Vegetarian Shepherd's Pie

After seeing the Skillet Gardener's Pie on Fat Free Vegan Kitchen I just couldn't resist trying it. My husband and I often make veggie pot pies so I figured this would be a nice break from the pie crust and a chance to make some mashed potatoes. The recipe was pretty straight forward and worked well. It is also a recipe that you can play around with a bit and still have a good result.

I wanted to stick close to the recipe since this was my first time making it. I did however leave out the mushrooms and added a zucchini. I also used lentils instead of the kidney beans. 

The recipe called for leaving the vegetable mixture in the skillet and placing the mashed potatoes on top of it. To make it easier to store (I knew we would have a lot of leftovers) I transferred the vegetable mixture to a different pan and then coated it with the mashed potatoes. I also broiled that for a few minutes to get the top of the potatoes a little crispy and brown.  The result was a hearty and filling dinner!

Lentil Almond Burgers and Orange Green Beans

After seeing a recipe for lentil almond burgers on Care2.com I was super excited to try them out. I followed the directions but they didn't quite work out as I expected. I was able to make them into burger shapes and get them onto the frying pan but once there they wouldn't stay together for me. I did substitute flaxseed meal and water for the egg. Maybe that was my downfall? A few stayed sort of together and they tasted ok. Not wonderful but ok. We'll see how the leftovers taste. 

On another note, I looooved the green beans I made with them. And they took about 1/12 of the time that the burgers took, if that. I've had lemon and almond green beans before but I decided to try orange this time. And I don't think I will ever go back to the lemon. This was too good. You don't really need to be exact with the ingredients but here is the gist:

Orange Green Beans with Toasted Almonds

Ingredients

.5 lbs green beans

1 tablespoon olive oil

.5 teaspoons orange zest

.25 teaspoons salt

.25 cups of toasted sliced almonds 

pepper to taste

Directions

Steam the green beans until tender. This will take about 6-10 minutes. Meanwhile, toast the almonds in a pan on low-medium heat until the almonds start getting slightly brown (about 5 minutes or so). Be sure to stir the almonds around frequently. In a bowl, combine the olive oil, orange zest, salt, pepper, and toasted almonds. Add the green beans, toss, and serve!