Reubens and Shepherd's Pie

For dinner the other night I made Tempeh Reubens from Peas and Thank You, in spite of my negative childhood memories of sauerkraut. The smell, you know? And my dad taking the leftover sauerkraut and dousing it in (get ready to be super grossed out) brown sugar, thus turning it into the most disgusting dessert ever.

Mama Pea's reuben recipe inspired me to give sauerkraut a chance, all these years later.  And I'm glad I did. The whole sandwich is an oozy mess, and I mean that in the best possible way. My favorite part is how the creamy, tangy Thousand Island dressing seeps through the holes in the hot, toasted bread.

Last night, another PaTY recipe (when I make my dinner menu for the week, I select a cookbook and go with it.) The veggie/quinoa layer of the Indian Shepherd's Pie is so pretty, isn't it? Reminds me of Thanksgiving stuffing. I subbed lentils for the chickpeas, which I was out of due to hummus cravings.

This recipe takes a lot of prep time. Give yourself an hour to peel, boil, and mash the sweet potatoes and butternut squash, prepare the quinoa, and fry up your veggie sausage links.

I did all the prep while Jackson was at school, so I didn't have my little sous-chef helping out. However, Olivia is becoming a great kitchen companion in her own right. She is content to play among the pots and pans. Or sometimes, in them.

Tony felt that a shepherd's pie should have a gravy, so I made the Merciful Miso Gravy from La Dolce Vegan. 

The curry flavor was just right -- not overwhelming. I liked how the sweet bits of dried cranberry brought out the sweetness in the mashed sweet potato/butternut topping. The downside was that the kids didn't like it, so Tony and I are going to be eating a lot of leftovers. Which means I won't be cooking tomorrow.  What will I write about?

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