Our US presidential inauguration was last week. It was an inspiring event. The moment that touched me the most as I navigate motherhood was Amanda Gorman’s recitation of her poem “The Hill We Climb“.
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Her poem was a reminder that we are not broken as a nation, just ‘unfinished’. We have more work to do if we are willing to strive to be better. The following is an excerpt. Complete transcription can be located at CNN:
When day comes we ask ourselves, where can we find light in this never-ending shade? The loss we carry, a sea we must wade We've braved the belly of the beast We've learned that quiet isn't always peace And the norms and notions of what just is Isn't always just-ice And yet the dawn is ours before we knew it Somehow we do it Somehow we've weathered and witnessed a nation that isn't broken but simply unfinished ... our people diverse and beautiful will emerge, battered and beautiful When day comes we step out of the shade, aflame and unafraid The new dawn blooms as we free it For there is always light, if only we're brave enough to see it If only we're brave enough to be it
This post was supposed to go out last week, but it was kind of a crazy week for me. I went in for a doctor’s visit and did not get great news about the baby. The information will continue to change as the weeks go by, so I’m not ready to share just yet. We are seeing a specialist in a few weeks and hopefully receive more information. “The Hill We Climb” reminds me to continue to be strong for the baby. Until then, I will continue to have emotional ups and downs. Some days excited and hopeful, other days depressed and melancholy. My mom continues to choose this time to remind me of the hardships all mother’s face and the hard times she went through with me. I wonder if I will be the same when the baby comes.
KK and I have been trying more vegan/vegetarian recipes for our #zoomcooking adventures. This is our second time trying a recipe from Rainbow Plant Life. Her previous blog format was tough to navigate. She provides a lot of great information, but it was scattered throughout the post. I admire the flavors in the recipes I tried; it was worth reading through pages and pages of text to get to the final results. She finally updated her blog to be more user-friendly. I recommend checking our her bold and delicious flavors. Her original Lentil Shepherd’s Pie recipe is vegan. My version is not. Please visit her website for more details and the complete vegan version of this recipe.
Lentil Shepherd's Pie
This is a great recipe to try in your cast-iron. The portions are filling and with full-bodied flavors.
Recipe adapted from rainbowplantlife.com.
Ingredients
- Lentil Filling:
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 3 large yellow onions, diced
- 8 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves, roughly chopped
- 2 teaspoons fresh rosemary leaves, roughly chopped
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- ½ cup vegetable broth or water, for deglazing
- 1 ½ cups green lentils
- 3 ¾ cups vegetable broth
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 ½ teaspoons smoked paprika
- 1 tablespoon or soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon good-quality balsamic vinegar
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon of kosher salt or sea salt
- Freshly black pepper to taste Mashed Potato Topping:
- 20 ounces Russet potatoes, peeled and chopped into eighths
- 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt, plus more to taste
- 4 tablespoons butter, softened
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- Freshly black pepper to taste
Directions
- Start with the Lentil Filling. Heat the olive oil in a cast-iron over medium to medium-high heat until hot.
- Sauté diced onion for 8 to 10 minutes, until browned. Stir occasionally to prevent burning. Add the garlic, thyme and rosemary and cook for 2 minutes, frequently stirring to prevent burning.
- Add tomato paste to onions and stir for 2 to 3 minutes. Reduce to medium heat.
- Pour vegetable broth into pan to deglaze for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan.
- Into the cast-iron, add the remaining vegetable broth, lentils, bay leaves, and paprika. Stir to combine and bring to a boil. Reduce heat simmer after boiling. Simmer lentils for 25 to 30 minutes until most of the liquid has been absorbed.
- Add soy sauce, balsamic vinegar, and Worcestershire sauce. Stir to incorporated. Add salt and pepper to taste. Remove from heat and set aside.
- Preheat the oven to 375°F.
- Begin making mashed potato topping. In a large saucepan or Dutch oven, added prepared potatoes and just enough water to cover. Boil for about 15 to 20 minutes, until fork-tender.
- Drain potatoes. Mash with a wooden spoon. While mashing, add sour cream and butter. Salt to taste.
- Assemble the Shepherd’s Pie. On your cast-iron filled with cooked lentils, spread out the mashed potato topping, covering the entire surface. Drizzle extra olive oil and bake for 20 minutes.
- For the last few minutes, place under the broiler until the potato crust is golden brown. To finish, drizzle additional olive oil and fresh parsley.
Nutrition
Per Serving: 217 calories; 9.1 g fat; 30 g carbohydrates; 6.6 g protein.
Until next time,
Diana L.
diana luong 