Indian spiced shepherd's pie

Ingredients

• 3 cups (750 mL) peeled, chopped sweet potato (about 2 sweet potatoes)
• ½ tsp (2.5 mL) garlic powder
• ¼ tsp (1 mL) each salt and pepper
• 1 Tbsp (15 mL) olive oil
• 2 tsp (10mL) cumin seed
• 1 cup (250 mL) diced onion 
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 Tbsp (15 mL) minced fresh ginger
• 1 ½ lbs/680g extra lean ground beef
• 1 Tbsp (15 mL) ground coriander
• 1 tsp (5 mL) garam masala
• 1 can (540 mL)      lentils, drained and rinsed  
• 2 Tbsp (30 mL) tomato paste
• 1-1/2 cups (375 mL) reduced sodium beef broth
• 2 Tbsp (30 mL) Worcestershire sauce
• 2 Tbsp (30 mL) cornstarch
• 4 cups (1L) cauliflower florets or frozen cauliflower
• 1 cup (250 mL) frozen peas, corn and carrots vegetable mix
• ¼ cup (60 mL) chopped fresh parsley

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F.
2. Heat a large pot of water on high heat, add the chopped sweet potatoes and boil 6-8 minutes until tender; strain and mash. Mix in garlic powder, salt and pepper and set aside.
3. Heat olive oil in a large skillet on medium-high heat; add cumin seed and let sizzle for 30 seconds. Add chopped onion and cook for about 5 minutes. Add garlic and ginger and cook for another minute.
4. Add ground beef; cook 8 minutes or until cooked through. Drain any fat drippings and then stir in coriander and garam masala. Add lentils and tomato paste; stir until tomato paste is evenly mixed in.
5. Stir in broth and bring to a low simmer. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk together the Worcestershire sauce and cornstarch until dissolved and add the mixture to the skillet mixing well.
6. Add the , cauliflower; cook and stir for 3 minutes. Add the frozen vegetables and cook an Let the mixture c additional 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Mix in parsley.
7. Pour the meat and vegetable mixture into a 9x13 inch baking dish. Spoon the mashed sweet potatoes over the top, spreading out evenly.
8. Bake uncovered for 20-25 minutes. Cool for 5-10 minutes before serving. 

• Kitchen know-how: This recipe stores well in the fridge or freezer. If you are a family of one or two, simply portion leftovers for use another time. This dish will keep frozen for up to 3 months in a sealed container.    
• Nutrition know-how: Did you know that sweet potatoes have a lower glycemic index than regular potatoes? They are nutrient dense, add extra fibre and are found in the ‘low’ column of the glycemic index.
• Cooking know-how: All legumes whether canned or dried are budget friendly, high in fibre and a good source of plant protein. Look for low sodium canned varieties and drain and rinse well before use. If you prefer dried, soak in water overnight and cook according to package directions the next day. Portions can be frozen to match the quantity in your favourite recipes and they are naturally lower in sodium.
• Balanced meal: It is recommended to have 45 to 60 g carbohydrates at each meal. This dish is lower in carbohydrates so feel free to round out the meal with a glass of milk or some fruit.
• Budget friendly: Replacing animal-based proteins with legumes such as lentils is not only good for your grocery budget but also adds fibre and contributes less fat to the meal. Using some lentils instead of more ground beef cuts your meat cost by one third and bumps up the nutritional value.
• Make it vegetarian: You can replace the ground beef in this recipe with 2 additional cans of lentils to make it fully vegetarian and use vegetable broth in place of the beef broth.
• Food safety: Scrub sweet potatoes with a clean vegetable brush under cool running water before peeling and chopping.