Bison Shepherd's Pie with Parsnip Mashed Potatoes

I wanted to make something warm and hearty and filling for St. Pat's this year.  But as I've also been working on losing some weight over the last few months, I decided to rethink the classic Shepherd's Pie by swapping out the beef for leaner ground bison, using lots of veggies, and lightening the classic mashed potatoes by making a batch of mashed parsnip potatoes.  

Bison Shepherd's Pie with Parsnip Mashed Potatoes

12-16 ounces ground bison
2 russet potatoes
2 parsnips
1 carrot, peeled and small diced
1 onion
1 clove of garlic
1/4 cup frozen corn
1/2 cup frozen peas
1 T flour
1 T tomato paste
1 T Worcestershire Sauce
1 - 1.5 cups beef broth
1/4 cup red wine
1-2 T butter
splash of milk
1/4 tsp thyme
1/4 tsp paprika
dash of garlic & onion powder
sprinkle of Parmesan or Cheddar cheese (optional)

Peel & large dice the potatoes.  Peel both the parsnips.  Large dice one, about the size of the diced potatoes, and small dice the other.  Peel & small dice the carrot & onion.  Mince the garlic.  

Place the large diced parsnip & potatoes in a pan of salted water, and bring to a boil. Cook until they are softened, about 15 minutes.  (A fork or the tip of a knife should pierce them easily.)  Drain, and return to the pan.  Add 1-2 Tablespoons of butter, a few good grinds of black pepper, and a splash of milk.  (I used unsweetened plain cashew milk.)  Mash, stir, mash some more, stir a bit more, till you have fluffy parsnip-potatoes.  Taste and salt as desired.

Meanwhile heat a skillet over medium high heat, and add a drizzle of olive oil.  Once the pan is hot, add the bison, and break apart.  Continue to cook until the meat is nicely browned and nearly cooked through.  

Add the diced onions, carrots, minced garlic, thyme, and paprika, and sauté until the vegetables are softened and have cooked down.  Grind in some black pepper.  Sprinkle with the flour, and stir to coat.  

Add the tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, red wine, and 1 cup of the beef broth.  Stir to combine well.  Lower the heat and simmer until the sauce has thickened, about 10-15 minutes.  If there doesn't seem to be enough liquid, you can add more beef broth.  Stir in the thawed corn & peas.  Taste, and salt if necessary. (Commercial beef broth is often heavily salted, so once this has simmered and cooked down, you may not need any additional salt.) If needed, add a dash of garlic & onion powder.

Pour the meat and vegetable filling into a casserole dish or baking pan.  Top with the mashed parsnip potatoes.  I like to leave a little gap around the edge for the sauce to bubble up.  If desired, sprinkle the top lightly with cheese like Parmesan or Cheddar.

Bake in a 425 degree oven for 25 minutes, then broil for 2-3 minutes to brown the top. Or if you wish to make this ahead in the morning and bake it that night: allow the pie to cool for a few minutes, then cover and refrigerate.  When you're ready for dinner that night, preheat the oven to 425, and bake 30-35 minutes, then broil for a few minutes for a beautiful golden top.

Cajun Skillet Dinner (pantry staple friendly)

My husband loves cajun food of any variety, so I try to keep some andouille sausages in the back of the fridge or the freezer.  If you like your food extra spicy, feel free to top with a little extra hot sauce.

Cajun Skillet Dinner 
Serves 4

Ingredients:
1 12 oz package fully cooked andouille (I used Aidell's), sliced into half moons
1 medium yellow onion, diced
1 large carrot, peeled & diced
2 stalks celery, diced
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1 can red beans, drained and rinsed
1 can of diced tomatoes
2 tsp Cajun seasoning (Recipe to make your own.)
Olive oil
Salt & pepper
Fresh parsley for garnish (or use the celery leaves!)
White rice for serving

Directions:
Start a pot of rice, or set your rice cooker to have the rice ready for dinner time. 

While the rice cooks, drizzle a little olive oil or a spritz of cooking spray in a large skillet, over medium heat.  Cook the sliced up sausages for a few minutes, so they take on a little color, and their flavor infuses the oil in the pan.  Once they are lightly browned, remove them from the skillet with a slotted spoon, leaving the oil in the pan.

Add the onion, celery, & carrots to the pan, and cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes.  You want them softened but not mushy.  Add the garlic, and cook about 30 seconds, stirring well so it doesn't burn.  Add the red beans and tomatoes. 

Sprinkle in the cajun seasoning, and a few grinds of fresh pepper.  Taste, and add salt if needed.  (The beans, tomatoes and cajun seasoning all have salt in them, so you might not need any.)  Cook about 5 minutes, until the tomatoes and beans are heated through, and the tomato juices have formed a sauce in the pan.  Add the sausage back into the pan, and stir to combine.

Serve the sausage and veggies over the rice, and garnish with fresh parsley, or chives from your garden, or some celery leaves.

Mediterranean Red Lentil Soup (vegan & pantry staple friendly)

This delicious soup was warming and hearty, and best of all it was easy to make with things I already keep in my pantry.  It is perfect for dipping some no-knead bread, toast, or naan that you squirreled away in you freezer a few weeks ago.  It made 6 servings, so we had it for dinner twice, and froze the rest for later this month.

Mediterranean Red Lentil Soup
Ingredients:
1 medium onion, diced
2 carrots, peeled & diced
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tablespoon cumin
1 teaspoon coriander
1 Tablespoon yellow curry powder
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 1/2 cups dried red lentils
4 cups (1 tetrapak) vegetable broth
1 (14 oz) can diced tomatoes
1 Tablespoon harissa paste
2-3 Tablespoons lemon juice (fresh or bottled)
Sour cream or plain yogurt for serving
Chopped fresh parsley, cilantro, chives, or celery leaves for serving

Directions:
Drizzle some olive oil in a large saucepan or soup pot, over medium heat.  Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and translucent, about 4-5 minutes.

Add the garlic, cumin, coriander, curry powder, and turmeric, and saute another minute until the garlic becomes fragrant.  Don't let the garlic burn!

Stir in the carrots, dried lentils, vegetable broth, and tomatoes (with their juice), and 1 cup of water.  Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer.  Simmer uncovered until the lentils are soft, about 20-25 minutes.

If the soup thickens too much, you can add a little more water while it simmers.

Remove from the heat, and add in the harissa paste, and lemon juice, stirring well to incorporate them.

Serve with a dollop of sour cream, vegan sour cream, or plain yogurt on top, and sprinkle with fresh herbs if you have them.

Cranberry Olive Oil Cake

I've been following the Mediterranean Diet which focuses on lots of colorful veggies, whole grains, fish high in Omega-3's, and healthy fats in the form of nuts and olive oil.  Meanwhile I  had some cranberries to use up in the freezer.  (Being a New Englander exiled to the South, I stock up on them when they show up in stores in the fall, and hoard them all year long in my freezer.)  So the question becomes, how do you use up cranberries in a baked good that tastes great, but also adheres to the whole grains and healthy fats Mediterranean Diet?  Make an olive oil cake!

Cranberry Olive Oil Cake 
Ingredients:
grated orange zest from 1-2 oranges
1 cup coconut palm sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened apple sauce
2 3/4 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
12 ounce bag cranberries
3 eggs at room temperature
juice from 1-2 oranges, plus water to make 1 cup
1 cup olive oil

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a bunt pan with cooking spray.

In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. 

In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the eggs together with the sugar and orange zest.  Beat for a few minutes and then slowly pour in the apple sauce, orange juice and then the olive oil.

With the mixer on low, slowly add in the flour mixture, leaving out 1/4 cup of flour.  Mix until all the wet & dry ingredients have been incorporated.

Toss the cranberries with the remaining flour. 

Gently fold in the flour coated cranberries with a spatula.  Do not crush the berries. 

Pour in the batter into the bundt pan and bake on the center rack in your oven for 1 hour. 

Remove from oven and let cool almost completely before removing it from the bundt pan.

If desired you can top the finished (cooled) cake with a powdered sugar glaze, or a drizzle of honey and some chopped nuts, but I found it lovely just the way it was.

Mistress Jennie's Guinness Stew

During one of the numerous years I spent working in summer stock theatre, several of us technicians ganged up to buy groceries and cook together.  We weren't making enough money to each feed ourselves, but if we all chipped in and bought in bulk, we could afford to eat a bit better, both taste & health wise.  We jokingly called ourselves The Commune, much to the unhappiness of some of our housemates.  We would get together to look over the grocery store ads, and plan meals based on what was on sale.  Everyone in the group was responsible for something, planning the meals, doing dishes, setting table, cutting up veggies, and cooking the foods.  Over the course of the summer everyone ended up calling parents to get favorite family recipes for us to share.  Of course being theatre technicians, there was always alcohol around, and this led to our foray into the world of Guinness Stew.

Later that year, for Christmas, I made everyone in The Commune a binder full of all the recipes that we cooked together.  I've been told by a few of them that they still have their binders and have kept adding to them over the years.  This time I branched out even further than our settled recipe, by adding bacon, and serving it over mashed potatoes.

Mistress Jennie's Guinness Stew
Ingredients:
2-3 lbs stewing beef
5-6 slices thick-cut bacon, diced
1 large sweet onion, diced
3 parsnips, peeled & diced
4-5 carrots, peeled & diced
3-4 cloves of garlic, smashed & rough chopped
2 cans Guinness
4 cups beef broth
1/2 cup flour
2-4 T tomato paste
1-2 tsp dried thyme
fresh chopped parsley
1.5 lbs gold potatoes
4 T butter
splash of milk

Directions:
Start by rejoicing in the fact that St. Patrick's Day falls on a Sunday this year, meaning you have the time to cook a slow delicious stew.  Invite friends over.  Get turned down.  Realize this just means more stew for you.  Find a good apron.  Not your cutesy-pie apron; we're not frosting cupcakes here.  A real apron, that will get dirty, that you can wipe your hands on.

Assemble your ingredients.  Chop the bacon. 

Decide that a lovely afternoon cooking is a perfect excuse to put on some Irish folk music.  Look through your phone or iPod and discover that none of your Irish folk is on it.  Try Spotify, and realize that just like every other time you've tried it, it doesn't want to work for you.  Remember that you still own CDs and dig through them to find something like the Chieftans, only to recollect that it's 2019, and you don't own a CD player anymore.  Put the CD in the blu-ray player, and congratulate yourself on being bloody brilliant.  Pour yourself a Guinness to celebrate your awesomeness.

Return to the kitchen, and place half of the chopped bacon in the bottom of a stock pot, over medium-low heat.  Stir frequently to avoid burning.  Dry the first batch on paper towels, while you cook the second batch.  Dry the remainder of the cooked bacon on the paper towels. 

Turn up the music.  Enjoy how nicely that stout is going down.

Pour off most of the bacon grease into a bowl of measuring cup, leaving a bit in the bottom of the pan.

Dust your cubed stewing beef lightly in flour, shaking off the excess.  Working in batches, brown the beef cubes in the bacon fat.  You don't need it to be cooked through, just nicely browned.  Keep an eye on it, so you don't scorch the flour to the bottom of the pot.  For reference, my 2 lbs of beef was cooked in 6 batches.  Take your time.

When the CD ends, dig out the Cranberries.  They're Irish, it totally works.  Notice that you've finished your beer.  Before you can pour another, bump into the remainder of that bottle of red wine from Friday night, and work on finishing that off.  Waste not, want not.  I'm sure my Irish grandmother said that... 

As each batch of beef finishes browning, move to a bowl, and add more of the bacon fat if necessary to keep the bottom of the pot from getting dry.  Bits of browned fond on the bottom are great, but blackened carbon is not. 

Once all the beef has finished browning, check the bottom of the pot, and add either more bacon grease or cooking oil if you're out of bacon.  Add in the diced onions, and stir to coat.  Cook for a few minutes until the onions soften a bit.  Add in the carrots, parsnips, and garlic, and continue cooking for another 5-10 minutes. 

Upon finishing the browning, recollect just how maudlin music was in the 90's.  Your day is going too well to be maudlin.  Find something more upbeat.  Maybe something by the Irish Rovers.  Or the Dropkick Murphys.  Your call. 

Once the veggies have cooked down, pour a little of the Guinness in the pot to deglaze, and use a spoon to scrape up any bits of fond from the bottom of the pan.  Add the beef and cooked bacon back into the pot, along with the tomato paste, dried thyme, remaining Guinness and the beef stock.

Bring to a boil over high heat, then cover and reduce to a simmer.  Simmer for 2 hours, stirring every 5-10 minutes. 

Sit down for a bit, while the pot simmers.  Finish your wine while checking Facebook.  Be saddened by Facebook, and decide you are going to close yours.  ...until you run into an uplifting and inspiring video about a dog who saved someone's life.  Cry a little as you long to pet that dog.  That dog is everything.  Facebook must stay!  Finish your last sip of wine.  Realize you should have some water.  Find water.

When you have about 10 minutes left on the simmering clock, chop the potatoes, and place in another pot.  Pour in enough water to cover, and bring to a boil.  Boil 10-15 minutes, or until soft & tender when pierced with a fork.  Drain the potatoes, and return to the pot.  Add the butter, as well as salt & pepper to taste.  Get some of your anger about the English out by using your potato masher to squash them good.  Add milk (or preferred milk substitute) to achieve your desired consistency.  Cover, and keep warm. 

Once your two hours of simmering has elapsed, remove the cover and simmer another 30 minutes, to let the stew thicken.

Place a ring of mashed potatoes around the edges of your bowls.  Ladle the stew into the center, and top with the fresh chopped parsley. 

Make sure everyone has a beverage, and give a toast to those gathered round your table.  Enjoy every moment with those good people. 

May you have warm words on a cold evening, a full moon on a dark night, and a smooth road all the way to your door.  Slàinte!

Beannachtam na Feile Padraig!

Black Bean & Caramelized Onion Tacos

This recipe is easy, fast, and doesn't heat up the kitchen too much in the dead of summer.  Mostly chopping and stirring, with just a bit of time in a skillet.  Happy (and healthy) Taco Tuesday!

Black Bean & Caramelized Onion Tacos with Lime Marinated Zucchini

Ingredients:
1  can black beans
1  large sweet onion
6  flour tortillas
1 Tbsp taco seasoning (or a mix of chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, cumin, cilantro, & Mexican oregano)
1  lime
1  zucchini
1 Tbsp  light brown sugar
2 oz  aged sharp cheddar cheese (or vegan cheese substitute of choice)
¼ cup vegan sour cream substitute (or real sour cream if you want)
1 avocado
olive oil
salt & pepper

Directions:
Start by remembering that today is Monday, aka your husband's D&D night, and that you need to have made [i]& finished eating[/i] dinner by 6:00 pm, so he can go slay demigorgons or something.  Decide that vegetarian tacos are the way to go, and pull out the ingredients.  Realize that you're going to need some help to get this done on time, and put on some James Brown to help get you moving.  I recommend "Get Up Offa That Thing". 

Prep the ingredients:  Zest the lime, then slice in half.  Quarter the onion, then slice about 1/4" thick.  Halve the zucchini lengthwise; then cut into thin half moons.  Grate the aged cheddar cheese on the large side of a box grater.  Drain and rinse the black beans.

Start the filling:  In a nonstick skillet, heat a drizzle of olive oil on medium.  Add the sliced onion and season with salt & pepper.  Cook, stirring occasionally, 3-4 minutes.  Lower the heat to low, add the light brown sugar and cook for another 3-4 minutes, until golden and soft. 

While the onions caramelize, place the zucchini in a bowl with a light drizzle with olive oil, the juice of half the lime, and season lightly with salt & pepper.  Stir every few minutes, while getting on with the rest of your taco goodness.  You are the queen of multi-tasking. 

Realize that your James Brown song has ended, and ask Alexa to play you Brick House by the Commodores.  Heck yeah, you are kicking tonight's butt!

Go back to the skillet of onions, and add the beans, 1/2 cup of water, and the taco seasoning. Increase heat to medium-high, and cook, stirring occasionally and mashing the beans lightly with the back of a spoon, 7 to 9 minutes, or until thickened and the beans have slightly broken down. Turn off the heat; season with salt & pepper to taste.

While the beans cook, in a small bowl, combine the sour cream substitute, lime zest, the juice of the other lime half, 1 Tbsp of olive oil, and season with salt & pepper to taste. 

Wrap the tortillas in dampened paper towels and warm in the microwave for 15-30 seconds.  Or warm them in another skillet if you dislike microwaves.  But I for one, ain't got time for warming individual tortillas or washing extra pans!  [i]The crafts, the crafts are calling....[/i]  Finally, slice the avocado at the last minute, because you almost forgot about it.

Assemble the tacos: place a schmear of the lime cream on the bottom of each tortilla, then a scoop of the the black bean & onion filling, tuck the avocado slices along the sides, and top with the shredded aged cheddar. Serve with the marinated zucchini on the side.  Watch your meat-eating Midwestern husband happily destroy his veggie tacos, and know you are victorious.  Wish him luck in his D&D game, while not seeming like you are shoeing him out of the living room so you can crochet & Netflix with your puppy.