Rob Benes' Challenge 1 recipes

Shepherd's Pie

2 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil

1 cup onion, chopped

1 cup carrots, peeled and diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 pounds ground beef/ground lamb

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1 teaspoon kosher salt

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons corn starch

2 tablespoons ketchup

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 cup beef broth

1 cup frozen peas

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Add oil to a large saute pan on medium-low heat. Add carrots, onion and garlic and saute for 3-4 minutes or until are carrots are tender and onions translucent.

Add ground beef/lamb, thyme, salt and pepper and cook thoroughly for about 3-5 minutes. Drain grease in a colander. Return mixture to pan. Sprinkle mixture with corn starch, stir to coat and cook on medium-low heat for 1 minute, stirring continuously.

Add ketchup, Worcestershire, broth and peas and cook on medium heat until mixture thickens.

Pour mixture into a 11x7-inch glass baking dish. Top with cauliflower mash and smooth with spatula. Place dish on a sheet pan and put in oven on the middle rack. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until cauliflower starts to brown.

Remove from oven, place on top of the stove and allow to rest for 15 minutes before serving.

Cut pie into 6 or 8 servings. Carefully remove a serving with a spatula and place on the left side of a rectangular plate.

Serves 6-8

Cauliflower Mash

1 head of cauliflower, broken into florets

¼ cup to ½ cup unsweetened almond milk, warmed, as needed

1 tablespoon of unsalted butter, melted

kosher salt and pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place cauliflower florets on a sheet pan and place in oven. Oven roast for 20 minutes or until softened. It's okay if the cauliflower starts to brown a bit.

Add cauliflower, ¼ cup of warmed almond milk and melted butter to a food processor and pulse until smooth (or use a potato masher). Add more almond milk, if needed, to make smoother like mashed potatoes, but not too much milk to make it soupy. Add salt and pepper, to taste.

Spread on top of Shepherd's Pie meat mixture.

Tops 1 Shepherd's Pie

Green Beans with Mustard Vinaigrette

½ cup raw pepitas

1 pound green beans

6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 tablespoon red wine vinegar

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1 glove garlic, minced

¼ teaspoon Now Real Food Organic Monk Fruit Liquid Sweetener

kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Put raw pepitas in a saute pan and toast on medium heat about 5 minutes or until they turn light brown. Remove pepitas from pan, put on a cutting board and chop into small pieces with a knife. Put aside and reserve.

Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil. Fill a bowl with ice and water and set aside. Snap the stem ends of the green beans off and rinse under cold water. When the water is boiling, add the beans to pot and cook for 3-4 minutes until bright green and just tender. Drain beans and transfer to the bowl of ice and water. Let beans cool. Drain the beans, lay them on a sheet pan and dry thoroughly with a kitchen towel or paper towel. Put aside and reserve.

To make vinaigrette, combine oil, vinegar, mustard, lemon juice, garlic, sweetener, pinch of kosher salt and a few turns of freshly ground pepper in a jar, seal and shake vigorously to combine. Taste and add salt and pepper, if needed, as well as more sweetener, if needed.

Put blanched beans in a clean bowl, add two tablespoons of the vinaigrette and toss to combine. Taste and add more vinaigrette, if needed.

Place a serving of the dressed beans on the right side of a rectangular plate and garnish them with the toasted and chopped pepitas.

Serves 6-8

Shepherd's Pie with Green Beans-Plating Instructions

Cut Shepherd's Pie into 6 or 8 servings. Put a serving of the pie on the left side of a rectangular plate. Put a serving of the green beans dressed with the vinaigrette on the right side of the plate and garnish them with the toasted and chopped pepitas. Serve immediately.

Recipes are unedited