This year is full of happy numbers. Zoe, my oldest, is turning 16, I am turning 40, and my blog is 10 years old. Now, more than ever, I want my life as simple as possible. When the girls were younger life was slow. Days would go by that we wouldn’t even leave the house, except for long walks every day, admiring nature with all our hearts, and getting exercise.
Those days were my cooking days too. I would spend hours creating new recipes while Zoe dressed herself, Ashley, and her dolls up in costumes, and acted out stories that she imagined. It really wasn’t the process of cooking that I enjoyed, I’ve never been a fan of cooking, it was about eating nutrient-dense food, and savoring every bite of yumminess. Making the healthiest most delicious food was my obsession.
Ten years later, Zoe turning 16, Ashley turning 14, Ginger almost 7, and me hitting 40 years old—life is not so slow. Zoe is very busy with her homeschool charter school. She works hard all day on her assignments, takes 2 full days at the learning center, and then she has theater and dance in the evenings. When she has free time we go on day trips, Zoe surfs, and she spends time with her friends.
Ashley and Ginger are home with me, delighting in their own interests. Ginger loves math, space, legos, dinosaurs, reading and playing with Hobbes. Ashley still loves horses and going anywhere with me, doesn’t matter where. 🙂 I don’t have nearly as much time for cooking. When I do cook I keep it easy, and make enough for leftovers. Which leads me to this Shepherd’s Pie with Mashed Cauliflower!
If you look up shepherd’s pie recipes you will find that they call for making a pie half this size. Mine is twice as much pie so I don’t have to cook every day. And even if my kids wouldn’t eat this (one of them won’t, and that’s okay), I would still make it this big for my husband (who thinks it’s the bees knees) and myself to have leftovers. Because—I. Love. Leftovers. 🙂
Favorite Shepherd’s Pie with Mashed Cauliflower
paleo, dairy-free, gluten-free
3 pounds ground beef
4 (12 oz) bags frozen riced cauliflower
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 large carrots, finely chopped
2 large celery, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons coconut aminos (the healthy equivalent of worcestershire sauce)
1/2 cup pizza sauce (I like to use pizza sauce because it’s thick like tomato paste, but also contains spices)
3 teaspoons Herbamare, used divided (copycat recipe in Easy Paleo Meals)
1/4 cup ghee (for casein and lactose free) or avocado oil (for dairy-free)*
fresh ground pepper
1/4 cup full-fat canned coconut milk or Aroy-D coconut milk (my favorite, found in Asian grocery stores)
*if you tolerate ghee, we much prefer it
- Set the oven to 450F.
- In a large pan break up the ground beef over low to medium heat.
- In a separate large pan cook the riced cauliflower in a tablespoon of oil over low to medium heat. The point is to get rid of as much moisture as possible so don’t put a lid on it.
- Add the onion, carrots, and celery to the beef. Continue cooking in both pans for about 15 minutes.
- Add the garlic, coconut aminos, pizza sauce, and 2 teaspoons of the Herbamare to the meat pan. Continue cooking in both pans for a few minutes more.
- Spread the beef mixture across a 9 by 13 inch baking dish. Set aside.
- Turn off the heat and let the cauliflower cool for about 5 minutes.
- Add the cauliflower to a large food processor, fitted with the S blade.
- Also add the ghee or avocado oil, about 10 cranks of fresh ground pepper, the other teaspoon of Herbamare, and the coconut milk.
- Puree until completely smooth, stopping to scrape the sides if needed.
- Spread the topping over the beef layer. It’s okay if the topping is taller than the dish 🙂
- Bake for 20 minutes, then broil for 5 minutes. Keep an eye on it while it’s broiling.
- Let the pie cool for about 10 minutes, then serve with salad, and enjoy!
Serves 8 to 10
♥, Kelly
