Paleo Cottage Pie

Sometimes, comfort food is all you need, but comfort food (as a rule) can be naughty, containing large quantities of sinful carbs.

One of my favourite childhood foods is the humble Cottage Pie. It always seems to have the magical power of putting a smile on my face; the equivalent of a food cuddle. In my view it’s one to always have as part of your repertoire for when that special someone needs a big familiar foodie snuggle!

Paleo Cottage Pie

Cottage pie, generally can be a bit stodgy; it’s all that fluffy mash! I must confess, sometimes, you can OD on the mash and enter into a bit of a carb coma. (Perhaps that’s just in my household!)

Well not anymore!!! With a few simple tweaks you can make the glorious cottage pie, saintlier than saintly.

Here is my ultimate paleo version!

Mix together and brown for that perfect consistency

You will need

Grass-Fed, Organic Minced Beef 500g
Beef Stock
1 x White Onion
2 x Carrot
1 x Large Cauliflower
Organic Butter
2 x Globe Squash

(Please note, you can add squash, broccoli or other vegetables of your choice to the cauliflower mash. You can choose white cauliflower if you want it to emulate potato mash perfectly, but, if you don’t mind green or purple food- there are some really beautiful strains of cauliflowers out there. Just check out Millies, the Local Pantry or Fodder.)

I used these beautiful yellow orbs! (Globe Squash)

Method

In a casserole pan, fry your onions in a knob of butter for 5 minutes. Peel your carrots and dice into small centimetre squared chunks. Now add the mince and brown.
Cut the cauliflower & squash into small chunks (and any other veg you are using.) Boil in a pan for around 15 minutes.
Add the stock to the mince and a glass of water. Simmer until the consistency is neither runny nor dry and then take from the heat.
Heat your oven to around 175 degrees.
Once the cauliflower is ready, whisk the vegetables together using a hand whisk. Add a knob or two of butter.
Add the mince mixture into a baking dish and then cover with the cauliflower mash.
Run over the top with a fork.
Add a few more knobs of butter to the top of the veg (it will make your mash go extra golden brown in places; not to mention the taste.)
Bake for around 20 minutes until golden brown.
Serve by itself, or with some mixed greens.

Wonderful varieties of cauliflower

Enjoy!!

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Paleo Polly

Great tasting food has always been my passion. Obsessed with cookbooks from a young ages I have enjoyed exploring the world of food, recipe by recipe. 2004, aged 20, I was reading Law at University; money was tight, and meals were often made up of vegetables and starchy carbohydrates, washed down with ample alcoholic beverages of choice. Always made from scratch, taste championed calorie content; many delicious creamy pastas and carb-loaded rice and pitta dishes were consumed.Being in my early twenties, I was quite capable of getting away with my not exactly nutritious diet, however following Law School I noticed that I’d put on a few pounds. Being a food lover, I became extremely interested in the power of food; its nutritional value, its healing, health benefits. I read pages and pages of nutritional information; I followed fitness blogs, and read health cookbooks. I then made the decision to turn paleo; I really tightened up my diet and saw amazing result. Most importantly however, eating the right food made me feel great. For the first time, I did not feel bloated, I felt energized, health issues cleared up. My skin was the best ever, I slept well at night. The Paleo Diet involves eating mainly vegetables and protein, with small amounts of fruit, nuts and seeds. Eating Paleo is in essence eating the foods your body was designed to eat. The Paleo Diet mimics the diet that our hunter-gather ancestors ate; pre-agricultural revolution. My love of paleo, has brought me to my new found hobby; CrossFit and a combination of exercise and diet are an unbeatable solution. Paleo Polly is a blog dedicated to my journey. Although I am not a qualified nutritionist, my personal journey has enabled me to make great changes to my life and to my well-being. I would like to share my journey, and my life experiences and guide and assist anyone wanting to make a positive change.