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Adapting meals to be plant-based episode 2

Featured Author: Alicia MacGregor

Hi everyone, my name is Alicia, and I’m excited to be here with you today to share my passion for healthy and delicious plant-based meals.

Today for the Vancouver Humane Society’s Plant University platform, we’re making a Pastel De Choclo, and it’s a traditional Chilean dish that my mom used to make when I was little and it’s very similar to a shepherd’s pie, where there’s a savoury base and instead of a mashed potato topping, it’s actually a corn meal kind of prepared topping.

Today we’re going to be using mushrooms and onions for the base. She used to actually put raisins in it, so I have eliminated the raisins all together because I don’t like them.

When I did the full switch to a plant-based diet, I really noticed a big improvement in my skin. I used to get a lot of acne, and I realized that my skin cleared up and my complexion became a lot nicer. So when you’re making a switch from a meat-based diet to a plant-based diet, you’ll notice that it’s actually quite simple to simply replace the meat option for vegetables. And you simply need to choose the vegetables with complex carbs, high in protein, high in fiber. It can actually create really original flavour profiles for you that can be even better than the original recipes were.

If you’re interested in learning more after watching this video, you can find great resources on VHS’s Plant University platform and subscribe to get involved with VHS’s work to help animals, people, and the planet.

So let’s get started.

Pastel de Choclo

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Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Servings 4

Ingredients
  

  • 1 acorn squash

Corn topper

  • 5 cups corn (6 corn on the cob or 1 bag frozen corn)
  • 2 tbsp cornmeal
  • 1 bunch basil (10 leaves)
  • 2 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp pepper
  • 1 tsp paprika
  • 1.5 tbsp coconut oil
  • crushed walnuts

Veggie Bottom

  • 2 tsp olive oil
  • 3 small/medium onions, diced
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 2 tsp pepper
  • 1 can lentils (or equivalent soaked lentils)
  • 2.5 cups mushrooms, diced small
  • 1 sprig rosemary
  • 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
  • 1 vegetable bouillon cube
  • 1 tbsp paprika
  • black or kalamata olives, sliced
  • cayenne (optional)

Instructions
 

Acorn squash

  • Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
  • Slice acorn squash in half and remove the seeds and pulp from the inside.
  • Slice squash in 1/4 thick rounds.
  • Lay squash on baking sheet and baste with olive oil and cayenne pepper if using.
  • Bake until squash is soft and lightly browned.
  • Remove from oven and let cool.

Veggie Bottom

  • Heat a pan over medium heat and sauté half an onion.
  • Once onion is translucent, add the diced mushrooms, salt, pepper, and apple cider vinegar. Cook until mushrooms have reduced.
  • Once the mushrooms have reduced, add the rosemary leaves and balsamic vinegar. Cook for 4 minutes and then add the lentils (if canned rinse and drain fully) and bouillon cube dissolved in 3/4 cup water (or if using soaked/drained lentils, 1 1/4 cup water).
  • Stir in the rest of the onion, ground cumin, paprika, and additional salt and pepper to taste. Cook until lentils are fully soft and the mixture is moist.
  • Turn off heat.

Corn Topper

  • If using fresh corn, boil corn cobs until corn is al dente (not fully soft). Let the corn cool and then use a knife to slice all corn from husk.
  • In a large pot heat and cook corn until soft. Add coconut milk, basil, salt, pepper, paprika, and continue to cook, occasionally stirring for approximately 10 more minutes.
  • Blend the corn mixture with a hand mixer on pulse. Make sure to leave some chunkier parts.
  • Add cornmeal and continue cooking over medium heat for 5 minutes. Consistency should be firm.
  • Taste and adjust seasoning to taste. Cool and then serve. It will thicken slightly when cool.

Assembly

  • In baking dish, layer the veggie bottom as a base, filling the bottom of the dish.
  • Add a layer of acorn squash on top of the veggie mixture and olives sprinkled over the top.
  • Cover the squash layer with the corn topper.
  • Sprinkle crushed walnuts over top.
  • Bake until slightly brown.

Notes

Recipe Cost Breakdown

Ingredients
 Quantity
 Measure
 Cost
Corn
 5
 Cups
 3.49
Cornmeal
 2
 Tbsp
 0.14
Basil
 1
 Bunch
 3.29
Salt
 2
 Tsp
 0.01
Pepper
 1
 Tsp
 0.11
Paprika
 1
 Tsp
 0.06
Coconut oil
 1.5
 Tbsp
 0.69
Olive oil
 2
 Tsp
 0.16
Onions
 3
 Each
 3.90
Ground cumin
 1
 Tsp
 0.18
Salt
 1
 Tsp
 0.006
Pepper
 2
 Tsp
 0.22
Lentils
 1
 Can
 1.79
Mushrooms
 2.5
 Cups
 3.49
Fresh Rosemary
 1
 Sprig
 0.15
Apple Cider Vinegar
 1
 Tbsp
 0.02
Balsamic Vinegar
 2
 Tbsp
 0.30
Vegetable bouillon cube
 1
 Each
 0.75
Paprika
 1
 tbsp
 0.17
Total
  
  
 18.93
Cost per serving
  
  
 6.31
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

And there you have it. A delicious and healthy pastel de choclo. It’s filling and full of flavour and is packed with complex carbohydrates.

If this is the first time you’ve seen a plant-based recipe being made, you can check out some more options on the Vancouver Humane Society’s Plant University platform.

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