Sheperd’s pie without beef?

A neat concept.  Will it work?  Sure why not?

What about using lentils as the base for the sheperd’s pie and adding some onion, corn and black beans?  Doesn’t sound terrible does it?

We need the middle vegetable layer?  How about broccoli, spinach, carrots and cauliflower?  Topped with some feta cheese…. now we are talking people now we are talking.

Don’t forget the top… whipped potatoes.  The classic.  Well done with a nice crust.

How does this look?

I will tell you one thing… well maybe two.  This little pie tasted a whole lot better than it looked.  Great combination of flavors and texture and honestly nobody missed the beef.  Everyone at the table had seconds which means it was more than edible.

It was damn good!

Ingredients

• 1 19 oz can of lentils, drained and rinsed
• 1 19 oz can of black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 cup corn, frozen
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 cup baby spinach
• 2 cups frozen mixed vegetables
• 1 Tsp. Oregano
• 1/2 cup feta cheese, crumbled
• 4 medium Potatoes, peeled, boiled and mashed
• 1/2 Tsp Salt
• 1 Tsp. Pepper

Method

1. Prepare a 9 *13 pan with a little butter to prevent sticking.  Preheat oven to 375.
2. In a medium skillet over medium heat, add the olive oil and start sauteing the onion.  Give it about 4 minutes to become translucent.
3. Sprinkle a little salt and pepper.  Add lentils, black beans and corn and begin to saute.  Just long enough to warm them through and have the flavors combine.
4. After 3 minutes, toss in the spinach and let wilt.
5. Pour the lentil and bean mixture into the prepared pan and smooth out with a spoon.
6. In the same pan, let’s flash fry the frozen vegetables and hit them with a little flavor.  Throw them back in the hot pan, sprinkle with a little salt and pepper and oregano.  On high heat let them cook for 2 minutes, constantly stirring.
7. Remove form the pan and pour over the lentil base.
8. Add the feta cheese layer on top.
9. Now spoon over the cooked mashed potatoes and smooth out with a spatula.  Sprinkle with black pepper.
10. Cook for about 35-45 minutes until golden brown.  I like to turn it on broil for the last few minutes to create that crust.
11. ENJOY!

Zesty Tip:  This would be a great place to use some fresh vegetables from your garden.  I used frozen vegetables which definitely was the weakest link in the dish.

Have a super Wednesday!  I am working on a fun project and will be sure to share with you on Friday what it is all about.  Hint…. It is something you can buy and use in your home everyday and it is created by me.  Fill you in on Friday.

Take care

zesty

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The week is almost over.  This weekend has to be Get The House Ready For Christmas as we have not done anything at this point.  We also have to commence with the shopping and try and get organized.  Normally I like to leave everything to the last minute but that kinda bugs Mrs. Zesty – so I am willing to get things wrapped up so we can relax in the evenings.

Did I just say relax?  I wish…. oh well I love the way things are going in zesty land so I cannot complain.

On to the Food

There is something about soup this time of year that really makes you feel good, warms you up and makes you happy!  Today’s soup is something you can do on a weeknight and still be eating before your stomach starts to growl.  The downside to most soups for me is that I am so hungry I could eat a horse and chase the rider when I get home from work that I do not want to wait for the soup to cook and I end of eating something else.

This soup however is pretty straight forward and serves up pretty quickly.

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp. oil
• 1/2 Cup onion (chopped)
• 1/2 Cup carrot (chopped)
• 1/2 Cup celery (chopped)
• 1 Tbsp.garlic (chopped)
• 1 Cup lentils
• 3 Cups chicken stock (or vegetable broth)
• 1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes
• 1 Tbsp.chili sauce
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Cilantro (chopped)
• Sour cream

Method

1. Heat the oil in a pan.
2. Add the onions, carrots and celery and saute until tender, about 10-15 minutes.
3. Add the garlic and saute until fragrant, about a minute.
4. Add the lentils, stock, tomatoes and chili sauce.
5. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer until the lentils are tender, about 10-15 minutes.
6. Season with salt and pepper and serve with a garnish of cilantro and a dollop of sour cream.
7. ENJOY!

Zesty Tip: Use this as the basis to add or sneak in other vegetables if you so desire.  Frozen peas would be a nice addition or one of my favorites would be to add a huge handful of spinach at the end of the cooking process for a nice pop of color and texture.

New Kitchen Addition

We ordered stools for the kitchen!!  Finally!  Here is a snapshot of the stool.  We went with the white choice for color – but if we happened to know there was orange we may have changed our mind.

Have a super Friday and an even better weekend.

Take care

zesty

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Happy Friday! When this recipe started out – I was planning on preparing roasted turkey with a cranberry glaze as a tester recipe for Thanksgiving. About mid way through after I had started roasting the turkey legs, I switched gears as I roamed through the pantry. I noticed a bag of lentils calling my name and decided to go for the soup.

Well, let’s just say that I was pleasantly surprised with the results. Served over raw spinach allowing it to wilt is a great way to get some greens without really knowing. This recipe was pretty slick and easy and the addition of the roasted turkey was a definite texture and flavor booster for my taste buds.

Give this a try and let me know.

Ingredients

• 2 Tsp. canola oil
• 2 Turkey Legs
• Salt and Pepper
• 1 Tsp. Dried rosemary
• 1 1/2 Cups finely chopped onion
• 1 large celery stalk, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 Tbsp. ground cumin
• 1 Tbsp. chili powder
• 1 cup green lentils, rinsed and picked through
• 1 15-ounce can reduced-sodium black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes
• 1 Can low-sodium Tomato Juice
• 3 Cups water
• 2 Cups Spinach

Method

1. Preheat oven to 350 Degrees.
2. Add turkey legs, salt, pepper and rosemary to a roasting pan and cook turkey legs for about 45 minutes.
3. Remove from oven and let rest.
4. In a large pot, heat oil on medium heat. Sauté onions, celery, and garlic until softened, about 4-5 minutes.
5. Sprinkle cumin and chili powder, cook for 1 minute until fragrant. Add lentils, black beans, tomatoes, juice and water.
6. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer for 25 minutes, or until lentils are tender.
7. Pull turkey meat off the legs and toss in the soup and stir.
8. Place handful of spinach in a bowl and top with soup.
9. ENJOY!

Zesty Tip: If you had homemade vegetable stock or even canned stock you could use that in replace of the water but I didn’t so I chose to go with water and it worked out fine.  Always before serving soup, especially homemade, double check the seasoning so you are not disappointed with the flavor.

OK, so here is the scoop for the weekend.  This weekend is Thanksgiving in Canada which as you can well imagine I am excited for but with that comes some downfall.  I have to travel on Monday due to ticket limitations.  So I am off to Virginia on Monday and I will miss one turkey day.  I guess I will have to make Sunday a double turkey day ( lunch and supper ).  I have done that many years so I am hoping that is the plan for this year.  I will keep you posted. 

Have a great weekend and I will talk to you next week from VA.

Take care

zesty

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