Recipe #1 - Alias Grace, by Margaret Atwood

Calligraphy by Kayla Elaine Moore @kayla_elaine_calligraphy

This first recipe is simply inspired by Grace's Irish heritage.

I am from a large Irish-American family, and we certainly love to represent our culture through food. This is especially true in March, around Saint Patrick's Day (March 17th), but as a vegan, this can prove difficult. Most Irish meals are built around meat, and Shepherd's pie is no different. Traditionally, this dish features ground beef or lamb, but here I have replaced it (and bettered the dish as a whole, if I do say so myself) with black lentils. Black lentils tend to keep their shape and don't mush as easily as other lentil varieties, so I thought they would be an ideal ground beef/lamb replacement (Hint: I was right).

Look to the photos for guidance as needed ;)

INGREDIENTS

Filling:

1 cup dry black lentils
2 cups water
1 cup vegetable broth
1 cup mushroom broth
3 sprigs fresh thyme
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
16 ounces fresh mushrooms, sliced (I used baby bellas, but you can use white/button mushrooms if you prefer)
5 carrots, chopped (you can peel if you like, but I never do... that's where essential nutrients are! Just be sure to wash thoroughly)
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, chopped
2 tablespoons fresh marjoram
2 tablespoons fresh thyme
1 tablespoon salt (add more to taste)
1/2 tablespoon black pepper
2 tablespoons tomato paste
3-4 tablespoons flour (use cornstarch or gluten-free all purpose flour for a gluten-free option)
1/2 cup red wine
1 cup frozen peas

Mashed Potato Topping:

3-4 lbs yellow or gold potatoes, peeled and chopped into 1 inch cubes
1/4 cup vegan butter (I used Earth Balance)
1/3 cup unsweetened non-dairy milk (I used Almond Breeze unsweetened vanilla almond milk)
salt and pepper to taste

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees farenheit
Place lentils into medium sauce-pot along with water, veggie broth, mushroom broth, and fresh thyme sprigs. Bring to boil, cover, and simmer on low for 20-30 min until lentils are tender. Remove thyme sprigs, drain lentils, and set aside.
Meanwhile, Place potatoes into medium or large pot with water (covering the potatoes with about an inch of water above), and boil until fork tender (usually about 10-20 min).
When potatoes are tender, drain them and place back in same pot. Add vegan butter and non-dairy milk. Mash well and season with salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.
In yet another large pot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add garlic, onions, and carrots and sauté until onions are translucent and carrots are tender.
Add mushrooms, frozen peas, fresh herbs, salt and pepper, and stir to incorporate. Cook until mushrooms have reduced in size a bit (3 min or so)
Add cooked lentils, and stir until well mixed.
Add tomato paste and flour and quickly stir to incorporate before flour can become lumpy
Add red red wine and scrape the bottom of the pan to dislodge any yummy stuck browned bits. Let cook over medium for about 2 minutes.
If desired, add more mushroom or veggie broth if sauce is too thick for your liking, or add more flour if sauce is too thin
Carefully spoon or pour filling mixture into a large ceramic or glass baking dish. Even out the mixture with a spoon and make sure there is at least an inch of room left on top for the potatoes.
Spoon potatoes onto the top of the filling mixture, and even out. Use a fork or cookie cutter to make designs in the potatoes at will ;)
Place the pie in the preheated oven, and bake for about 20 minutes (until browned and bubbly). If an even crispier top is desired, switch to broil mode and cook until the top of the potatoes are browned to your liking (watch carefully!)
ENJOY!