Celebrate Veganuary with The Merrion and Holly White

The beginning of a new year is seen in the eyes of many as a fresh start. In recent years, the push towards starting January with a health kick has seen an increase in people taking on ‘Veganuary’, a challenge for the individual to eat Vegan only food for the first month of the year. Many have taken this challenge on as a lifestyle and to ensure The Merrion can cater for and welcome all, our Head Chef Ed Cooney along with Ms. Holly White have cultivated some delicious vegan recipes for our guests!

Below is a vegan spin on a very traditional Irish dish – Shepherds Pie.

Main Ingredients
Filling

•3 cloves of garlic, minced.
•2 medium onions, chopped.
•3 large carrots, chopped.
•2 cups of frozen petit pois or peas.
•1 cups of button mushrooms.
•1 Handful of chopped walnuts – optional but they add great texture.
•1 tin of chopped tomatoes.
•1 vegetable stock cube and a 250 ml glass of hot water to dissolve it in.
•2 cups of dry black or green lentils, or if using tinned, 2 cans of tinned green or black lentils.
•1 tablespoon of miso paste – health food stores will have this in the fridge section.

Mash
•1kg of potatoes, diced.
•1 clove of garlic minced.
•Cup of plant-based milk. Ensure it is unsweetened.
•1 tablespoon of nutritional yeast – optional – but it adds depth of flavour. (Health Food stores will stock this)
•1 tablespoon of olive oil

Method
1. Dice the potatoes and leave to steam or boil until soft, approximately 20 minutes.
2. Wash and drain the lentils whether tinned or dried, set aside.
3. While that’s happening, sauté the onions, garlic, mushrooms and carrots till they are beginning to soften.
4. Add in the lentils, stock, walnuts and the tinned tomatoes and simmer for twenty minutes.
5. When the potatoes are soft make your mash by adding 1 cup of plant based milk, make sure it is unsweetened, the garlic, nutritional yeast and the olive oil to the pan and hand mash or use a hand blender.
6. Add the frozen peas and stir in one dessertspoonful of miso paste to the filling and season with salt and pepper.
7. Taste it at this stage if possible to ensure you are happy with the flavour.
8. Pour the filling into a casserole dish, top with the mash and add a drizzle of olive oil.
9. Bake for thirty minutes at 150 degrees celcius.
10. It will be piping hot so allow it to sit for at least 10 minutes before serving.

Enjoy!