Meatless Monday with Gardener’s Pie and Collard’s

Welcome to the Miratel blog for another Meatless Monday recipe share. The Meatless Monday pledge aims to reduce meat consumption 15% by eliminating it one day per week to preserve personal and planetary health. Miratel supports this great initiative and includes it as part of its CSR business strategies to spread awareness of the impact of food choices on our environment. We try to make going meat-free easier by sharing a new vegan or vegetarian recipe every Monday.

On the menu tonight is a Gardener’s pie which is a delicious take on the classic shepherd’s pie. With this hearty dish we are serving a side of collards with garlic and pepper flakes. Both recipes come by way of the CBC cooking show Best Recipes Ever.

Gardener’s Pie Ingredients (serves 4):

• 1 tbsp (15 mL) vegetable oil
  

  Gardener’s Pie Photography by Matthew Kimura

• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 carrot, diced
• 1 tsp (5 mL) dried basil
• 1/4 tsp (1 mL) pepper
• 1 pkg (12 oz/340 g) precooked ground soy protein mixture
• 1 can (19 oz/540 ml) black beans, drained and rinsed
• 2 tbsp (30 mL) all-purpose flour
• 1 cup (250 mL) vegetable broth
• 2 tbsp (30 mL) tomato paste

Potato Topping:

• 3 (1-1/2 lb/750 g) potatoes
• 1/4 cup (60 mL) milk
• 1 pinch each of salt and pepper

Directions:

1. In large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat; cook onion, carrot, basil and pepper, stirring occasionally, until golden, about 10 minutes.
2. Add soy mixture and beans. Sprinkle with flour; cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add broth and tomato paste; bring to boil and boil, stirring, for 2 minutes. Scrape into greased 8-inch (2 L) square glass baking dish.
3. Potato Topping: Meanwhile, peel potatoes and cut into chunks. Cook in saucepan of boiling salted water until tender, 12 to 15 minutes. Drain and return to pot; mash with milk, salt and pepper. Spread over vegetable mixture. Bake in 400°F (200°C) oven until hot, about 20 minutes. Broil until golden.

Collards with Garlic and Pepper Flakes Ingredients (serves 6)

• 2 bunches collard greens, (about 2-1/2 lb/1.25 kg)
  

  Collards with Garlic and Pepper Flakes photo from cbc.ca/bestrecipes

• 2 tbsp (30 mL) extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 tsp (2 mL) salt
• 1/4 tsp (1 mL) hot pepper flakes

Directions:

1. Trim stems from collard greens and discard. In batches, stack leaves and, starting at side, roll up into tube. Cut crosswise into shreds. Set aside.
2. In large shallow Dutch oven, heat oil over medium-high heat; sauté garlic, salt and hot pepper flakes until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add collards; sauté until wilted, about 3 minutes.
3. Add 1/2 cup (125 mL) water; cover and steam over medium heat, stirring occasionally and adding more water if liquid evaporates, until collards are tender, about 25 minutes.

Precooked ground soy protein mixture is available at most major grocery stores or health food stores but if you are hesitant to use it for any reason, you can leave it out of the recipe. In that case, you may want to increase the bean quantity. It changes the dish but the results are still great.

If you haven’t already, we encourage you to visit the Meatless Monday website and join us in taking the Meatless Monday pledge today. Spread the word at home and at work and promote CSR business initiatives to make your green call centre, office, factory, shop, restaurant or salon even greener.

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Miratel Solutions is a Toronto call centre, eBusiness, and letter shop mail house specializing in professional fundraising services including telephone fundraising, online fundraising, lottery services, donation caging, donation processing and other donor management services. We are committed to our CSR business values in all contact centre services and mail house operations and advancing the missions of the nonprofits we proudly serve.