Harvest Pie with Cauliflower Walnut Mince and Miso Gravy

This recipe is a hearty vegetarian variation of Shepherds pie but with a mixture of ground walnuts and cauliflower as a meat substitute! Slathered in Miso gravy this dish easily satisfies 6 and tastes great left over! Almonds and pecans are also a great substitute for the walnuts!

Ingredients:

• 3 cups of cauliflower florets broken into bite sized pieces
• 2 cups of raw walnuts
• 3 Tbsp. of avocado or olive oil
• 1/2 yellow onion, chopped
• 2 cloves of minced garlic
• 2 tsp. of fresh thyme
• 1 tsp. sea salt
• 1 stalk celery, minced
• 1 cup of shiitake mushrooms chopped
• 1 medium carrot, chopped
• 1/2 cup fresh or frozen organic corn kernels
• 1 cup frozen organic peas
• 1 Tbsp. of Better Than Bouillon Organic Veggie Paste
• 1 Tbsp. tamari
• one recipe of garlic mashed potatoes (recipe follows)
• one recipe of miso gravy (recipe follows)

In a food processor, process cauliflower and walnuts until coarsely chopped. You want the end result to resemble the texture of ground beef so be mindful not to over process! It should be toothsome and not mushy!

Heat the 3 tbsp. of oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add chopped onion, garlic, celery, and the tsp. of salt. Saute until the onion is translucent.

Add the chopped thyme, mushrooms and carrot to the mix. Continue to stir over medium heat until the veggies are tender.

Add the Better Than Bouillon paste and tamari to the veggies. Stir to combine.

Add the cauliflower/walnut mince, corn and peas to the frypan. Continue to cook until the cauliflower is just tender. Taste and add more salt if desired. Keep in mind that the gravy is salty so be careful not to over salt!

Spoon the cauliflower walnut veggie mince into a medium sized casserole dish. Set aside while you prepare the potatoes.

Preheat the oven to 375 F.

The Garlic Mashed Potatoes

• 8 organic yukon gold potatoes, cut into big chunks, boiled for 12-12 min.or until very soft. I always keep the skins on as so many of the nutrients are found in the skin! Just make sure they are organic!
• 1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk
• 1/4 cup of earths balance, coconut oil, or grass fed butter
• 3 cloves minced garlic
• salt to taste

Saute the garlic in the earths balance, coconut oil, or butter until fragrant. In a medium sized mixing bowl with and electric hand mixer, beat the potatoes, almond milk, garlic and oil, and salt to taste until the potatoes are fluffy.

Spread the mashed potatoes over the cauliflower walnut mince. Top with lots of freshly cracked pepper. Bake at 375 for 30-40 min. or until warmed through. As the casserole bakes, prepare the gravy.

Miso Gravy

• 1/2 cup miso paste ( I love chickpea miso but regular miso will do!)
• 1/2 cup avocado oil
• 3 Tbsp. arrowroot powder ( as a thickener. If you can’t find arrowroot you can use cornstarch however it is generally genetically modified and not as friendly on the digestive system as arrowroot!)
• 1 clove minced garlic
• a pinch of red chili flakes
• 2 cups water

Combine all of the ingredients in your blender until smooth. Pour the puree into a medium sized saucepan. Stir over medium heat until the gravy has thickened. Add lots of freshly ground pepper.

To serve, top each serving with lots of miso gravy !