Shepherd's Pie with Cauliflower Mashed Topping

Shepherd's Pie with Cauliflower Mashed Topping

Ingredients

• 1 head cauliflower, chopped into florets
• 2 tablespoons fat (avocado oil, ghee, coconut oil, etc)
• 1 small onion, diced
• 2 celery ribs, diced
• 2 carrots, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 pound ground beef or lamb
• 1/4-1/2 cup beef broth (I prefer Swanson as there is no added sugar)
• 1 tablespoon ketchup (organic, no high fructose sugar) or tomato paste
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley (or 1 tablespoon dried parsley)
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 tablespoons fat (ghee, butter, avocado oil, etc)
• ½ cup shredded cheese (omit for Paleo)

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Grease a 2-3 quart casserole dish and set aside (for individual servings use 14 oz bakeware).
2. In a large pot, steam or boil cauliflower until tender.
3. Heat 2 tablespoons of fat in a large skillet or saucepan over medium high heat. Add the onion, celery, carrots and garlic and cook until beginning to soften, around 5 minutes.
4. Add the ground meat to the pan and cook until browned. Drain off the extra fat.  Add beef broth as necessary to keep the mixture wet. Add the ketchup or tomato paste (if using), parsley and season with salt and pepper. Reduce heat and let simmer while you prepare the cauliflower topping.
5. To make the topping, drain the cooked cauliflower. Mash or puree with a stick blender or food processor until smooth. Add 2 tablespoons of fat (I use ghee or butter) and season with salt and pepper.
6. To assemble, spread the meat mixture on the bottom of the dish (separate into 4 ovenproof bakeware if making individual portions). Top with the cauliflower mixture and smooth with a spoon. Cover with shredded cheese, if using.
7. Bake for 30 minutes or until the top is brown and bubbly. Serve warm.

Short on time? Make sure you cut all the veggies the day before then simply start cooking (about 10 minutes plus 30 minutes cooking time of the day you serve it).

Serves: 4

Prep Time: 30 Minutes

Cook Time: 30 Minutes

Total Time: 60 Minutes

Ginger Cod (or any White Fish) with Zucchini Ribbon Salad

Ginger Halibut with Zucchini Ribbon Salad

Ingredients:

• 12 oz of cod/white fish, cut into serving size pieces
• Salt and pepper
• Ginger powder (I used 1 tsp for 2 servings)
• 2 tbsp Avocado oil (or your oil of choice...High Grade EVOO would be 2nd choice)
• 2 zucchini, cut into ribbons (next time I will use zoodles instead for easier eating)
• 1/4 each, yellow and orange bell peppers, cut into thin strips
• 1 tsp fresh ginger, grated
• 1/4 cup rice vinegar
• 1 tbsp Coconut Aminos or Soy Sauce
• Juice 1/2 lemon or 1 tbl Bottled Lemon Juice (not from concentrate)
• 1 tbsp raw honey
• 1 tbsp Olive Oil

Season the cod pieces with salt, pepper and the ginger powder and set aside.  For even cooking allow fish to come close to room temperature (never leave out longer than 1 hour though).

Steam the zucchini and peppers for 3-5 minutes (soft but not mushy...al dente), rinse with cold water (stops the cooking process), drain and pat dry, then place in a mixing bowl.

Whisk together the fresh ginger, vinegar, soy sauce, lemon juice, honey and sesame oil, then pour over the zucchini and peppers, blending well.  Refrigerate until ready to serve mixing occasionally to ensure flavors blend well throughout). I refrigerated 1 hour in a sealed container flipping every 20 minutes.

Heat oil on medium-high heat.  Fry the cod in the avocado oil (approximately 3-5 each side) until cooked and serve with the zucchini salad.  If you use thick cut fish filet they may require slightly longer to cook (flake test always works well with whitefish when done at the thickest portion).

Serves 2

NOTE:  I used halibut this time as fresh never frozen cod was unavailable.