This morning I wanted to make a hearty Sunday breakfast and had some frozen vegetarian meat that could be used (veggie meat that I made and froze). Looking through cookbooks (an exercise I love about as much as I love reading books of any kind – perhaps more so), I got this idea for a Shepherd’s Pie. It fit perfectly with my husband’s Scottish background, but I hesitated to go this direction since Shepherd’s Pie is known as a mechanism for using leftovers (“dump and bake”) and I didn’t want that. So here’s what I did. My best critic (my husband) LOVED it. Since it passed the taste test, I thought I would share it here. We had it for breakfast, so it was not actually served with peas. I added them for the photo afterwards. While my various cookbooks gave me ideas, this recipe is all mine….

Ingredients

Potato/Cauliflower Layer

Potatoes: 6 large potatoes peeled and chopped into 1 inch cubes
Cauliflower: 1/2 head (chopped into 1 inch chunks)
Butter (vegetarian): 1 Tablespoon
Soymilk (unsweetened): 1/2 cup
Chicken seasoning to taste
Salt to taste

Veggie meat/vegetable Layer

Grapeseed oil: 1 Tablespoon
Onion: 1 medium onion chopped
Garlic: 3 cloves minced (or two large cloves)
Veggie meat: 1 1/2- 2 cups crumbled
Mushrooms: 2 cups sliced white mushrooms
Red pepper: 1/2 cup chopped (about 1/2 of one red pepper)
Brussels sprouts: 1/2 cup chopped fresh (optional) – This is about 3 brussels sprouts
Water: 2 cups
White flour: 1/4 cup
Chicken seasoning (vegetarian): 1 tablespoon
Thyme: 1/2 teaspoons
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Top potato/cauliflower layer

1. Place chopped potatoes and cauliflower in a saucepan covered with water. Boil until soft (about 20 minutes). Drain.
2. Mash together with butter, soymilk, chicken seasoning and salt to taste.

Bottom veggie meat/vegetable layer

1. Place grapeseed oil in frying pan and add onions. Cook until tender (about 5 minutes). Add garlic and cook for 1 minute more.
2. Add veggie meat, mushrooms, red pepper, and brussels sprouts to the skillet. Simmer until tender. Add salt and pepper to taste.
3. Mix together the water, chicken seasoning, thyme, and white flour. Blend in a blender. Pour over veggie meat mixture, adding salt and pepper for more taste (if needed) and simmer to thicken.

Putting it all together (in a casserole dish)

1. Pour the veggie meat layer on the bottom of a 9×13 casserole dish.
2. Scoop the potato/cauliflower mixture on top of it and spread to the sides of the dish.
3. Bake 20-25 minutes until the top browns a little. You may want to briefly turn the oven to “broil” in the last few minutes to give it a browned top.

Notes and future ideas

• You may wonder what the need is for baking this since everything is already cooked. Baking it allows the flavors to mix throughout. Besides, there’s something warm and wonderful about a baked dish, especially for breakfast. It also yields a browned top.
• What I would like to try next time is adding a THIRD layer of Tofu scramble on the top to make a thoroughly breakfast dish.