So maintaining a plant based diet involves planning I do admit, but we are all mostly fully functioning adults so we can just about manage that I think. But there is always that day where you haven’t got the can of coconut milk or you forgot the get the wholemeal pasta. Well have you some form of veggies? Have you potatoes? Have you vegetable stock/ bouillon? Have you a few spices knocking around? Well then you have the ingredients to one of my favourite go to dinners. It’s my Veggie Pie. It’s not a fancy shmancy,Pinterest worthy meal. It’s a functional Get In Ma Belly I need a good feeding kinda meal.
Ingredients:
Whatever veggies you can get your hands on. Today I have:
- Carrots
- Brocolli
- Mushrooms
- Red pepper
- Yellow Pepper
- 1 white/ red onion
- Sweetcorn
- Peas
- Scalllion
- Kale
- 2 cloves Garlic minimum
- Veggie Stock/ Bouillon
- Potatoes
- Tumeric/ cumin/ cayenne pepper
What vegetables go into any of my given meals can really very, depending on what I have in the house. So on that given day I had these ingredients to work with. Normally I aim to have at least five vegetables in any dish. This veggie potato pie is a handy one, similar to a conventional Shepard’s Pie except without the meat and with a few tweaks.
- Peel spuds and put them onto boil straight away. Leave them working away for the 25/30 mins. I love to have a good covering of potatoes on my dish so I would out at least 6 good sized spuds on. all depends on size of your dish and personal liking. Set oven to about 150 degrees Celsius.
- Chop all veggies. Start by sautéing the onions. Leave to sweat on low/ medium for about 3 minutes before adding chopped garlic cloves. At times I could put three cloves in. Love me some garlic.
- After another 2 mins or so, slowly start to add your veggies. I am no pro at this but I had the hardest, longest to cook first. So In goes the carrots. I leave these in for a couple minutes before adding the other ingredients. Stirring frequently I let the flavour of the onions/ garlic begin to absorb into the carrots.
- Between dancing to whatever song I have blasting in the background I add in my peppers, broccoli and mushroom.
- In the meantime, boil your kettle for the stock/ bouillon.
- Add in peas,sweetcorn and kale.
- Spice time. Here you can have fun. My go to’s are turmeric, cumin and cayenne pepper. Sprinkle let’s say half a tea spoon of turmeric and cumin in over veggies and a good sprinkle of cayenne pepper. Remember you can always add. You can’t go back. Have a taste and add accordingly.
- Add in stock. Cover and let simmer while you prepare potatoes.
- By this time your spuds are boiled. Add a pinch of Himalayan Sea Salt, Vegan butter (Pure or Low Low have just brought out a lovely dairy free spread made of either coconut oil or avocado). Mash up with scallion.
- Get your dish and transfer veggie/ stock concoction into your dish. Spread the spuds over the veggies. Into the oven it goes for about 20/25 mins until the potatoes brown on top.
- Get that bad boy into ya.
So lets have a look at the nutrition in that dish alone. Between the veggies we have consumed:
- Vitamin A,
- Vitamin C,
- Vitamin K,
- Fibre,
- Calcium,
- Potassium,
- Iron,
- Copper,
- Zinc,
- Manganese,
- Selenium,
- Phosphorus,
- Phytosterols especially ß-sitosterol.
- B complex groups such as Niacin, Pyridoxin, Riboflavin, Thiamin, Folic acid, pantothenic acid etc..
- Beta- Carotene,
- Poly-acetylene antioxidant, falcarinol,
- Phenolic flavonoid antioxidant, ferulic acid
- Brocolli contains a group of many phyto- nutrients such as s-thiocyanates, indoles, sulforaphane, isothiocyanates and flavonoids like beta-carotene cryptoxanthin, lutein, and zea-xanthin. These have been shown to protect against prostate, colon, urinary bladder, pancreatic, breast cancer by modifying positive signalling at molecular receptor levels.
So there ya go. It is delicious and tasty, while literally packed full of nutrients. You do not miss your meat whatsoever!