Christmas Eve Shepard's Pie

We are at my mother-in-laws for the evening. We were planning on going to my mom's for dinner tonight, but it is a blizzard out there (like it is in much of the rest of the country, I hear). So, we decided to stay in, and make dinner here instead. I made this very comforting shepard's pie, with lentils for the "meat." Topped with a simple gravy (my husband's specialty), and a side of roasted garlic brussels sprouts from VWAV.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 pound lentils, cooked
• 7-8 potatoes, cooked and mashed with 1/4 c. soymilk and 1/4 c. "butter"
• 1 bag mixed frozen veggies (corn, beans, green beans, carrots, etc)
• one onion, diced and saute'd in olive oil
  
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp thyme
• 1 tsp parsley
• salt and pepper
  

Directions: Preheat oven to 350 F. In a 9x13 casserole dish line the bottom with cooked lentils, then layer with cooked onions, frozen veggies, and mashed potatoes. Top with spices and bake in oven for about 40 mins.


For dessert we had sparkled ginger cookies (so good, I made another batch!), and hot peppermint cocoa made with Vitasoy chocolate peppermit soymilk. Thanks vegan_noodle for the idea, sooooo good! That little mushroom in the background is the rattle we got for Sebastian for a Christmas present, how cute is that??!!