in almond milk as needed.


This turned out fantastic. It was warm, comforting, and filling. I've only had Shepherd's Pie once before when we were visiting friends in Seattle. I've never attempted to make it myself, but have wanted to. So, I'm glad Jason went out on a limb and got creative.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

I Run to Feel Alive

Today is National Running Day . Guess what I did this morning? Cycling? Nope. Lifting? Nope. I bet you thought kickboxing right? Nope. Running? But of course! I actually sort of planned my running days this week just so I could participate this year. I didn't get to run last year and didn't even know about it the year before. But running has become such an integral part of my life and who I am, that I couldn't miss this year. Basically, I run to feel alive . It calms me, it helps me work through life, it's often a reason to get out of bed. No matter how tough a run is, it makes you feel ... period. My plan was to get in 5 miles (got in 5.5 actually). It was about 10 degrees warmer this morning and definitely more humid. That always makes for a tougher run. We decided to take a different route today. Well, it was really only a few streets over different, but still. The point is we took a different street. Sometimes that's good, sometimes not. I did realize th...

Love in Photos

In honor of Valentine's Day - Love in Photos Husband Family and Furbabies Friends Even if you're not a fan of Valentine's Day - I hope you have a wonderful day and remember the loves in your life.

Taco Thursday

Rest for the Weary  Today I have some DOMS going on from yesterday's biceps/triceps/shoulder workout. I only briefly thought about getting up for an early run, but our lows were going to be 79/80 degrees, and the humidity is extreme - makes the heat so much worse. So I didn't even bother with a run or pretending to think about a run. I had really wanted to do back and chest today, but my arms are too sore and the workout would have suffered as a result. Believe it or not, I do know my limits. So today was a rest day. I really wish that I could have mustered the energy for a cardio only day though because this means I'll have to force my rear out of bed tomorrow morning in order to get the workout done. The dogs are getting groomed (very much overdue) in the morning so Jason will take them in, but I will have to pick them up after work. Sometimes I think morning workouts are worse when I know they are a must. Hmmm, need to refocus how I think about them. Tomorrow I wil...