A Man's Meal

Tonight is not a night for foo-foo type of foods. Our late night last night (highly atypical for us old fogeys) combined with the cooler fall temps, means we need stick-to-the-ribs sustenance. Especially if we have any hope at all of staying awake through both the Amazing Race and RHONJ reunion (do not get me started on that Teresa).

However, "stick-to-the-ribs" is not usually the healthiest of choices. Enter Clean Eating Comfort Foods with all of its tempting goodness. After perusing the cookbook a few dozen times, I decided go a bit outside of our comfort zone with tonight's main event. I went with bison. I went with fresh cauli. Ooooh.

Bison - according to BisonBasics.com by way of the USDA - is low in calories, saturated fat and cholesterol, and is chock-full of iron and omega-3s. And cauliflower has all sorts of cancer-fighting benefits, and serves as a detox support (score!). Remember, I am not a nutritionist or an expert. I find my information online so do not assume it is 100 percent accurate.

Skinny Shepard's Pie
Source: Clean Eating Classic Comfort Foods

Ingredients:

• 2 Yukon gold potatoes, scrubbed well and quartered (used russet)
• 2 c. cauliflower florets (peeps, I used FRESH here)
• 1 tsp each salt/pepper (skip)
• 1/2 c. skim milk
• 1 diced onion
• 3 cloves minced garlic
• 1 lb ground bison
• 1 c. sliced carrots, chopped into half moons
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp whole-wheat flour
• 1 c. low-sodium beef broth (used no-salt added)
• 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tbsp fresh thyme (didn't use fresh)
• 1 c. frozen peas

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees
• Bring a large pot of water to boil, add potatoes and cook 8 mins. Add cauli, cook 7 additional mins or until potatoes are tender. Drain and transfer to a large pot. Add salt, pepper and mil, and mash until smooth. Set aside.
• Heat a large skillet on med heat, mist with cooking spray. Add onion, garlic, bison and carrots and cook until bison is no longer pink.
• In a medium skillet, heat oil on medium. Sprinkle in flour and whisk until no lumps remain (approx 1 min). Gradually add broth, whisking constantly until mixture is smooth and begins to thicken. Add Worcestershire and thyme, whisking to combine.
• In a 10x15 (?) casserole dish, add bison mixture, broth mixture and peas, stir to combine. Spread in an even layer, then top with potato-cauli mixture. Mist top with cooking spray (forgot to do this), and bake until filling is bubbling and top is golden brown, approx. 30 mins.

Yield: 8 servings (1 cup per serving)
Per serving: 191 cals; 5g fat (1g sat); 19g carbs; 3g fiber; 3.5g sugar; 16g protein; 332mg sodium; 41mg choles

Reviews:
A mashed potatoes-meat combination? This did not go over at all with the kid. He ate approx. 1/2 tsp of the meat mixture, and even less of the mashed potatoes. Oh well - he won't starve. The hubs approved, although he noted there were "too many veggies." Yes, peas and carrots equals "too many" for his five-year-old palate. Fortunately, I liked this meal very much. The mashed potatoes with cauli turned out nice and smooth, and the bison mixture had a good flavor.

Ranking:
Three Forks

Mashed cauli mixture!