“Eat food, not too much, mostly plants” is a quote by one of my favorite food writers and influencers, Michael Pollan. It’s a phrase that I live by, and try to ensure that I cook for my loved ones by.
Today, my good friend Jess (who also happens to be the owner of Blondie’s Bake Shop where I got my sea legs as a baker outside of a restaurant) sent me this incredible cookbook titled Mostly Plants written by the Pollan family. It is filled with recipes that inspire me, and also are wildly reminiscent of the meals that I place on my table.
Making good food choices is a daily conscious decision;
opting for whole organic grains instead of processed
choosing to add more leafy greens into your breakfast smoothie
cooking dinner rather than eating out
buying groceries at local farmers markets instead of chain stores
Eating well doesn’t mean never eating fat, meat, or dairy.
Cook and bake with real organic butter, buy steak and chicken from your local farm that practices ethical organic farming, eat out at a restaurant that is truly farm to table and support their contributions to your community.
These decisions are on the forefront of my culinary mind, and I hope to one day pass these ideas onto others; similarly to how Michael Pollan inspired it within me.
Enter today’s scene: Amazon pulls up the driveway to deliver this cookbook gem, as I pull my vegetarian shepherd’s pie from the oven.
Coincidence? Probably not…Jess knows me really well.
Let’s get started.
You will need for the vegetarian filling:
1 head cauliflower, chopped into small florets
1 medium yellow onion, diced
4 medium carrots, peeled and diced
2 tablespoons organic salted butter
4 garlic cloves, chopped
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 pound of crimini mushrooms, sliced
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves (I know it sounds like a lot, but trust me. It’s a lot of filling)
1/4 cup tomato paste
1/2 cup red wine, I used a cabernet because it’s what I had open
1/2 cup good vegetable stock
1 cup peas
1 cup chopped flat leaf parsley
salt and pepper
For the mashed potatoes:
1 and 1/2 pounds gold potatoes, cut into 2 inch chunks. I leave the skin on
1/2 cup organic grass fed whole milk, plus more if too thick
4 tablespoons organic salted butter
1/2 cup organic sour cream
salt, pepper, and garlic powder
In a pot half filled with water, add the cut potatoes. Salt the water and boil until tender and ready to mash.
Onto the filling: in an oven-safe skillet melt the 2 tablespoons butter. Add the carrots and onion, sauté until the onion is translucent.
Add the garlic and sliced mushrooms. Season with about 1 teaspoon of salt.
Cook 5 minutes until the mushrooms are browned and the garlic is very fragrant.
Add in the crushed red pepper flakes and thyme leaves.
Carefully add in the chopped cauliflower, it’s going to seem like a lot of filling, but I promise it does get smaller as it cooks.
After about 5 minutes of stirring, add in the tomato paste and cook until the tomato is nicely combined and is beginning to darken in color, another 2 or 3 minutes.
Add a little more salt a pepper at this stage, we’re going to season the whole way through!
Pour in the wine, stir for 1 minute to cook off the aggressive alcohol taste, and then add the stock. Simmer for about 5 minutes and taste again for seasoning.
Add in the peas and parsley, stir to combine and set aside.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees
Once the potatoes are drained and ready for their time in the spotlight, add them back to their pot and toss in all the mashing ingredients. Whisk until very light and fluffy.
Taste for seasoning.
Add the potatoes to the top of our filling, and finish with a few small pats of butter. This will help the browning process and overall deliciousness.
Bake for 20 minutes or until the filling is bubbling, and the top is lightly crusted.
Serve with a little fresh parsley and a side salad.
Or a side of fruit salad… wine.
OOOH YUMMMMMMMMM