Sweet Potato Shepherd Pie

Because it’s tasty, hearty and nutritious, this is a regular fall dinner at our house. It can be made a day or two early for those busy weeknights.

Variations:

  • Use only with sweet potatoes or only with butternut squash.
  • Use ground turkey, beef or bison instead of turkey sausage
  • Make it spicy, adding a chopped jalapeño or two
  • Give it a Southwest twist When preparing the sausage filling, add 1 teaspoon chili 1 teaspoon paprika 1 1/2 cup corn kernels (I used defrosted frozen corn) Instead of bell pepper, use a poblano pepper
  • Make it vegan by using cooked lentils instead of turkey sausage.

It’s a great way to use leftover Butternut Squash and Sweet Potato Puree after Thanksgiving. Layer it over the leftover Wild Rice, Turkey Sausage and Leek Stuffing.  If no stuffing is left, make the filling with leftover turkey instead of turkey sausage.

Serve it with Kale, Apple and Cranberry Salad with Pumpkin Seeds

Sweet Potato Shepherd’s Pie
Print Recipe
Servings
4 - 6 servings
Servings
4 - 6 servings
Sweet Potato Shepherd’s Pie
Print Recipe
Servings
4 - 6 servings
Servings
4 - 6 servings
Ingredients
Adjust servings: servings
Units:
Instructions
  1. Steam sweet potatoes and butternut squash until tender. Drain. Return to saucepan and mash with a potato masher. Add broth, mix until smooth and season with salt and pepper to taste.
  2. Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter 8 x 8 x 2-inch glass baking dish.
  3. Heat expeller-pressed canola oil in skillet over medium-high heat and cook sausage, breaking up with spoon and occasionally stirring, until it is brown (about 10 minutes). Transfer sausage to a bowl.
  4. Add onions to the same skillet and sauté, stirring occasionally, over medium-high heat until onions are translucent, about 8 minutes. Add celery, garlic, cumin, coriander and red pepper flakes (if using red pepper flakes). Season to taste with salt and pepper. Mix sausage back into skillet. Season with salt and pepper.
  5. Place sausage mixture into prepared baking dish. Spoon sweet potato mixture over; smooth top.
  6. Bake until it begins to brown around edges, about 45 minutes (or about 1 hour if it was refrigerated).
  7. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.
Recipe Notes

[su_original_recipe]

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Southwest Black Bean and Bell Pepper Salad

There are recipes that stand the test of time. I’ve been making this one for more years that I can remember; it’s so versatile, delicious and nutritious.  Fiber-rich beans are a superfood;  tossed here with bell peppers, red onion and cilantro and this dish bursts with flavor and phytonutrients that boost our health.

[su_expanding_quote_book alignment=”left” source_author=”Steven Pratt MD and Kathy Matthews” source_title=”SuperFoods Rx: Fourteen Foods that Will Change Your Life” full_quote=”Beans are a superb heart-healthy food. A study conducted over nineteen years following 9,632 men and women found those who ate beans at least four times a week had a 22% lower risk of coronary heart disease compared with those who consumed beans less than once a week. Those who ate beans most frequently also had lower blood pressure and total cholesterol and were less likely to be diagnosed with diabetes” short_quote=”Beans are a superb heart-healthy food.Those who ate beans most frequently had lower blood pressure and total cholesterol.”]

Variations

  • Use any color bell peppers, or poblano peppers
  • Add 1 cup corn
  • Add 1 or 2 diced avocados
  • Use cilantro instead of parsley
  • Use other dried fruit instead of dates

This recipe can be used so many different ways. It’s a great one to  double and use differently throughout the week.

  1. Vegetarian dinner for guests, served over a bed of brown rice, with chopped cilantro scattered decoratively on top and accompanied by a green salad tossed with mango, nectarines or other summer fruit. For dessert Peach and Blackberry Crisp or Epicurious: Plum Kuchen
  2. As a side dish with grilled chicken and Watermelon Arugula Salad with Goat Cheese
  3. Toss leftovers with greens (spinach, kale, arugula) for lunch
  4. Toss leftovers with grains (quinoa, brown rice, barley) for a second dinner
  5. Make a wrap or pita sandwich with guacamole, or feta cheese, or a dollop of pain Greek yogurt and a handful of greens

 

Black Bean and Bell Pepper Salad
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Servings
8 servings
Servings
8 servings
Black Bean and Bell Pepper Salad
Print Recipe
Servings
8 servings
Servings
8 servings
Ingredients
Vinaigrette
Salad
Adjust servings: servings
Units:
Instructions
Vinaigrette
  1. Place salt, pepper, oregano, cumin and coriander in small bowl.
  2. Add honey and mix. Add lemon juice and water; mix well.
  3. Pour in extra virgin olive oil in a slow stream, mixing constantly.
  4. Adjust salt and pepper to taste.
Salad
  1. Place beans, bell peppers, onion, dates and parsley in large bowl and mix.
  2. Add in chopped jalapeño if desired and mix well.
  3. Drizzle vinaigrette to coat and toss well.
Recipe Notes

Can be made day ahead.

Modified from

Epicurious Black Bean and Bell Pepper Salad

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A fun twist on traditional spaghetti

[su_expanding_quote alignment=”right” source_author=”Dr. Joel Fuhrman (author of Super Immunity and Eat to Live)” source_title=”DrFuhrman.com” affiliate_link=”http://www.drfuhrman.com/library/fight_breast_cancer_with_gbombs.aspx” full_quote=”In one recent Chinese study, women who ate at least 10 grams of fresh mushrooms each day (which equates to about one button mushroom per day) had a 64% decreased risk of breast cancer! All types of mushrooms have anti-cancer properties. Plus, mushrooms are unique in that they contain aromatase inhibitors—compounds that can block the production of estrogen. Aromatase inhibitors are thought to be largely responsible for mushrooms’ preventive effects against breast cancer. Even the most commonly eaten mushrooms (white, cremini, and Portobello) have high anti-aromatase activity.” short_quote=”In one recent Chinese study, women who ate at least 10 grams of fresh mushrooms each day had a 64% decreased risk of breast cancer”]

There are two categories of squash: summer and winter, identified by the time of year each is at its peak in flavor. Spaghetti squash, with its flesh that can be fluffed into pasta-like threads, fits in the winter category. All squash are in the pumpkin family, identified as a super food because of their high nutritional value.

[su_expanding_quote alignment=”full” source_author=”” source_title=”Food Facts” affiliate_link=”http://foodfacts.mercola.com/spaghetti-squash.html” full_quote=”Spaghetti squash contains about 457 percent of the recommended daily intake of vitamin A and 52 percent of vitamin C, which can help prevent free radical damage to cells. Other antioxidants found in this squash variety are beta-carotene, lutein, and zeaxanthin, which are all linked to healthy vision and optimal eye health.

Spaghetti squash is also rich in the B vitamins riboflavin, niacin, and thiamin, which promote optimal cellular function. Potassium, a mineral that maintains proper muscle and nerve function, is also present in spaghetti squash, making it helpful for people with high blood pressure. Manganese, a mineral that assists in bone and tissue heath, metabolism, calcium absorption, and nerve function, is another key component. Spaghetti squash also contains the essential minerals calcium, iron, phosphorus, and zinc.” short_quote=”Spaghetti squash contains about 457 percent of the recommended daily intake of vitamin A and 52 percent of vitamin C”]

Spaghetti Squash Marinara Bowls
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This is a fun twist on traditional spaghetti.
Servings
4
Servings
4
Spaghetti Squash Marinara Bowls
Print Recipe
This is a fun twist on traditional spaghetti.
Servings
4
Servings
4
Ingredients
Roasted spaghetti squash
Meat sauce
Adjust servings:
Units:
Instructions
Roast spaghetti squash
  1. Preheat oven to 400F.
  2. Brush spaghetti squash with olive oil, season with salt and pepper.
  3. Roast, skin side up in oven until tender, about 30 minutes.
  4. Remove from oven, cool slightly and fluff with fork, scraping away from skin and making a “bowl” of the spaghetti squash.
Meat sauce
  1. While the squash is roasting, heat 2 tablespoon canola oil in a medium sauce; cook the turkey, mixing occasionally, about 10 minutes. Remove turkey from skillet and set aside.
  2. Heat 1 tablespoon canola oil in the same sauce pan over medium heat. Add onion and mushrooms and cook until onion is translucent and mushrooms brown—about 8 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, another 2 – 3 minutes.
  3. Add the turkey, tomatoes, tomato paste, oregano, basil, and red pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low , cover and simmer about 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
  4. Mix Parmesan and Mozzarella in a small bowl.
  5. Scoop meat sauce into spaghetti squash “bowls.” Spread cheese on top.
  6. Bake at 450 for 6 – 8 minutes until cheese is melted.
Recipe Notes

Variations

  • For a vegetarian meal, skip the ground turkey, or replace it with 1 cup cooked lentils.
  • Replace ground turkey with grass-fed ground beef, ground bison or turkey sausage.
  • You can leave out the mushrooms; I include mushrooms whenever I can because they have proven cancer-fighting properties.

A Color My Food Original Recipe

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