Shepherd's Pie with Yams and Tempeh

Happy New Year! I hope that you had a wonderful holiday season! I have just returned from two back to back trips, one back home to visit my family and another back to Chicago to celebrate New Year's with some great friends. Before I go on, I just want to say that I ate at the Chicago Diner while I was there which is an amazing all veggie restaurant that has been around since 1983. The food was awesome. They are famous for their Reuben sandwich, but by looking around I could tell that all the food was great. I had a burger with a kale salad that was great, and my hubby had a "fib-rib" sandwich that he loved. And we shared a strawberry shake... mmm... Anyways, I highly recommend it if you are ever in the windy city!! I experienced the coldest weather I have ever known while I was there, at times it was as low as 3 degrees!  Still a fabulous visit though.

So, on to some comfort food. This is a take on a traditional shepherd's pie. This is something we did when I was in school for my Natural Chef certification. It is a pie made with a mixture of mushrooms, crumbled tempeh, onions, garlic, red onions, tomato paste, red wine, carrots and peas. You saute this mixture and then layer it into a pie dish. Simultaneously, roast yams, and then mash them (I use a hand mixer to ensure they get creamy) and spread them on top of your saute mixture. Then bake your pie until the top is golden brown and it is cooked through. Serve it with some fresh vegan biscuits and a salad and there's your dinner! It is comforting and healthy (full of beta-carotene if you can't tell from the color of the pic!) Proof that you can feel comforted, healthy, and satisfied without animal products.

I hope that 2010 can be a year where we can all be healthy and thrive. It has definitely been a lesson to the world this last year that excess is not good, whether it be money, food, or just consumption in general. I hope to see more people eating less meat and feeling the satisfaction of taking care of themselves and all of the earth's inhabitants.