My Twists on Shepherd's Pie

Be thankful Thanksgiving is over with these Shepherd's Pie options!

T’is Monday night and most have survived their thanksgiving dinners, some unfortunate few are still fighting through to the unnecessary dessert course.

Tonight I experimented with two fun and flavourful twists on Shepherd’s Pie. One with a sweet-potato and fall-spiced topping the other with an Irish inspired "Champ" topping (mashed potatoes with chopped green onions).

I’m sure there are lots of leftover spuds that can be put to better use these ways! Enjoy and let me know what you think.

Sweet Potato Topping:

2-3 large sweet potatoes

Tbsp butter

¼ tsp cinnamon

¼ tsp nutmeg

¼ tsp cloves

Splash of milk

Salt and pepper to taste (heavier on the pepper)

Champ Topping:

5-7 baking potatoes

Tbsp butter

Splash of milk

A bunch of green onions (scallions) finely chopped

Salt and pepper to taste

Filling:

Small package of lean ground beef

2 small carrots diced

2 sticks of celery diced

1 small onion finely diced

2 garlic cloves minced

1 cup of frozen peas

2 tbsp fresh parsley chopped

1 tsp oregano

A couple healthy splashes of Worcestershire

1 cup chicken stock

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Soften the onions, carrots, celery, and garlic together and add to cooked ground beef. Add frozen peas, herbs, Worcestershire and chicken stock.

In a baking dish add the filling and top with mashed topping. Place in oven heated to 350 for 35-45 minutes.

Happy Fall eating!

Roasted Sweet Potato & Carrot Soup

Fall for my roasted sweet potato and carrot soup.

I love our Canadian Fall weather. It’s crisp, sunny (this year) and the leaves are stunning. It’s also the time of year we start to incorporate soup back into our diets and I think my sweet potato and carrot soup will be a staple. I’ve been walking around with sweet potatoes; carrots roasted with garlic in my head for the past week and finally had to experiment. As Rachel Ray would say, “delish!” It’s creamy, hearty and healthy! Forget that last word and just try it for yourself. Exact measurements are not my strong point but here’s the approximations:

                                                                                   1 large sweet potato

5 medium size carrots

1 head of garlic

3 celery sticks

1 medium white onion

1 can chick peas

1 box low sodium chicken broth (or veg for veggies)

   Equal parts water

½ tsp salt

½ tsp pepper (or more)

1 tsp nutmeg

1 tsp red pepper flakes

Directions:

Cut carrots and sweet potato in similar sized cubes. Toss in some olive oil, salt and pepper and put on a baking sheet in the oven at 400 degrees for 40 minutes. For the last 25 minutes add a head of garlic wrapped in tin foil with the tip cut off and some olive oil inside to the oven.

On the stove dice the onion, celery and 1 carrot in olive oil until softened. Add chicken stock and water with salt and pepper. Bring to boil.

Add the roasted veg and 3 garlic cloves to the pot as well as rinsed chick peas. Add nutmeg and pepper flakes then puree to a thick, smooth consistency. Enjoy!

When bragging to a friend about my untried concept she suggested some goat cheese on top. Sounds good but I don’t have any in-house. Serve with a side of corn chips if desired.

Benefits:

This vitamin rich soup helps skin look younger, strengthen bones, improve vision and is a good source of fibre. The chick peas keep you fuller longer and feel satisfied. There is lots of heart healthy and cancer preventing goodness in this pot!

Let me know how this recipe tastes to you! It does make a lot but freezers are our friend.

Forks Over Knives movie trailer.

This is more about being vegan but it's a brilliant movie I highly suggest you tell your family and your friends to watch! Forks Over Knives Trailer (click on title)

Let me introduce my blog.

Hello, this is Live Wheat Free, a blog about eating wheat free without regret. You can expect pictures of scrumptious food from aerial views with restaurant reviews and home grown recipes.

This blog was inspired by my own personal journey of going wheat-free for two months when I heard about wheat belly on the oh-so educational “Live with Kelly” show prior to my brother’s wedding. So I decided to give it a go in my superficial attempts to fit into a too-small maid of honour dress. It worked! (With exercise.) I had way more energy, felt less sluggish and I didn’t compromise much, except a burger here and there but I even had my tricks for devouring those.

This blog is for anyone who likes food; eating food, making food or just enjoying some food porn from the privacy of their computer. I hope to entertain, to educate and to make even wheat-lovers try some different menu items and recipes. Yep that’s me, bringing variety and quality to your home from my computer (almost a Paula D farewell, but without all the butter).

I’m not a dietitian but I am a comedian. I kid’. Enjoy!