Just Another Meatless Monday

My grandfather always tells me to K.I.S.S. - Keep it simple, stupid!

The kitchen is the one place where I seem to forget that nice little acronym...

I should probably start by explaining that I come from a meat and potatoes family.  We have always had meat of some sort, a veggie, and a grain or potato at every single meal for most of my life.  There were, of course, rare exceptions.  I also had my attempts at vegetarianism while I was in college.  For me it was never about the cruelty of killing the animal, but more so about the fact that I really do not enjoy eating meat.  Call me crazy if you must, but I hate steak and I hate seafood!  Every time I tried to become a vegetarian I would do well until one of two events struck - Thanksgiving and 4th of July.  I just cannot turn down turkey and juicy burgers!  A one day slip would turn into a landslide of meat no matter how hard I tried to find my way back to the vegetarian path. 

Not having much experience with vegetarian dishes, I have viewed Meatless Mondays as a bit of a challenge.  The only exposure I ever really had to vegetarian meals was in college.  I attended a college that really put forth an effort in making appealing vegetarian meals and even had a vegetarian food line.  For those that were not vegetarian, the food was there to be played with while they waited for their turn in the sandwich line - I think it reminded people of play-dough sometimes!  Another reason I view Meatless Monday as a challenge is partially because I always feel like I need to present a completed "traditional" meal.  I also always feel like cooking should consist of a certain amount of work.  This week my dad and sister proved me otherwise...

While writing my grocery list on Saturdays, I always ask "Is there anything in particular you guys want for dinner this week?"  Normally I get groans and stares and they tell me to do what I want.  This week my dad actually chimed in with a request!  While writing my menu and list I was still pondering over Monday's meatless meal.  When my dad mentioned baked potatoes this thought hit me - there are so many meals that I make throughout the year that don't have meat in them that my family enjoys so much!  I quickly realized that I could swap out what little meat I do use in my Loaded Baked Potatoes and use that as a vegetarian meal.  Last week my sister's suggestion of an Ultimate Garden Salad was pretty straight forward, too. 

I have to sit back and wonder why I sometimes make simple things like that so difficult for myself.  I don't know if I just get caught up in the cooking and planning process, or if it is about enjoying the challenge.  What I have realized though is that sometimes there is an easy, yet delicious way out!  As much as I love being in the kitchen, sometimes I like an easy way out meal, too!  I cannot begin to tell you how much I enjoyed throwing the potatoes in the microwave and just heating up a few things on the stove top - what can I say, sometimes a girl just needs a break! 

For our baked potatoes, we enjoyed toppings that included cheddar cheese, onions, sour cream, broccoli, vegetarian chili, and Bacon Bits.  I should probably point out here that Bacon Bits are not actually meat, but rather, soy!  Sorry if I ruined them for you! 

What did I learn this week?  Despite the fact that I should K.I.S.S., my mind is already revolving around what next Monday's dinner will be!  I think after two weeks of vegetarian gone easy, I might need to pull out a showstopper next week...

Individual Sized Beef Pot Pies

Well, I don't know about the weather wherever you may be reading this, but it is FUH-REEZING here!  What this means to me, though, is nice pipping hot and hearty meals that leave everyone feeling warm and fuzzy (and more importantly...full)!  Tonight was beef pot pie.  I have been itching to make this for a while now and finally put my foot down...tonight was the night!  My mom had bought mini casserole dishes a few years ago, and tonight was only the second time I managed to find an excuse to use them.  I really should pull them out of the cabinets more often!  Anywho, the pot pie was a hit all around, and pretty easy to make!  Enjoy!

Individual Sized Beef Pot Pie
Yields 4 hearty servings

To Prepare the Pot Pie
1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
2. Pour a 1/2 cup of flour,  1 teaspoon of salt, and 1 teaspoon of black pepper onto a plate, and mix it together. 

3. Begin to heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over low heat in a frying pan. 
4. Dredge approximately 1 pound of stir fry cut beef through the flour, and place it in the pan once the oil it is hot. Don't stir it until it starts to brown and juice!

5. Cut 2 large potatoes, or a hand full of small potatoes into approximately 1 inch by 1 inch pieces, and also 1/3 pound of carrots cut into 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick rounds.  Tonight I used purple, red, and white potatoes that I found at the grocery store. 
6. Boil the potatoes and carrots while you continue to prepare the pot pie. 

7. Prepare your casserole dish with pie crust.  I admittedly do not make my own pie dough...I am horrible at making it!  I cheat and use the pre-made and rolled dough from the grocery store.  I bought 2 packs of the dough, which gave me 4 individual pie crusts.  Press the dough into the casserole dishes, making sure that it is flush with the bottom of the dish first, and then the sides.  Pinch and press to patch any holes that may have happened while maneuvering the dough! KEEP THE EXCESS DOUGH...you will need it later in the recipe!  If you don't have or don't want to use individual casserole dishes, you can use a pie plate, large casserole, or even a loaf pan! 

8. Place your dough filled casseroles in the oven.  If you are using individual size, put them on a baking sheet so they are easy to fish out of the oven later (I learned this the hard way tonight).  They will need to cook a little bit to prevent the dough from being soggy! 
9. By now your meat should be browned and ready, so you can go ahead and take it off of the heat! 
10. Drain the water out of your boiling veggies, and pour the veggies into the meat. 
11. Drain 1 can of corn and 1 can of green beans and add them to the mix!  Normally I would encourage you to use fresh corn kernels and green beans, but I was in a rush tonight!

12. Pour 1 jar (approximately 12 ounces) of beef gravy over the entire mixture and stir it all together!

13. Pull your casserole dishes out of the oven, and fill with the mixture. 
14. Roll out your extra dough and cut into 4 squares that will fit over your casseroles.  I pressed a round cookie cutter through each for the pot pie to vent while it cooked. 
15. Place a square over each pie and press down around the edges, and cut off any major excess pieces!  If you didn't press a cookie cutter through, make a few slits across the top for the steam to escape. 
16. Place them back in the oven and cook for approximately 15 - 20 minutes, or until the top crust is golden brown! 

Smashed Potatoes

Smashed Potatoes
Yields approximately 8 servings

To Prepare the Potatoes
1. Wash 2 1/2 pounds of potatoes.  For making mashed potatoes of any sort, the types that work best are yukons or reds!
2. Cut the potatoes in half length wise, and then 2 or 3 times width wise.  This helps them cook faster without falling apart, otherwise you will be waiting all night for them to cook through!  When I make smashed potatoes, I like leaving the skins on. 
3. Cover them with enough water to cover the potatoes as well as an extra inch.

4. Boil the potatoes on high heat until they are soft enough to easily pierce with a fork.
5. Once they are easily pierced, strain them, and put the potatoes back in the pan.
6. Mix 1 cup of milk, 2 tablespoons of butter with the potatoes, a sprinkle of salt, and a sprinkle of pepper.  Some minced garlic tastes really good in smashed potatoes too!
7. Blend with a hand mixer, or mash with a hand masher

Easy Shepherd's Pie

Episode after episode of Kitchen Nightmares, I watch Gordon Ramsay convince restaurant owners and chefs to add his family's Shepherd's Pie recipe to the menu.  I have finally caved and tried Shepherd's pie (not the Ramsay recipe), and LOVED it!  My dad and sister really enjoyed it, and in fact my dad is on his THIRD helping as I type this!  I kept this recipe nice, simple, and quick to make, as the whole point of a casserole is ease and simplicity.  You can click to check out the difference between this make-shift pie and an authentic one.  Overall the major difference is the sauce.  I have used beef gravy, while an authentic pie uses red wine, chicken stock, Worcester sauce, tomato sauce, and seasonings. 


Shepherd's Pie
Yields 6 servings

To Prepare the Pie
1. Brown approximately 1 pound of ground lamb meat.  I went for the authentic lamb option, but you can definitely go the route of beef, chicken, turkey, or loose tofu!
2. Dice one small onion, and 2 cloves of garlic.  If you are using pre-chopped garlic, use 1 tablespoon!
3. Add the onions and garlic to the lamb.

4. After the lamb is browned, mix it in a large bowl with 2 bottles of gravy (approximately 24 ounces).  Again, I opted for a beef gravy, but you could use mushroom gravy too!

5. Mix approximately 2 pounds of mixed vegetables with the lamb and gravy.  I used the mix that has corn, lima beans, green beans, carrots, and peas!

6. Make two pouches of instant mashed potatoes (or 1 entire box of the Betty Crocker mixes).  I opted for the creamy butter flavor, but you could definitely use another flavor...something like butter garlic, or four cheese, would taste yummy!
7. Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees.
8. Pour the veggie and meat mixture into a casserole dish.
9. Top with the mashed potatoes.  I chose to pipe mine one with a cake decorating bag and tip, but you can also spread them evenly and give it some texture by running a fork through it!  You definitely want to give it a little texture though, because that is the part that is going to brown and give it a little crunch!

10. Bake for approximately 30 minutes, or until the topping is browning on the peaks, and the sauce is bubbling throughout the casserole!

Sweet Potato Casserole

There is nothing I hate about Fall...cooler weather, leaves changing, heartier meals that warm us from the inside out, and...dun dun dun...PREPARING FOR THANKSGIVING!!!  October is when I start thinking about what I will be serving for Thanksgiving dinner...aka the big game!  It is definitely my favorite holiday (and my birthday hint hint :-P).  I pride myself on putting a spread on the table that is delicious and leaves no Plymouth Rock unturned!  I don't want to leave my guests or family hungry, but I do want to leave them begging for more (and doggy bags!).  So, to bring me back to my point, I start playing with my menu and options now!  I always serve some variety of sweet potato or yam, plain canned yams, yams topped with syrup and marshmallows, coconut curry sweet potatoes with raisins, double stuffed sweet potatoes...you get the point!  This year I have been toying with the idea of a sweet potato casserole.  This one came out well, and presented well (can't forget about presentation when it comes to Thanksgiving!).  Well, anywho, here is the recipe and pictures!  Between now and Thanksgiving, I will be labeling some of my recipe with the tag of "Thanksgiving" at the bottom of the post (the orange links).  So I hope this makes Thanksgiving type recipes easier to find, should you be interested!  

Sweet Potato Casserole
Yields 8 servings

To Make the Potatoes
1. Peel 4 - 5 pounds of yams or sweet potatoes.  If you are using a food mill, you will not need to peel!
2. Boil the yams or sweet potatoes until they are soft enough to be easily pierced with a fork.

3. Mash the potatoes.

4. Add 1/4 cup of maple syrup, 1/4 cup of brown sugar, 1/2 cup of milk, and 2 tablespoons of butter to the mash.  

To Make the Topping 
1. Pour 4 packages of single serving instant oatmeal into a bowl.  Make sure it is the oats and not semolina!

2. Add the following to the dry oatmeal: 1/4 teaspoon of Allspice, 1/4 teaspoon of Ginger. 1/4 teaspoon of Ground Cloves, 1/4 teaspoon of Nutmeg, 1/2 teaspoon of Cinnamon, and 2 tablespoons of Brown Sugar.
3. Melt 2 tablespoons of butter.
4. Mix 1/2 tablespoon of maple syrup into the butter.
5. Mix the wet and dry ingredients together well!

To  Make the Casserole
1. Pour the mash into a casserole or ceramic pie dish.

2. Sprinkle the top with the topping mixture.

3. Heat the oven to 350 degrees.
4. Bake for 20 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and crunchy!