Cottage Pie (Gluten Free, Dairy Free)
Sometimes I do not realize how lonely I am or how much I miss my friends until I venture out of my house. The house keeps me busy. Kids, cleaning, constantly working on the blog. When I go out though, those things are removed and I start to think. Today I took my 2 year old to a play date with my mom’s group. I have been part of this moms group for a year and I’ve gone to like 3 of the things. I am a closet introvert. I may seem slightly outgoing but it is hard for me to approach people and make friends. I have always been this way.
My best friend of 21 years approached me during the first week of 7th grade. I was new to the school and had no friends. I sat alone in PE and she walked to me and said, “Come and sit with us” fast forward 21 years and this woman is my soul mate. Point is, I need that person to walk up to me and be like, “Hey, what’s your name”.
The first thing I do in a group setting like this is scan the room. Are there potential friends in this room? I can read energy really well and I usually see someone I like. It takes me seeing them again usually 3 or more times to actually get the courage to approach them though.
So, today here I was once again watching my sweet bundle of love run with joy and I stood kind of lonely. She only needed me to watch and I was alone in my head for a moment, just wishing one of these ladies could be a new bestie to me.
But, I still have not had the nerve to even say hi, but hopefully soon. Instead, I came home and made this Cottage Pie for dinner. You can make it with ground beef or turkey and that makes it super affordable. If you are scrapped for time just use a bag or two of frozen vegetables.
This dish is simple enough, delicious and hearty. It is perfect for a chilly night. Serve it with a side salad and a baguette.
Click here for printable version
Ingredients:
1 Lb. Ground Beef or Turkey
1 TBSP. Avocado Oil
1 Onion diced
1 TBSP. Garlic diced
4 Carrots diced
1 Cup Peas
1 ½ Cups Green Beans
1 Cup Corn
½ tsp. Pink Himalayan Sea Salt
¼ tsp. Pepper
1 tsp. Thyme
½ tsp. Sage
1 TBSP. Worcestershire Sauce
1 TBSP. Tapioca Starch
1 TBSP. Tomato Paste
2 Cups Vegetable or Beef Broth
Mashed Potatoes
Ingredients:
3 large or 6 medium sized Russet Potatoes
¼ cup plus 1 TBSP. Unsweetened Original Almond Milk (any dairy free should work but make sure it is unsweetened)
3 TBSP. Dairy Free Butter such as Smart Balance
½ tsp. Pink Himalayan Sea Salt
½ tsp. Granulated Garlic
¼ tsp. Pepper
Directions:
Peel, wash, and cube your potatoes. Boil until very tender. Drain and return to pan. Add the dairy free milk, butter, and seasonings. With a masher, mash it until it is your desired consistency. Enjoy!
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Chop and boil potatoes. While the potatoes are cooking make your meat mixture. Heat avocado oil in a large skillet, sauté onions, garlic and carrots. Add the ground turkey or beef and brown. Season with salt, pepper, sage and thyme. Add peas, corn and green beans. In a bowl whisk the tomato paste, worchester sauce and starch. Pour into pan and mix well. Add the broth and bring to a boil, allow to simmer for 15 minutes.
Pour the meat mixture into a 9 ½X14 baking dish. Make the mash potatoes and spread across the top. Bake for 25 minutes. Enjoy!
Pour the meat mixture into a 9 ½X14 baking dish. Make the mash potatoes and spread across the top. Bake for 25 minutes. Enjoy!
This post contains affiliate links. A small percentage goes to the website for any purchases made through these links to keep producing quality content. Thank you for your support.
