COTTAGE PIE

Thank goodness the new school term has started and I can get back into a routine. Summer was lovely but I am happy it is over. However I am at a complete loss of what to cook at the moment, I think we eat too much pasta and white carbs but they are everyones favourites! Anyway tonight I decided to cook a very traditional cottage pie.

This took about an hour in total and the recipe is from Fay Ripleys second cookbook.

Ingredients for 4 - 6 people (depending on portion size):

500g potatoes, peeled and chopped

250g parsnips, peeled and chopped

A big knob of butter

1 onion, peeled and finely chopped

Splash of olive oil

500g lean mince beef

1 beef stock cube

1 x 400g tin of chopped tomatoes

2 tbsp tomato puree

1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

2 tbsp tomato ketchup

My daughter Arabella is keen to help cook as she thinks it is good "family time". I am not going to say no to that so she helped me peel and chop the parsnips and the potatoes! We then put them in a saucepan of boiling water for about 20 minutes until soft.

Once cooked, drain and mash with a big dollop of butter until smooth and then set aside.

Preheat the oven to 180 C (fan) / 200 C / gas mark 6.

Meanwhile fry the thinly sliced onions in oil for around 5 minutes.

 Add the mince and fry until it turns brown.

Dissolve the beef stock cube with three tablespoons of boiling water and then add to the mince along with a tin of chopped tomatoes, 2 tablespoons of tomato puree, 1 tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce and 2 tablespoons of tomato ketchup. Mix all together.

Scrape it all into an ovenproof dish.

Top with rough dollops of the mash and then bake in the oven for 30 minutes.

Serve and enjoy!

This was easy to prepare but tasted very good - we did obviously add some grated cheese at the end which I would really recommend and next time I will probably add some to the top of the pie before I cook it. I also think it would be great served with peas. A fantastic mid week family supper - plus you can make it the day before and it is freezable.

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GREEK STYLE SHEPHERDS PIE

Arabella has been asking to have cottage pie for a while and so I decided this was a great dish to make for Pascals welcome home supper. However me being me, wanted to make it with a twist and I found the perfect recipe in Fay Ripleys latest book. It was right up my street as I love Greek food and anything with feta. I was a little worried Arabella wouldnt like me messing with a classic, but I couldnt have been more wrong.

Ingredients for 4 people:

1 red onion
Olive oil
500g lean minced lamb
2 tsp dried oregano
3 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
1 red pepper, deseeded and chopped
200ml of red wine (change to stock if not using - I used stock)
300ml beef stock
2 tbsp tomato puree
70g black pitted Greek olives (Kalamata)

Mash
800g potatoes, peeled and diced
2 tbsp olive oil
juice of half a lemon
30g bunch of fresh mint leaves, chopped
120g feta, crumbled

Preheat the oven to 180 C fan / 200 C / gas mark 6.

First of all start preparing the mash by peeling and dicing the potatoes. Next bring them to the boil in a large saucepan of salted water and finally simmer for 20 minutes (it doesnt matter if you go slightly over this time - I did as I was busying cooking the mince).

Meanwhile in a large non stick frying pan, fry the onion in some olive oil for 5 minutes.

Then add the lamb and cook this until it turns brown - it should take another 5 minutes.

Next mix in the oregano, garlic and chopped red pepper and once again cook for 5 minutes.

Now add the wine or 200ml of stock and let it bubble away over a high heat for 5 minutes.

Pour in the remainder of the stock and add the tomato puree. Cook for around 10 minutes so the stock reduces (you dont want too much liquid).

Finally add the olives!

Transfer the lamb mixture into a medium sized oven dish around 3 litres - I have no idea what size mine was!

At the same time this was cooking, I also made the mash topping. Once the potatoes were cooked, drain and then transfer to a big bowl.

Mash (I added a chunk of butter to help the process although this is entirely optional) and then stir through the olive oil, lemon juice and chopped mint. (To easily chop the mint into small pieces I put the leaves in a mug and then used scissors - a great tip/trick).

Crumble in chunks of feta, season well and mix again.

Finally fork the mash roughly on top of the mince and bake for 30-40 minutes (I did 40 minutes).

This was totally unbelievably good! Wow! We ate the whole lot between the 3 of us as we all had seconds - even Arabella. It was excellent. I am just gutted there were no leftovers as I cannot wait to have this again. Definitely a great dinner party dish - you can easily cook it the day before and then pop it in the fridge (just cook for an extra 15 minutes on the day).

A perfect meal as it was then followed by my millionaires shortbread. I am proud to say that both Arabella and Pascal were very impressed and in fact so was I.

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Apple Pie Oatmeal in the Pressure Cooker

Apples.  Apples!  Apples are probably my #1 favorite fall food.  GASP!  But what about pumpkin everything!?!  I know, I know, pumpkins are great.  I love seeing pumpkin everything over the blogosphere, Instagram, and Pinterest, but apples will always have my fall heart.

Being from Washington, we have some of the best apples in the world.  I have memories as a small child bringing my dad a big apple to bite into and get started for my tiny teeth.  I remember making apple pies with my mom, and the smell that would fill the kitchen.  I remember all through high school my mom packing my lunch with an apple and peanut butter sandwich just about every day. (Ha!  I was geared towards being vegetarian before I knew it!)

It seems that every year I go apple picking or to produce stands, I find a new variety that Ive never seen before.  Golden delicious had always been my favorite as a kid, but now I have discovered Jonagolds, Ambrosias, and Pink Ladies... I just cant decide!

This recipe is to appease that fall/holiday craving for apple pie, but in a Nutritarian-friendly way.  I would suggest using a sweater apple for the recipe, but feel free to experiment with your favorites!

Apple Pie Oatmeal (Pressure Cooker)
Time: 5 minutes prep, 3 minutes High Pressure, quick release
Servings: 4 servings

Ingredients:
        2 apples, washed, cored and finely chopped
        2 cups rolled oats
        2 1/2 cups water (more if you like your oatmeal thinner)
        1/2 tsp cinnamon
        1/2 tsp vanilla extract
        1/4 tsp ground ginger
        1/4 tsp nutmeg
Topping options: plant-based milk, almonds, walnuts, raisins, craisins, banana slices, etc.

Instructions:
1.)  Cut the apples and place them first into the pressure cooker.
2.)  Sprinkle the rolled oats and spices over the apples. (This will help keep the oats from sticking and make sure the apples get thoroughly cooked.)
3.)  Add water and lock the pressure cooker.  Set to high pressure for 3 minutes, then do a quick release after cooking.
4.)  Serve hot with any of the suggested toppings.  This time I added chopped walnuts and a bit of extra cinnamon.

Amys Notes:
This recipe could easily be adapted for the stove top, but would just require more stirring and watching, and would, of course, take quite a bit longer.

Either way you make this oatmeal, be prepared for a delicious breakfast treat that reminds me of falls at home... can you tell I might be a bit homesick since our move across state?

Health and Happiness,

Amy

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Birthday and Berry Pie with Chocolate Crust

Last Thursday happened to be my 24th Birthday... yikes!  Time is going by quickly!  To start off the festivities, we had dinner at my parents house on Wednesday evening.  My mom made my favorite homemade veggie Thai pizza, and for dessert she made me this pie that I had sent her a link to months ago.  Thank goodness she saved it because this has got to be one of the best Nutritarian desserts I have ever EVER tried!

This recipe comes from the very talented healthy dessert creator, Talia Fuhrman.  Talia is Dr. Joel Fuhrmans daughter who has made a name for herself by blogging about health and beauty through nutrition and self love and respect.  She is truly a great resource and inspiration for the lady Nutritarians out there!  Find her blog here: http://taliafuhrman.com/

Her blog is full of delicious recipes, but she specializes in Nutritarian desserts like the one my mom made me for my birthday below.  Find her pie recipe here: http://taliafuhrman.com/berry-beautiful-berry-pie-with-chocolate-crust/

My mom tweaked the recipe a bit by using frozen blackberries in the filling rather than frozen strawberries. My husband, Kevin is a HUGE blackberry fan, so he happily accepted a big slice of this dessert. (Could it be that my husband is becoming an accidental Nutritarian?!  Doubtful, but a girl can dream, right? ;))  I dont believe she used chocolate or coffee extract in the recipe either.  It still turned out magnificent!

Berry Beautiful Pie with Chocolate Crust
By Talia Fuhrman
Recipe Source

Seriously, try this one!  My mom said it just took a few minutes to whip up.

My birthday present from Kevin:
a copper mug and all the ingredients
to make a Moscow Mule at home!

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