"Friendly" Shepherd's Pie & Roasted Red Pepper Dip

This one is called "Friendly" Shepherd's Pie because it's the friendliest to animals that you can possibly be! Because it's vegan! And still delicious! :)

Friendly Shepherd's Pie
My version - adapted from a recipe that I found online....somewhere! This is great for a chilly winter night, or if you're just in need for a hearty dinner. It makes for some awesome leftovers, and you should serve it with a big green salad!

makes 6-9 servings

INGREDIENTS
4 medium potatoes, diced
2 tbsp vegan margarine (such as Smart Balance)
1/4 cup unsweetened soy milk
1 medium onion finely chopped
1 tbsp vegetable or olive oil
12 oz (1 package) faux ground beef-style crumbles (vegan)
1 can of Amy's Organic Cream of Mushroom Soup*
*WHOOOOPS!!! This isn't vegan. Haha! My much-more-astute-vegan-friend Tara pointed this out to me, so sorry for the mistake! If you can find any other kind of vegan creamy soup (they are out there), you should definitely use that. Otherwise use a vegan gravy - I will have to post a great recipe I have for that! I believe there is a pre-packaged kind available in stores too. My bad! I'm still getting the hang of being vegan again. ;)
10 mushrooms (approx), chopped
1/2 a bag of frozen mixed peas & carrots
1/2 a bag of frozen peas (just the peas!)
Tofutti sour cream (optional)
salt, garlic powder, pepper & cayenne to taste

DIRECTIONS
Boil the potatoes for 20 minutes, or until tender. Drain & mash w/ the margarine & soy milk - season w/ salt & pepper. If you're really lazy you can just buy some mashed potato mix.... I am totally guilty of doing this from time to time! :)

In a medium pan, saute the onion in the oil for about 5 minutes, adding the mushrooms about 1/2 way through.

In a large bowl, mix the cooked mushrooms & onions, faux beef crumbles, mushroom soup, peas & carrots, peas and spices. Pour into a pie pan, or a casserole dish. Top everything with the mashed potatoes, spreading to the edges.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes, until potatoes are browned, and the insides start to bubble out the edges.


Vegan Roasted Red Pepper Dip
This is another recipe that I tried from my favorite food blog Smitten Kitchen! I only changed one teeny little thing to make it vegan, but made just as the recipe is listed otherwise, this is absolutely DELICIOUS!! My friends recently went nuts for it when I brought it to the Oscar party. Such a nice change from hummus!

INGREDIENTS
1 15oz can of white cannelini or navy beans
1 small jar of roasted red peppers (about 1 cup), drained
3oz Tofutti cream cheese
1 clove of garlic, minced (or a sprinkle of garlic powder if you're being lazy like me)
Juice from half a lemon
salt & pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS
Puree everything in a food processor until smooth! SO EASY!
Serve with baked pita chips - or this is fantastic with an assortment of sliced veggies too!

Photo from www.smittenkitchen.com.