Meatless Mondays: St. Patty's Day Edition!

Happy St. Patrick's Day, friends!

In honor of my parents, who are actually in Ireland (and probably enjoying a pint of Guinness as we speak!), I wanted to post a classic Irish dish, vegetarianized: Shepherd's Pie. Tim and I have tried one version that we didn't like very much, so this year we're planning to try making this recipe. I'm a little uncomfortable sharing a recipe I haven't actually tried before with all of you... but we can experiment with it together!

Vegetarian Shepherd's Pie
(Serves 8)

Ingredients

• 1.5 cups low-sodium mushroom broth (or vegetable broth)
• 1/3 cup dry red wine
• 1 T tomato paste
• 1 T all-purpose flour
• 3/4 oz. dried porcini mushrooms
• 3 lbs. Russet potatoes, peeled and cut into large dice
• 5 T unsalted butter
• 2 lbs. crimini mushrooms, stemmed and quartered
• Salt and freshly-ground pepper
• 1/2 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
• 3 medium celery stalks, finely chopped
• 5 medium garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 medium celery root (celeriac), peeled and diced -- but don't worry if you can't find it! I think you can also supplement with an additional stalk of celery. (shrug)
• 3 medium carrots, peeled and small diced
• 2 medium parsnips, peeled and small diced
• 1 T finely chopped fresh sage leaves
• 1 T finely chopped fresh thyme
• 2/3 c. whole milk

Directions

• In a medium bowl, whisk together broth, wine, tomato paste, and flour until evenly combined and smooth. Stir in dried mushrooms and set aside to reconstitute, at least 30 minutes. Strain mushrooms before using, reserving liquid.
• Place potatoes in a large pot and cover with heavily salted water by 2 inches. Bring potatoes to a boil and cook until fork tender, about 20 to 30 minutes.
• Heat the oven on low broil and place a rack in the upper third. Meanwhile, melt 1 tablespoon of the butter in a 3 to 4 quart Dutch oven (or oven-safe saucepan) over medium-high heat. When it foams, add half the mushrooms and cook, stirring rarely, until mushrooms are browned, about 5 minutes. Remove mushrooms from the pan, season well with salt and remaining freshly ground black pepper, and set aside. Repeat to cook off remaining mushrooms.
• Return pan to stove over medium heat and add 1 T of the butter, onion, celery, and garlic, and cook until softened and golden, about 2 minutes. Add celery root (celeriac), carrots, parsnips, and herbs, and season well with salt and freshly-ground black pepper. Cook until browned and softened, about 6 minutes.
• Add wine mixture to pan and deglaze by stirring and scraping up any browned bits. Let cook until simmering and slightly thickened, about 3 minutes. Stir in reserved mushrooms and any juices that have accumulated and simmer until slightly thickened, about 8 minutes. Remove from heat and reserve in pan.
• When potatoes are ready, drain well. Return to pan and mash until uniformly smooth. Fold in remaining 2 T of butter and the milk, and season well with salt and freshly-ground black pepper. (You can also add cream cheese, sour cream, or cheddar cheese to the potatoes, per your own taste preference.) If necessary, keep warm over low heat.
• Dot potatoes over vegetable mixture and spread to edges of pan to cover completely. Rough up the edges of the potatoes so that there are bits that will get browned and crunchy. Broil until top is golden, about 15 to 20 minutes. Serve and enjoy!

Original link here.

AND as a special bonus...

Chocolate Stout Cupcakes with Bailey's Irish Cream Frosting!

The recipe I'm sharing is from the book Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World, my favorite go-to vegan cupcake recipe book, and it is delectable. Unfortunately Guinness is apparently not vegan (because apparently the isinglass used in the brewing process is made from fish bladders...? Or something? Tim can explain it to you if you're curious), so if you're picky about things like that then skip the Guinness and go for your favorite stout. But if that doesn't bother you too much then stick with the classic Guinness. I also don't think Bailey's Irish Cream is vegan (because of the cream - see how sharp I have become?) but... for Bailey's, I make exceptions. Always. :)

I'll post my own photo if I get a chance to make them this week, but if not, here's a little preview of the amazingness that awaits you:

Ingredients:

Vegan Chocolate Stout Cupcakes

• 3/4 cup soy milk (almond or coconut works too)
• 1 tsp. apple cider vinegar
• 1 cup plus 2 T all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/4 cup stout (Guinness or otherwise)
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup canola oil
• 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Not-so-Vegan Bailey's Irish Cream Frosting

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, room temperature
• 2 T Bailey's Irish Cream
• 2-3 cups confectioner's sugar

Original link here.

Directions

To make the cupcakes...

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line muffin pan with paper liners. In a small bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
• By hand or with an electric mixer, whisk together the soy milk and vinegar in a large bowl. Let sit for 3-5 minutes. Add the stout (Guinness), sugar, oil, and vanilla to the soy milk mixture and beat until foamy. Add the dry ingredients in two batches and beat for about 2 minutes until well-incorporated.
• Pour batter into liners, filling them three-quarters of the way full. Bake 20 to 22 minutes, until the top springs back when lightly touched (or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean). Transfer to a wire rack and allow the cupcakes to cool completely before frosting.

To make the frosting...

• Beat the butter in the bowl of an electric mixer until creamy and smooth. Add the Bailey's and half of the confectioners sugar and beat until smooth. Add the second half of the sugar and beat until smooth.
• To frost the cupcakes, you can smooth the icing on with a knife, OR you can use a pastry bag to pipe on a design. If you don't have a pastry bag, you can use a Ziploc baggy too. Just fill the bag with frosting, cut a hole in one corner, pipe the frosting out in swirl onto the cupcake, and enjoy!

 

And lastly, an Irish Blessing for you...

Count your blessings instead of your crosses;
Count your gains instead of your losses.

Count your joys instead of your woes;

Count your friends instead of your foes.

Count your smiles instead of your tears;

Count your courage instead of your fears.

Count your full years instead of your lean;

Count your kind deeds instead of your mean.

Count your health instead of your wealth;

Love your neighbor as much as yourself.