Shepherd-ish Pie

I was housesittiing for a friend the past 11 days and away from my computer, but I am back with a blogging vengeance.  The weather had turned cold here in the Bay Area, and that makes me want to cook warm, comforting foods.... like my version of a shepherd's pie.  Mashed potatoes may very well be my favorite food, and I'm a huge fan of one pot meals, so years ago when I first heard about this dish with meat and veggies topped with mashed potatoes, I was in!

Now, friends have told me I should never tell this story (it doesn't really instill confidence in my cooking), but it was years ago, and it's a good one, so here goes... my first crack at Shepherd's Pie.

I think it was Real Simple magazine that had a recipe each month that was a kind of "cheat" version, a short cut of a more complicated dish.  I should have known it wouldn't end well because A) every time I've taken a "short cut" to avoid traffic, it ends up taking me much longer than if I had just stayed on the highway and B) the recipe called for boxed mashed potatoes, which shouldn't be consumed by anyone not living in a dorm.

I'm still going to maintain that the recipe could've been written better, but even my friend Jacqueline who admittedly doesn't cook, started laughing so hard that she was crying when I said that since the recipe didn't say to cook the fake potatoes first, I just sprinkled them on top...the whole 4 cups of them!  So that was a disaster and went right into the trash.   I think I ate cereal that night.

A couple days later I decided that this recipe was NOT going to get the best of me, so I tried again.  This time I cooked the potatoes first, but again I maintain that the recipe wasn't written well... what I eventually figured out was that they were going for 4 cups of cooked potatoes.  The reicpe, however, just said "4 cups instant mashed potates", so I cooked 4 cups of the flakes, which yielded a boatload of cooked potatoes.  And, you guessed it, I went ahead and threw them right on top of my meat and veggie mixture, all the while saying "this just doesn't seem right."  The weight of the mountain of potatoes reduced the rest of the food to about 1/4 inch.  While that attempt was edible from an "at least it won't make you sick" standpoint, it was pretty much inedible.  So I threw out the recipe and the idea that I would ever make shepherd's pie again.

But today's a new day, and I'm a much better cook.  Sorry guys, this is one of my no-recipe dishes - I think I'm categorically opposed to writing a recipe for it given my history.  But it's super simple and adaptable; just remember to taste as you go when you start seasoning.

I start with baking about 4 large sweet potaotes (you can use the traditional russet potatoes, but sweet potaotes give it a nice flavor and are full of antioxidants.  Best of all, they help stabilize blood sugar levels and inprove the body's use of insulin.  I have a nephew with Type 1 diabetes, so I am always looking for good food to help him out.  If you are caring for anyone with diabetes, get sweet potaotes on your menu.

While the potatoes are baking, saute 1 chopped medium onion in a tablespoon of olive oil.  After about 5 minutes add whatever veggies you like; I use chopped bell peppers, carrots and corn (frozen works, too). Peas are a traditional veggie in a shepherd's pie, but I'm not a big fan.

After another 5 minutes or so, add 1 1/2 pounds of lean ground turkey, and your favorite seasonings.  I like to use thyme, smoked paprika, garlic powder and sage.  Just sprinkle a little at a time and taste as you go.  Remember you can always add more, but you can't take it away.  Cook until turkey is no longer pink.

When potaotes are done, split them open and scoop out the flesh with a spoon.  In a large bowl mash the potatoes with a splash of milk, 1 or 2 tablespoons butter and a couple teaspoons of  pure maple syrup. 

Fill a cassetrole dish with the meat and veggie mixture and top with the sweet potaotes.  Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 20 minutes. Who the heck needs a short cut?!

Ch-ch-ch-chia!

This week I'm working at the culinary school I went to, and it's re-energized my healthy eating commitment.  The school, Bauman College, focuses on a holistic and therapeutic approach to cooking.  Aside from the obvious: eat lots of fruits and veggies, avoid trans fats and sugar, the culinary program taught me about powerfully healthy "alternative" ingredients.  When I first started the program I referred to them as "weird foods."  The first one I was introduced to was chia.  One of my instructors, Chef Maria, shared her love of chia with us in the first week.  Every time she mentioned it, I couldn't help but picture the silly chia pets that I used to see advertised on TV.  I never understood why those were considered a cute gift; I had an even harder time imagining how they could be tasty and good for you to eat???  Come to think of it, my ex-husband gave me a chia pet for Christmas years ago (yet another reason why he's the "ex" husband), and while I may have contemplated making HIM eat it, I never would've taken a nibble myself.

So back to culinary school... one day at school our kitchen manager, Dana, made us a chia pudding for our snack. A) it was delicious, and B) it wasn't the green stuff pretending to be Abe Lincoln's hair; they were tiny dark seeds...

Now for the nutritional stuff.... chia seeds have more calcium that a glass of milk, are a good source of fiber, protein and omega 3's, and because they soak up 10X their weight in water they help to keep you hydrated and to retain electrolytes.

Dana soaked the seeds in coconut milk and added garam masala and cinnamon.  I was so in love with the taste that when I had a bunch of my college girlfriends over for a girls' weekend a couple weeks later I fixed it for breakfast, and, not surprisingly, they all loved it.  My friend Sue still makes it regularly and has developed her own concoctions using chia seeds.  Maybe she'll share some of her ideas with us...

I hadn't made Chia Pudding in months, but between being back at Bauman this week and seeing the new commercial for the Barak Obama Chia Head today, I decided to whip up a little chia love.

Coconut milk is sometimes a little heavy for me, so I tried something I had read about while at Bauman and made banana milk.  For people who are lactose intolerant (which I unfortunately am not), it's a nice alternative and super easy to make: put one medium banana in a blender with 1/2 cup of water and blend until smooth.  You can strain it if you want, but I don't.  It makes 1 cup of "milk."  I poured a little bit on my granola (yum) and then made a Banana Chia Pudding:

First put 1/4 cup chia seeds in a bowl and add 1 cup banana milk (always use 1 part chia seeds to 4 parts liquid) and a pinch of cinnamon and freshly grated nutmeg:

Stir to blend. Let it sit for about 5 minutes and then stir well again.  Wait another 5 minutes and give it one more stir.  Trust me on this... the first time I made it I took a short cut on the stirring part, and the final product reminded me of a clumpy litter box (yeah, not so appetizing, so do it!).  Put it in the fridge overnight.  What you get is a super delish pudding, great for breakfast, snack or dessert.  I like to add berries and nuts, usually.   I was too excited to eat this one, so I forgot to add the nuts and didn't even take the time to defrost the frozen berries; just wanted to take the picture and dig in!

Give this one a try.  Just trust me; you'll love it, and it is sooooo good for you.  Not to mention, according to the Chia Head commercials running now, if you are "Proud to be an American" you'll get your chia on!!

Fear not the butternut!

Butternut squash can be a little intimidating...they're not the easiest things to peel and cut.  It certainly helps to have a sharp peeler and knife, as it turns out.  A couple weeks ago I was working in the kitchen at Spirit Rock and the chef had a huge tub of butternut squash waiting for me.  When I put on my best "isn't there something else I can do?" face, he wasn't buying it.  He leaned in and said, "Suzanne, that which we resist, persists."  What do you expect from the chef at a Buddhist Meditation Retreat Center??

But he was right.  After spending a hour or so wrestling with those buggers, they became less frustrating for me.  So when I received two of them in my CSA last week, I was not afraid...I fearlessly cut the heck out of them and made the most delish soup.  In case you're unsure about how to work the butternut, here's a little help...

First, cut a slice off the bottom to keep the squash stable while you peel it.  Once peeled cut off the top and cut across just above the bulbous part of the squash:

Next cut the seeded half in half again and scoop out the seeds:

Then slice them lengthwise and chop into uniform pieces, about 1" cubes are best for soup or risotto.

I sauteed the squash with onions, apples, herbs and seasonings and simmered in vegetable stock for about a half hour.  Top it with homemade herb croutons (toss cut sourdough with olive oil and your favorite herbs in a skillet til toasted) and whip up a side salad for a great, light dinner.



Butternut & Apple Soup

1 tablespoon butter

1 cup chopped onion

2 fuji apples, peeled, cored and chopped

1 pound butternut squash, peeled, seeded and chopped

1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves

Juice and zest from one medium orange

1 teaspoon salt

4 cups organic vegetable broth

1 tablespoon heavy cream

Freshly grated nutmeg

Salt & pepper

Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat.  Add onions and sauté for 5 minutes.  Add apples and sauté an additional 5-8 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add squash, thyme, juice from the orange and salt .  Stir to combine all ingredients and add broth to cover.  Bring to a boil and simmer uncovered for 25-30 minutes.  Working in batches, fill a blender half way and puree until smooth.  Return to pot and add orange zest, cream, nutmeg, salt and pepper to taste.

Box of Yum...

I love the days that I get my CSA (Community Sponsered Agriculture).  It's a little like Christmas morning to me, even though I know exactly what fruit and veggies I'm getting.  So it's exactly like the year my sister Michelle was about 11 and I was 7, and we unwrapped all our gifts a week before Christmas when our parents were out and then re-wrapped them.  Not much of a surprise Christmas morning, but still fun to have new stuff to play with.

This week I'll be playing with arugula, artichokes, butternut squash, onions, potatoes, carrots, romaine, apples, oranges and pears...

I'm thinking Butternut Squash and Apple Soup, Stuffed Artichokes, Maple Glazed Carrots, and Fig and Arugula Pizza (with goat cheese, of course).  Sounds like a good week, so come back and check out the culinary mischief...

For starters, here's what happened to the  juicy oranges and peppery arugula from the Box of Yum:

Smoky Tilapia in Citrus Sauce

Serves 4

1 cup freshly squeezed orange juice

¼ cup freshly squeezed lime juice

2 teaspoons agave nectar

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon tamari

1 tablespoon mirin

2 teaspoons smoked paprika

1 teaspoon cumin

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon pepper

1 tablespoon coconut oil

4 tilapia fillets

4 cups arugula (baby spinach works great, too)

¼ cup sliced almonds

¼ cup dried cranberries

In a small bowl combine the juices, agave, oil, tamari and mirin.  Set aside.  In another small bowl mix paprika, cumin, salt and pepper.  Rub mixture over tilapia fillets.  Heat coconut oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add tilapia and cook 3 minutes.  Turn each fillet, add citrus sauce and continue cooking 3-4 minutes until fish is cooked through and flakes easily with a fork.  Mix arugula, almonds and cranberries together and divide among four plates.  Top with tilapia fillet and sauce.

Justify dessert!

My friend Sue recently posed the question, "does Chardonnay count as a food group?" to which I replied "it's made from grapes, so yes.  And enjoy your two servings."  I'm a master at justification.... so let's talk dessert.

You won't find many dessert recipes posted here, for these reasons:
1) I prefer appetizers to dessert.
2) Baking generally involves exact measurements, precision and science.  Count me out. On all levels.
3) I don't really have a sweet tooth.  My cravings come in the form of a block of parmegiano-reggiano or gouda.
3) I can usually calm the rare sweet tooth craving (somewhere around day 26) with a spoonful of organic peanut butter with a squirt of chocolate syrup on top.  Seriously, try it.

But the other day I was looking at these sad little pears and apples still sitting in my fruit bowl after a week, and I felt the need to save them.  I think that when we throw produce away we have robbed it of it's purpose, and it leaves this life unfulfilled.  No, I don't really think that; I just hate to throw away food that I spent good money on.

So I made an easy, cute dessert with one quick trip through the express lane and a few staples from the pantry....and it was delicious!!  AND the best part is......since it's predominantly fruit, I don't think of it as dessert...just your way to getting two servings a day (like the chardonnay).  Don't eat the whole batch, though.


First I took a roll of prepared pie crust (remember - science, measuring, precision, no thanks) and with my 3" circle cutter (you can use a glass or cup), I cut out about 10-12 circles.  Poke them with a fork to keep them from puffing up, and bake them for 11 minutes or so, until they are lightly browned.  Remove them from the oven and let cool.

Peel, core and dice 2 apples and 2 pears (I'm not picky on varieties. I like them all, but I used fuji and bosc this time).  Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a skillet and add fruit.  Saute for about 5-8 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg (buy whole nutmeg and get a microplane to zest it yourself - such a better flavor than the pre-ground spice!), 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup, a pinch of salt and 1/3 cup dried cranberries.  Stir to combine and continue cooking a few more minutes.  I like the fruit to be slightly soft but with a little bite to it.  When cooked to your taste, remove from heat and cool slightly.

While that's cooling, mix up a little whipped cream.  Don't buy the canned stuff; use the real thing.  You can sweeten it yourself using whatever you'd like in whatever quantity you want: tuvia, stevia, powdered sugar, regular sugar....

Now this is where it gets really complicated...spread a little whipped cream on each of the pastry circles and top it with the fruit. Yep, that's it; you're done.  Easy as pie...oh wait, actually it's way easier than pie! And did I mention cute; I love cute food....

Lemony Goodness

I was over at my sister Michelle's house the other day, and her lemon tree was BEGGING me to pick some of the gorgeous, huge Meyer lemons from it.  I am a sucker for lemons... I put slices in my water and tea, juice them in salad dressings, add zest in all kinds of dishes.  Lemons are a great substitute for salt in cooking, they help neutralize flavor if you've made something too sweet or too salty, and whenever I think a dish needs "a little something", lemon does the trick; it naturally brightens food.  If you haven't tried adding lemon zest to your repertoire, you need to do it...next time you're cooking seafood add a little zest to it and you'll be sold, I promise.  And then, unless your thumb is greener than mine (or you can afford a gardener) you're going to suffer from...

...Citrus Envy.  When I see a tree like the one at Michelle's or the ones allllllll over my neighborhood, taunting me on my daily walks with my dog, I get definite citrus envy.  I've contemplated waiting til dark, putting on my camouflage gear (no, not really - all black would be fine) and comandeering a few of the neighbors' lonely lemons, but a friend once told me that he chased a lady down the street who was pilfering his tree, and I don't want any part of that action.  I have a sad little dwarf lemon tree that my friend Nancy gave me years ago.  It blossomed beautifully the first year and I watched as a few lemons popped up.  I was waiting until they were good and plump, then one day I walked into the yard and......they were gone!  Some critter climbed the fence and stole my lemons.  It must've scared the poor tree, because it never produced another lemon again (although my mother says something about watering and fertilizer??)

So with my legally obtained lemons I made a yummy lemon herb cream sauce, with lemon thyme, parsley and chives from my yard.  I added Swiss chard (spinach or kale would be good, too), garlic, onions and tomatoes I picked up from the farmers' maket today.  I'm a big "one pot" girl...I like to put as many veggies into simple things, so I can avoid making a side dish or a salad.  Only one pot to clean is a bonus.

I tossed the sauce with Trader Joe's spinach and chive linguini - my new fave - but regular linguini would be just fine.  Best of all, it comes together in about 15 minutes...my kind of meal.

Linguini with Lemon-Herb Cream

Serves 4

8 ounces linguini

2 teaspoons olive oil

¼ cup finely diced red onion

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme leaves

1 tablespoon chopped parsley

1 teaspoon lemon zest, plus 3 tablespoon juice (from 1-2 lemons)

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon pepper

1 cup half-and-half

2 cups Swiss chard, stems removes and leaves chopped

1/3 cup quartered kalamata olives

½ cup halved grape or cherry tomatoes

1 tablespoon chopped chives

In a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook pasta according to instructions on package.  Be sure to reserve 1 cup of cooking liquid to add to the sauce if necessary.

Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium.  Add onion and garlic and sauté 3-4 minutes.  Add thyme, parsley, lemon zest, salt, pepper and half-and-half.  Continue cooking, stirring occasionally for 5-8 minutes.  Add Swiss chard and kalamata olives, cooking for 1-2 minutes.  Remove from heat and add stir in the lemon juice.  Immediately add drained pasta, tossing to coat.  Use some of the reserved pasta water if necessary to create adequate amount of sauce.  Garnish with tomatoes and chopped chives.