Belated Lentils

Sorry this is so late. I'm in the midst of a lot of upheaval and haven't had a lot of time to cook, let alone share my culinary experiences with you all. To make up for it, I am going to dazzle you all with a super healthy dinner and hope that you don't care that my posts are terribly inconsistent.

Original recipe credit to One Ingredient Chef

(PS props to all these other sites for their awesome food pictures, I can never get mine to look that good)

What you'll need:
4 1/2 cups Lentils (measure your lentils after they are cooked)
3-4 Sweet Potatoes
1/2 cup Green Onion, diced
1/2 cup Carrots, chopped
1/2 cup Spinach, roughly chopped
1 28oz can Diced Tomatoes, undrained 
2 Tbs Soy Sauce
2 Tbs Almond Milk (or milk of your choice)

First you'll need to prepare your potatoes and lentils. Peal and chop your sweet potatoes. You're going to boil them just like you would regular potatoes to make mashed potatoes. Boil your potatoes on high heat for 15-20 minutes depending on how big you cut your chunks. When they are soft the whole way though take them off the heat and drain them. While waiting for your potatoes to cook, place your lentils in a pot of water to boil them as well. Make sure you get a pot that seems too big. Once your lentils cook they will expand and you don't want to be caught with an overflowing pot while you're trying to get all your other ingredients ready. Follow the instructions on your lentil package for cooking, mine cooked on a medium boil for over a half hour. You can test your lentils just as you would pasta: eat one and if it's still crunchy keep boiling. When your lentils are finally done drain them and set them aside.

Place your cooked potatoes in a bowl along with your milk and mash until smooth. Put these aside when thoroughly mashed as well.

In a small pot boil your carrots and onions in just enough water to cover them. Cook on a medium boil until your carrots are cooked the whole way through. Once your carrots are tender drain the water from the pot and pour in your tomatoes, spinach, soy sauce and finished lentils. Place your pot on medium-low heat and stir occasionally until the whole mixture is a uniform temperature.

In a deep casserole dish pour your lentil-veggie mixture. Top everything with a layer of sweet potatoes. Bake at 350 F for 30 minutes or until the top of the potatoes browns.

Enjoy! 

I love shepherd's pie and this recipe offers a guilt-free version. It was a bit bland and I did have to add quite a bit of Jane's Crazy Mixed Up Salt to it but it was a crowd pleaser. 4 stars

This week I'll deviate from main dishes for a bit to share some of my favorite breakfast and snack recipes with you.