Vegetarian Shepards Pie

INGREDIENTS
2 medium/large sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
6 medium/large white potatoes, peeled and cubed
2 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning
green onions

Curried Lentil Filling
3 1/4 cup water
1 bay leaf
1 cup lentils
2 teaspoon Cajun seasoning
1 cup sliced onions
2 cloves garlic
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1/2 cup broccoli florets
1/2 cup yellow or red bell pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
2/3 cup nutritional yeast
1 teaspoon curry powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 zucchini, cut in rounds
1 cup bread crumbs

DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven 350 degrees
2. Boil sweet and white potatoes 45 minutes. Strain the potatoes, reserve 2 cups of water. Pour 1 cup back into pot and mash potatoes. Add olive oil and seasoning and completely drain.
3. Meanwhile cook the lentils: Bring 3 cups water to a boil, add the bay leaf, lentils, Cajun seasoning. Cook for 45 minutes. Remove from heat when completely cooked and let cool briefly. Drain out any liquid.
4. Saute onions, garlic, mushrooms, broccoli and bell peppers in olive oil in large sauce pan until onions are transparent and limp, about 4 minutes.
5. Add the reserved 1 cup of potato water, nutritional yeast, salt and curry powder and stir until everything is blended in. Add to cooked lentils.
6. Dissolve cornstarch in the remaining 1/4 cup of water and stir it into the lentil/vegetable mixture. Continue to cook for 3 minutes until sauce thickens. Remove from heat.
7. Line the bottom of casserole dish with zucchini rounds. Sprinkle 1/2 bread crumbs on top of zucchini.
8. Spoon out 4 cups of the mashed potatoes and spread across the zucchini rounds. Spoon out 2 cups of the curried lentils and spread over potatoes. Spoon remainder of mashed potatoes and smooth it out on top. Sprinkle the rest of the bread crumbs and scallions or green onions on the top.
9. Bake for 50 minutes. Let cool for 15 minutes before serving.

(I know it might not be the prettiest picture, it was taken as an afterthought.)

Healthy chicken tacos

1.5 pounds boneless skinless chicken diced
1/2 cup yellow onion diced
5 cloves garlic diced
salt
pepper
3/4 cup salsa verde
flour tortillas
Sliced mozzarella
tomatoes chopped
cilantro chopped
sour cream

Preheat oven to 350. If you don't have a taco rack like mine you can fold them over the sides of an oven safe pan. Bake for about 10-15 minutes until crisp. Dice chicken and sauté with 1/4 cup of onions (reserve rest for topping) , garlic, salt and pepper until chicken is cooked. Add 1/2 cup of salsa to chicken and warm through. While salsa is warming, line tortillas with cheese and put under broiler until cheese melts to inside. Top with chicken and another layer of cheese and place back under the broiler long enough for cheese to melt. Top with tomato, onion, sour cream, cilantro, and the remaining salsa.

**FYI I call these healthy because the tortillas are baked not fried, and the chicken is covered in a simple low cal sauce instead of a heavy sauce. You can of course leave out the sour cream or cheese if you want to.

Sweet Balsamic Chicken

INGREDIENTS

1 ½ pounds chicken

1/2 cup Balsamic Vinegar

1/2 cup honey

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup soy sauce

½ teaspoon rosemary

5 cloves garlic, minced

DIRECTIONS

1. Combine the balsamic vinegar, honey, brown sugar, soy sauce, rosemary, and garlic in a large, re-sealable plastic bag. Shake and squeeze the contents of the bag to dissolve the honey and the brown sugar.

2. Add the chicken to the bag and seal with as little air as possible in the bag. Place in the refrigerator and marinate for 2 hours.

3. Preheat the over to 450 degrees.

4. Place the chicken on a baking sheet. Bake until it is caramelized and very dark in spots, about 30 to 35 minutes, flipping over half way.

5. Place the marinade in a small saucepan. Bring the marinade to a boil (this will kill the bacteria). Reduce the heat to simmer and cook over medium to low heat until thick, about 15 minutes.

6. Top cooked chicken with the cooked marinade.