Quick & Easy Vegetarian Shepherd's Pie ~ Meatless Monday

Our PBS station is having a marathon 'all things Irish' session, probably due to the upcoming St. Patrick's Day celebration.  Since I now have a craving for one of my favorite Irish dishes, Shepherd's Pie, I decided to give it a vegetarian spin...and a version that would be on the table pretty quick, too.  An easy lunch or dinner, perfect for two, is now served!  ~ Enjoy ~

Quick & Easy Vegetarian Shepard's Pie

serves 2

double recipe for 4

Ingredients

• 1 cup ready-to-eat crumbled 'beef' substitute (TVP)
• 1 cup frozen peas & carrots, cooked according to directions
• 1/4 cup condensed cream of mushroom soup, undiluted
• 1/4 tsp onion powder
• 1/4 tsp crushed dried basil
• salt/pepper, to taste
• 2 servings of instant mashed potatoes, cooked according to box directions
• 2 Tbsp shredded cheddar cheese
• paprika/basil for garnish

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Combine the 'beef', peas/carrots, mushroom soup, onion powder, basil & salt/pepper until well mixed.  Divide the mixture into two individual casserole dishes that have been sprayed with Pam.  Divide the prepared mashed potatoes & spread evenly over the filled casseroles.  Finally, top them with the shredded cheese & garnish with a little paprika/basil.  Bake for 20 minutes or until bubbly and heated through.  (if you don't want to heat up the oven, just nuke it until the food is hot all the way through) (if you don't want individual servings, just layer it in a bigger casserole dish and bake just a bit longer, or until bubbly & hot)

    

Loaded BBQ Vegetarian Sloppy Joes ~ Meatless Monday

Here is a quick meatless lunch that I like to make.  I call it my ~ Loaded BBQ Vegetarian Sloppy Joes.  It's super easy to do.  As an added bonus, it's quick to make, so I can get lunch on the table in almost no time flat.  My guys like it and we never have any leftovers, so I know it's good.  

I just add some of my favorite BBQ sauce (Bull's-Eye Original) to some ready-to-eat 'beef' TVP crumbles and heat it up in the microwave.  I then layer the sauced 'meat' mixture on a bun with ~ a slice of cheese, a few rings of thin sliced onion, a squiggle of yellow mustard and a couple of jalapenos.  Easy-Peasy!  It's a simple way to satisfy my meat and spicy food craving, all in one shot.  :)   Happy Meatless Monday!

Vegetarian Irish Pub 'Beef' Stew with Guinness Stout ~ Meatless Monday

Leprechaun Mint Smoothie

St. Patrick's Day is almost here, time to share my vegetarian version of the pub classic ~ Irish Pub Beef Stew.  I've mentioned before how much I like using dehydrated TVP 'beef flavored' chunks as a stand in for real beef stew meat, so it'll be no surprise that I've used them again in this dish.  If something works well, I'll stick with it.  :)

I've recently become a convert of the old-fashioned kitchen staple ~ Kitchen Bouquet.  I remembered always seeing it in Grandma Bunni's spice cabinet, so when I ran across it in the store a few weeks ago, I bought it.  I had no need for it at the time, I was just feeling a little bit nostalgic.  Her Irish spirit must have been guiding me, because this is the recipe it was meant for.  I am thoroughly impressed with how much color it gave back to the stew after I added the cornstarch slurry to thicken the broth into gravy.  I see many more uses for this little baby in the future.   



Vegetarian Irish Pub 'Beef' Stew with Guinness Stout
makes 4-6 servings

Ingredients

• 3 1/2 cups broth (veggie or vegetarian mock beef)
• 1 1/2 cups Guinness Stout beer ~~~  or my Mock Stout Recipe  ~~~ or for a non-alcoholic  version, mix 2 tsp decaf instant coffee with 1 1/2 cups hot water
• 4 cups large diced potatoes
• 1 1/2 cups sliced carrots
• 1 1/2 cups chopped onions
• 3 Tbsp ketchup
• 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tsp dried parsley (or 1/2 tsp chopped fresh)
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 cups TVP beef chunks (re-hydrated according to directions or prepackaged ready-to-eat)
• 1 1/2 tsps Kitchen Bouquet (adds additional rich brown color & flavor to the broth/gravy ~ optional)
• 2 Tbsp cornstarch
• 2 Tbsp cold water
• salt & pepper, to taste

Directions
In a large pot, bring first 12 ingredients (broth - bay leaf) to a boil, stirring well to incorporate all seasonings.  Once broth boils, reduce heat and simmer for 25 minutes.

Combine cornstarch and cold water until it forms a smooth slurry, pour into the stew and stir well.  Add the TVP 'beef' chunks and Kitchen Bouquet.  Bring back up to a boil, stirring constantly so broth will thicken into a smooth gravy.  Boil for one minute, then remove from heat.  Taste, then add salt and pepper, as desired.  Enjoy!

Here are some other vegetarian ideas for your St. Patrick's Day...

Vegan Corned Beef and Cabbage ~ If you're looking for another vegetarian meal for St. Pat's Day, try this recipe of mine.  I'm pretty proud of this one.  :) 

Vicki's Homemade Irish Soda Bread ~ I created this recipe over 15 years ago and we just love it.  It's pretty easy to make and tastes even better the day after you bake it.