The Surprising Appearance of Fall, or, "Where Have You Been All Summer?"

As I sit here at my computer with a glass of my favorite $5-a-bottle Pinot Noir, I feel a chill coming from my window. School is back in session, we've all busted out the sweaters for the nightly dip in temperatures, and I wonder to myself, "Where the hell did summer go?" And then I remember. It went to parties, sleeping late, weekend trips to New York, dancing, swimming, Cape Cod vacations, short shorts, and general heat-induced laziness. This is our first post since the start of summer, but who can blame us when there are so many other fun things to do? But now it's fall and we're back on track, dedicating ourselves to bringing you tasty recipes, crafty projects, and Stoned Secrets every week. Starting....NOW!

Personally, I love summer, and wish it would stick around forever. I mean seriously, what's not to love? But if there is one positive that I can find in cooler temperatures, it's that it makes me really want to cook again. When it's a bit chilly, I don't mind leaning over a hot frying pan, or increasing my house temperature 10 degrees by turning on the oven. So, I embraced the recent crisp breezes by whipping up my first real fall meal. The idea was inspired by one night in a local bar, where the dinner special happened to be Shepherds Pie. The guy next to me ordered it as we watched the first football game of the season, and after it was delivered to him, I could not take my eyes off it. Maybe it was the 3 Steel Rails I had before that, but I wanted to eat it, bad, and I cursed my vegetarian morals harder than ever for not allowing myself the satisfaction of ingesting the savory meaty goodness. But then I realized that this recipe would be a cinch to make veggie-friendly, and I vowed to appease my hunger the very next night.

If you already know how to make regular Shepherds Pie, then making Vegetarian Shepherds Pie* is quite simple. Take out the real meat, put in fake meat, and enjoy. But for all of those who have never tackled this entree, I'll list my full recipe at the bottom. My roommate and I ate the whole pan up REAL quick, even just between the two of us. It makes great leftovers, and keeps you full for quite some time.

As we sat in our living room, eating our piping hot meal in our nice and toasty house, I could not help but feel extremely satisfied. I got the meal that I wanted, the way that I wanted it, and was back in my apron once again. And then I realized, maybe fall aint so bad.

-Nikki


*Recipes featured in this meeting:

Vegetarian Shepherds Pie

You will need-

4 large White, Red, or Yukon Gold potatoes (or any mixture therein)
1 large Sweet Potato
1/3 cup Soy milk (or regular, if not making vegan)
1/4 cup of margarine or butter
1 Tube of Gimme Lean Meat-Free Beef, or 1 package of Morning Star Vegetarian Burger Crumbles
3-4 tablespoons olive oil
Several cloves of garlic (depending on how much you like garlic)
1 small onion
1 large carrot
1 can of peas, drained
1 can of corn, drained
2 Tablespoons of soy sauce (Did you know that 1 packet of soy sauce leftover from the last time you ordered Chinese take-out equals 1 tablespoon? Really freaking convenient!)
1 cup vegetable stock
Spices (I suggest rosemary, ground mustard, cayenne pepper, salt, and black pepper)
1/4 cup flour


1. Set your oven to 350 degrees. Bring a salted pot of water to a boil. Peel potatoes (take as much or as little as you want off, sometimes skin is good!) and cut into small cubes. Cook for about 15 minutes. Drain, mash the potatoes, mix in milk and butter, and add salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.

2. Dice garlic, and cook in olive oil for about 2 minutes. Add diced onions, cook for 2 more minutes. Add carrots, cook for 2 more minutes. Add fake beef (if you're using Gimme Lean, my personal favorite, you are going to need to dice it up really well first. Once it starts coooking you can even crumble it further with your spatula) and cook for 5-7 minutes, until meat starts to brown. Add peas and corn, stir for 1 minute. Add vegetable stock and soy sauce, and let simmer for a few minutes on low. I like to add the liquids closer to the end, as it can make the beef a little mushy. As it simmers add spices to your preference; I used an equivalent of about a half a tablespoon of each. Lastly, sprinkle flour over vegetables and stir. This will thicken up your mixture and make it much more hearty.

3. In a 9x12 baking pan, spread vegetable mixture into a flat layer. Spread potatoes on top, and then sprinkle with cayenne pepper (mostly for looks). Cook pie for 30 minutes, allow to cool, slice, and enjoy!



In case you've been living under a rock and don't know what Shepherd's Pie looks like, here it is:



And cut up: