Shepherd's Pie (with greens)

I love shepherd's pie. Like seriously, it's one of my top comfort foods. My favorite version is (or at least, was) served at a restaurant called Kells in Portland, Oregon. They simmer the beef in Guinness and let me tell you, it is GOOD. I didn't have any Guinness on hand this week (or any other dark beer, for that matter) but I did have a head of collard greens from last week's veggie box. I thought I would try to do a pie with collards in the veggie layer. It turned out pretty good, and was a good mask to the somewhat bitter, swampy collards (you can sub in any green you like, or any other veggie for that matter). You can see in the photo that I like to add some sharp cheddar to the top as well, but of course you don't need to do this step. If you are anti-potato (please do not tell me if you are, I will automatically distrust you), you could do a mashed cauliflower on top instead. 

Shepherd's Pie with Greens

Ingredients:
1 onion
1 clove garlic
1 pound lean ground beef
worcestershire sauce, about 3 T.
about 1 pound, or 5-6, yukon gold potatoes
1/4 c. milk
2 T. butter
1 bunch collard or other greens
1 t. rooster sauce*
3 T. canola oil
1/2 #, or half a small bag, baby carrots
1/2 c. shredded sharp cheddar cheese*
salt and pepper
*optional

Preheat the oven to 375.

Put a large pot of salted water on to boil. Wash, peel, and cube the potatoes. When the water is boiling, add the potatoes and boil until tender.

Meanwhile, wash and chop the greens. Put a large pan on the stove and heat 2 T. of the oil over medium-low heat. When the pan is hot, add the greens and carrots, stir.

Finely chop the onions. Put a medium pan on the stove and heat the remaining oil over medium heat. Add the onions. Mince the garlic and add it to the onions, and give the pan a stir. Frequently stir both the greens/carrots and onions, until the greens are tender and the onions are translucent. Turn the greens/carrots off when they are done and salt and pepper to taste. Stir in the rooster sauce if you are using it.

When the onions are translucent, add the ground beef and salt and pepper to taste. Brown the meat, then add the worcestershire sauce and stir to mix. Turn off the heat.

When the potatoes are tender, strain them then mash (or use a mixer like I do) them with salt, pepper, the butter and milk. 

Pam or oil a large covered casserole dish. Put the ground beef in an even layer. Then add the veggies in another even layer. Finally, spread the mashed potatoes on the top. Sprinkle the cheese and cover. Bake for 30 minutes, then remove the cover and bake an additional 10.

Swiss Chard Tart

Don't be scared by the name. This is good (I promise). It's also a painless way to use lots of greens, and even maybe get your kid to eat them, too. I adapted it from a recipe from a friend, who I believe got it from The Joy of Cooking. If you got a Full Circle box last week, that chard isn't getting any fresher. You can substitute any greens for the chard.

Swiss Chard Tart

Ingredients:
Crust:
1 c. white flour
1 c. whole wheat flour
1/2 t. salt
1/2 c. water
1/2 c. olive oil

Guts:
2 T. olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 pound (1 bunch) swiss chard, most of bottom stem removed, chopped (give it a good wash, it's usually dirty)
1 1/2 t. dried basil
1/4 t. salt
fresh ground pepper to taste
3 eggs
1/3 c. milk
1/2 c. grated sharp cheddar cheese
1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese

Mix the flour and salt in a medium bowl. Add the oil and water and thoroughly combine. Press the dough into a square baking dish or tart pan and put in the fridge for at least an hour.

When you are ready to start cooking, preheat oven to 375. In a large skillet, cook the onion and garlic in the 2 T. of oil, over medium-low, until the onion is translucent. Add the chard and cook until tender, about 8-10 minutes. Stir fairly frequently.

Remove from heat. Add the salt, pepper, and basil.

In a medium bowl, combine the eggs, milk, and cheese. Stir in the veggie mixture from the pan. Pour the mixture over the crust and bake until golden brown on the edges and firm, about 40-45 minutes. Cool. Serve.

Here's what your crust dough should look like when it's ready to be pressed into the pan.

Hot out of the oven!

Ready to eat

Buffalo Chicken Salad

This is a salad for when you are really craving Buffalo wings but maybe don't want to down 1,000 calories in a sitting. Is it exactly like eating hot wings? Of course not. But it's still pretty good, pretty easy and pretty cheap.

Buffalo Chicken Salad

Ingredients:
1-2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cooked and chopped into bite size pieces
salad greens
chopped celery*
crumbled blue cheese*

blue cheese dressing
buffalo wing sauce (We like the Frank's brand)

Fill big plates or bowls with the veggies. Top with warm chicken and blue cheese if using. Drizzle with a mixture of the dressing and wing sauce (we mix about half-and-half, which is pretty spicy. Use less wing sauce if you don't like it hot).