South Beach Shepherd's Pie

I've always loved Sherpherd's Pie, and this South Beach version does not disappoint. It's from the Supercharged South Beach book... basically, you use a pureed cauliflower topping (it's good, really), and edamame in the filling, rather than carby (that's a word, right?) starchy, peas.

So, here it is, slightly adapted since it was made in my kitchen. This makes 4 very hefty dinner servings, which SBSC lists as having 18g of carbs per serving, 16 g fat, 37 g protein, 4 g fiber, and 367 calories.

South Beach Shepherd's Pie


1 (16-oz.) pkg. frozen cauliflower
1 Tbs. olive oil
1 large sweet onion, chopped
4-5 garlic cloves, minced
1 lb. extra-lean ground beef
2 c. defrosted frozen (shelled) edamame
1/2 c. reduced-sodium beef broth
1 Tbs. Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp. fresh-ground pepper
1/4 tsp. salt


2 Tbs. light sour cream
1 egg yolk
1/2 c. fresh Parmesan (or 2% milk sharp cheddar)




Preheat oven to 350-degrees F, and spray a 2-qt. casserole with cooking spray. Defrost the cauliflower in the microwave until not frozen, but not hot (keeps a better texture when pureed if it's not overcooked).  


Heat oil in skillet and sautee onion and garlic about 5 mins., add beef and brown for about 10 minutes, then add edamame and cook about 2 more minutes. Add broth and Worcestershire, season with S & P and add to casserole dish. 


Whiz the cauli in your food processor until mostly creamy-looking, and add sour cream, egg yolk and a healthy pinch of salt. Top the meat filling with this "potato" topping, then sprinkle cheese over the top and bake for 20-25 minutes. 

Gingerbread & a new kind of Veggie Pizza

Our house smells like gingerbread right now. I know, it's May, but we've been reading this book, so have gingerbread and Christmas on the brain. So, I tried Joy the Baker's recipe from her new cookbook, and it is fantastic! Unfortunately, I think that using more than half whole-wheat pastry flour, and replacing all the sugar with Xyla may have messed with the chemistry of the cake since it took more than 10 extra minutes to bake, and burned around the top and edges. The inside tasted good though, and I carved it nicely and slathered it in the vanilla-bean flecked low-fat cream cheese frosting that I just didn't mess with too much. I just ate a small slice and saved up carbs for dinner time!

I've also been experimenting with low-carb, high-fiber/veggie pizza! And, so far, I've loved it. Instead of crust, I use a veggie, so far I've tried Acorn Squash (delicious!), and eggplant (less sweet, but very tasty). This is topped with a low-sugar/carb Arabiatta sauce from Trader Joe's, turkey pepperoni, mozzarella and a little fresh parmesan. So yummy, easy, and way healthier than regular pizza!

 It looks like a lot of cheese, but it really isn't, and these zucchini rounds are pretty small. Turkey pepperoni is the best - all the flavor, and only 70% of the fat and calories!

Wordy Wednesday: Cereal Storm

Our kids are not big breakfast eaters. Their dad isn't either, so they come by it honestly, but it is still a real struggle to get food in their bellies before school. I've even resorted to Carnation Instant Breakfast to mix with milk to cover Madeline many days of the week. They'll do a yogurt or banana and milk, and occasional smoothie too, or hard-boiled egg, And mini pancakes from the freezer work, when I have them on hand, but cereal is hit-or-miss for Erik, and Madeline just won't eat it. 

This morning, we had just a dabble of some Lucky Charms left from St. Patrick's Day, and some Fruity Pebbles (sugar-cereal treat that E likes sometimes), and so I mixed the Trader Joe's High Fiber O's, mini shredded wheat, the charms and the pebbles (less of the sugary ones) in a bowl and served it up as a "cereal storm!" 

He loved it and ate every bit! And, Madeline asked him if she could try a bite too... we could be on to something here... healthy cereal seasoned with sweet kid-cereal.  

Wordless Wednesday: SB Eggs Benny