Chris' Shepherd's Pie

My oldest son's favorite dinner is Shepherd's Pie.  Unfortunately, he is allergic to corn, onions and dairy, so our normal recipe needed some adjustment.  At first, I thought we might all go vegan, like my husband, as he has been raving about how wonderful he feels.  But, after a few weeks, I'm finding that my very thin son is getting even thinner, between the huge number of allergens he needs to avoid, and the lack of meat in his diet.  So, for him, I've brought back grass-fed beef.  This particular recipe uses ground bison, which is humanely raised and also grass-fed, but if you can't find it, ground beef works just as well.

Shepherd's Pie

1 lb ground bison (or ground beef)
1 can red kidney beans
1 pkg frozen peas
1 Tbsp molasses (always use organic*)
1 - 2 Tbsp your favorite spices (I use a chipotle rub)
8 small potatoes, or 4 large
1 cup rice milk
2 Tbsp olive oil
salt & pepper to taste

Brown the beef in a frying pan.  Add beans, molasses and spices and heat through.  Stir in peas and transfer to a casserole dish.  Meanwhile, boil potatoes (peeled and quartered), drain and mash.  Mix with rice milk, olive oil, and salt.  Spread mashed potatoes on top of beef mixture and bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes.

* Always use organic molasses, because molasses is made from the outer bits of sugar cane.  Since the outer bits are where pesticides get trapped, conventional molasses contains a very high concentration of toxins.  Organic molasses is completely safe (and delicious!)  


This recipe has been shared on Real Food Whole Health's Traditional Tuesdays (click here) and Homemaker Monday at 11th Heaven's Homemaking Haven and Hunk of Meat Monday at Beyer Beware.