Moroccan-Style Shepherd’s Pie

I found this recipe in the Forks Over Knives Cookbook.  My sweet neighbor, Lauren, gave it to me as a Christmas gift this year.  It’s a great plant-based alternative to traditional Shepherd's pie.  But the real reason I’m posting this is for anyone who loves sweet potatoes.  They’re a super food, and I’m always looking for healthy ways to prepare them without loading them with all the bad stuff (like butter, brown sugar, and salt).  Roasting them on a cookie sheet is a quick easy way to make them, but I couldn’t believe what an awesome tip this recipe taught me.  It’s one of the best and most surprising techniques I’ve learned for a food in the kitchen.  To make an incredibly tasty (and healthy) sweet potato, boil them with two cinnamon sticks. Nothing more, no less.  Simply peel, dice, and boil the potatoes the same as you normally would with two whole cinnamon sticks while they're boiling, and you’ll be surprised with how flavorful they turn out. I’m so impressed that it’s hard to make an argument to ever make them with butter and brown sugar again.

Recipe Adapted from Forks Over Knives The Cookbook.

Ingredients:

1 large onion, peeled and diced
2 medium carrots, peeled and diced
3 celery stalks, diced
6 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
2 tablespoons sweet paprika
1 tablespoon cumin seeds, toasted and ground (I used 1 tablespoon ground cumin instead)
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
2 cups green lentils, rinsed
6 cups Vegetable Stock or low sodium vegetable broth (Original recipe calls for 8 cups, but mine came out a little runnier than I’d like. I recommend scaling this back to 6 or 7 cups instead)
Zest and juice of 2 lemons
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
12 cups packed spinach (about 2 pounds)
1 cup chopped cilantro
3 large yams, peeled and diced
2 cinnamon sticks

Directions:

1. Place the onion, carrots, and celery in a large saucepan and sauté over medium heat for 10 minutes. Add water 1 to 2 tablespoons at a time to keep the vegetables from sticking to the pan. Add the garlic and cook for another minute. Add the paprika, cumin, turmeric, crushed red pepper, lentils, and vegetable stock. Bring the pot to a boil over high heat, reduce the heat to medium and cook, covered, for 45 minutes, or until the lentils are tender.

2. Meanwhile, place the yams and the cinnamon sticks in a separate saucepan. Add enough water to cover, bring to a boil, and cook over medium heat until tender, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat, drain the excess water from the pan, and discard the cinnamon sticks. Mash yams until smooth and creamy. Set aside.

3. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

4. Add the spinach and cilantro to the lentil mixture. Make sure you put in the full amount of spinach. It helps thickens it up. Cook until the spinach is wilted, about 3-5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and add the lemon zest and juice. Pout the mixture into a 9 X 13 inch baking dish.

5. Spread the mashed yams evenly over the lentil mixture and bake for 20 minutes. Let sit for 10 minutes before serving.