Shepherds Pie - ish

Beautiful and glorious rain is falling today. Falling hard. I am so very pleased about it and even more pleased that I had such a savory dish planned as well.

To all my Vegans out there at the end I will post some variations to make it vegan, but I will be honest in that I succumbed to my greatest weakness these past 2 days. Cheese.

Shepherds Pie is a great dish that combines vegetables in a rich gravy and mashed potatoes and in the case of this time, cheese. Y-U-M

For the gravy, one could easily make their own, but alas in favor of convenience I opted for a canned quick version, which of course is tasty but not as much so as homemade. Much of the produce was grown right here in Whatcom county

Mashed Spuds:
I used about 5-6 medium Yukon Golds
about a tablespoon of Earth Balance Natural Buttery Spread (soy free)
some of the water used to boil
a splash of Hemp milk
and a dash of salt and pepper

Wash and peel potatoes (per your desire) and add to boiling water
Cook until fork tender
Drain reserving some of the liquid and mash adding the milk only for a touch of additional creaminess

"Filling"
1 can sweet peas (or equivalent frozen or raw)
1 medium potato, peeled and diced
1/2 cup mushrooms diced
1 medium carrot, peeled and diced
1 stalk of celery, diced
1 small summer squash, diced (2 could easily be added)
1/4 onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, diced

1 can Amy's Kitchen Organic Cream of Mushroom (vegetarian is the name of the game)
a good dash of Vegetarian Worcestershire sauce
salt
pepper
Italian seasonings

Sauté potatoes, garlic and onion in a bit of oil allow to begin to cook potato pieces. then add remaining vegetables and cook until tender (add seasoning and a bit more oil or water if necessary)
stir in mushroom soup (not diluted), Worcestershire and allow to simmer until fully warm
salt and pepper to taste

In a 9 x 13 glass baking dish layer first the filling then cover with mashed potatoes. then top with cheese and place into a preheated oven (350*F) for 15 -20 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Allow to cool for 5-10 minutes and then enjoy! We had ours with whole wheat hamburger buns (that were begging to be used or tossed) toasted with earth balance. I served this to my beloved Omni husband and his best friend and both were fully satisfied.

**Vegan substitutions

Pretty easy to make this dish vegan.
Substitute mushroom soup for either mushroom gravy (scroll a little ways down the page, just under "broiled green beans")
Or a quick marinara or diced tomatoes (in their juices)

Substitute cheese for vegan cheese such as Daiya or omit all together