Healthy shepherd's pie from Julie Daniluk

Julie Daniluk is one of Chatelaine.com's featured columnists, and co-host of The Healthy Gourmet. Here is a recipe from her newly released book, Meals that Heal Inflammation.

You can use whichever fresh vegetables you have on hand to make this recipe. I love making this dish in the fall when produce is abundant at the local farmers’ market. A vegetarian version can be made by substituting lentils for the meat. The first three ingredients can be replaced with sweet potato, yam or the White Root Mash found on page 269 of Meals that Heal Inflammation.

Ingredients:
2 cups (500 mL) skinned and diced celery root
2 cups (500 mL) diced Jerusalem artichokes
2 cups (500 mL) skinned and diced turnip
2 tbsp (30 mL) extra-virgin olive oil (plus 2 tbsp/30 mL if making lentil version)
1 lb (450 g)  ground bison or turkey OR 2 cups (500 mL) of cooked
lentils
2 cups (500 mL) chopped onions
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp (5 mL) cumin
1 tsp (5 mL) grey sea salt or pink rock salt
3 tbsp (45 mL) Italian herb blend (basil, marjoram, oregano, rosemary, sage, savory and/or thyme)
1 cup (250 mL) chopped carrots
1 cup (250 mL) diced sweet potato or yam
1 cup (250 mL) chopped celery
1 cup (250 mL) sweet peas
2 cups (500 mL) chopped fresh spinach
1⁄2 cup (125 mL) kasha (toasted buckwheat)
1⁄4 cup (60 mL) fresh sage (or 1 tsp/5 mL dry sage)

Directions:
1. Boil celery root, Jerusalem artichoke and turnip in 3 cups (750 mL) of water until soft. Drain and mash with 2 tbsp (30 mL) olive oil. Set aside.

2. Brown the bison meat in a large pot over medium-low heat with onion, garlic, cumin seed, salt and herbs. (If making the lentil version, heat 2 tbsp/30 mL olive oil over medium-low heat with onion, garlic, cumin seed, salt and herbs before adding the lentils.) Spritz liberally with filtered water or broth to ensure the oil doesn’t overheat.

3. Add the carrots, sweet potato or yam, celery, peas, spinach, kasha and sage. If cooking the lentil version, add 3⁄4 cup (185 mL) of vegetable broth. Stir well and cook for 8 minutes.

4. Transfer to a 9 × 13–inch (20 cm × 30 cm) baking dish.Top with the mashed white root vegetables.

5. Bake at 350°F (175°C) for 20 minutes. Move to the top rack pos- ition and broil on low for 5 minutes or until nicely browned.

7. Serve hot or allow to set in the fridge overnight.
Makes 6 to 8 servings

Excerpted from Meals that Heal Inflammation Copyright © 2011 by Julie Daniluk.  Published by Random House of Canada Limited. Reproduced by arrangement with the Publisher. All rights reserved.