It’s that time of the year again! Are you ready for some creative kitchen enthusiasm?

By Doris Fin, Vegan Chef, Holistic Health Coach and Registered Massage Therapist (www.feedyourbliss.com) 

It’s that time of the season again! It’s the time Mother Nature sheds, root veggies are harvested,

and the colours are sweet, flavourful, nutritious and delicious. It’s also the time to get creative in

the holiday spirit!

With so many tasty traditions, sometimes it can be a little challenging to keep meals simple,

light, healthy and full of flavour. That’s why I’m here to share some tricks and treats and inspire

you to get even more creative this thanksgiving.

One lush and naturesque afternoon in the Amazons of Northern Peru, I had a table of 15 to

feed. North Americans had gathered to fulfil their goals of cleansing and shedding past layers,

while still indulging in tasty familiar dishes. Being readily available, easy to digest, easy to

prepare and easy to incorporate into meals, sweet potato and legumes made the perfect

complimentary combination. I knew just the perfect dish to tickle both locals’ and foreigner’s

tastebuds.

With just a few simple ingredients, a dish both familiar and satisfying was quickly whipped up in

less time than dining in a restaurant (and much cheaper too). Now, Love takes time and

homemade nourishment can have a bucket load of Love.

This dish is sure to please the palate of any root veggie loving fan, but the bonus is it’s much

more nutrient dense and far tastier than any white potato dish. Sweet potatoes are a source of

fibre and an excellent source of Vitamin A to help you see through these long winter nights.

As you see in the picture, the orange colour compliments any side of green veggie and salad!

Vegan Sweet Potato Shepherd’s Pie  

(Serves 4)

Ingredients:

• 4 cups yams/sweet potato (about 2 large) or pumpkin, peeled, chopped into 1 inch chunks

• 3-4 cups boiling water (to cook potato)

• 1 cup water (for sauté)

• 1 cup cooked lentils or beans of your choice (see note below on properly cooking beans)

• 1 medium red onion, chopped or sliced thinly

• 2 cups of your favourite mixed veggies, diced small (broccoli, kale, spinach, yellow/orange

pepper, carrot, etc.)

• 2-3 Tbsp of your favourite sauce (pesto/salsa/non-GMO soy based/chilli/etc.)

• 2-4 small garlic cloves, minced (depending how garlicky you like it)

• 1 tsp celtic or himalayan salt, or more to taste

Optional:

• If you like spicy add 1/4-1/2 tsp black pepper, cayenne pepper or chilli powder

• Toasted sesame seeds

 

Loving Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

2. Lightly grease a 9×9 inch pyrex pan with coconut or olive oil3. Boil 15 minutes or steam 25minutes your potato of choice until soft, but not overly soft.

4. In a large skillet, add 1/2 cup water and sauté your onions until soft on a medium heat. Keep

covered. Add the other 1/2 cup water along with your veggies. Cook on a medium-flow heat,

keep covered for 7-8 minutes, stir occasionally.

5. Add in sauce of your choice, garlic, salt to taste and optional pepper. Keep covered and stir

occasionally for 3 minutes.

6. Add lentils and stir again. Taste and adjust flavour, with more salt or pepper, if necessary.

Remove from heat and allow to cool 10min before using for the pie.

7. Puree your potatoes with a hand blender, food processor, or old fashioned mash by fork.

8. Spoon half the potato puree evenly in prepared pan. Spoon veggie mixture over bottom

layer, then spoon remaining half of puree on top of veggies, spread evenly, and draw lines

gently on top layer with a fork knife. Lines are just decoration and add to the visual

aesthetics.

9. Bake for 30 minutes in preheated oven, then broil for 3-5 minutes or until the top is lightly

brown, but not black/burnt.

10. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 10minutes before serving.

11. Use a spatula to help cut and lift up and out of the pan. Sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds

and serve with a side of steamed greens and/or salad.

12. Store leftovers airtight in the fridge for up to 4 days. Reheat in a toaster-oven/oven for 5-10

minutes.

Benefits of properly cooking beans:

Makes them tastier, easier to digest, prevents gas and bloating and easy to cook with.

3 easy steps to cook beans properly:

1. Soak your beans over night in water about three times the volume of the beans.

(example: 1 cup of beans: 3 cups water)

2. Rinse and strain. Boil in water, double the volume of soaked beans, for 3-4 minutes.

(example: 2 cups soaked beans: 4 cups water), turn off the heat, keep covered for 3-4 hours.

3. Rinse and strain. Boil in water, double the volume of soaked beans for 5minutes, then simmer

for 1-2 hours. Strain if necessary.

4. Allow beans to cool before using them right away, refrigerate or freeze them, airtight.

5. Lentils and legumes don’t need to be cooked so meticulously as beans, however soak overnight

before cooking is a crucial part, for optimal benefits.

 

Note:

Times vary depending on the bean you use. For black beans 1 hour is enough, but depending on the

burning element, quality of the pan and freshness of your beans, it may take longer, so check after an

hour and adjust the water level if beans are not completely soft. If you are using a pressure cooker, half

the time (example: 30 minutes instead of 1 hour)

I like to cook and freeze a lot in one time to have ready, save time and to maintain convenience.

 

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