Small Bowl #16

 

Here we have a salad of romaine, tomato, red onion, cucumber, kalamata olives, and homemade focaccia croutons in a poppy seed dressing I improvised with beet and lentil shepherd's pie (recipe from Hello Veggie).

This was all good, but not all of my vegetables got cooked through in the shepherd's pie. Next time I make something like this, I won't ignore my instincts and I'll cook the veggies longer before I bake it. I was also a tiny bit disappointed that my beets didn't dye my pie a vibrant pink the way the original recipe photos appeared to do for that pie, but I think I'd just need to add more beets to have that effect.

Not letting myself go grocery shopping until I really have to is starting to make me feel a tiny bit embarrassed, because there is so much food around here, and I still have repeated waves of anxiety about running out. But that's part of what this year is teaching me: Don't shop based on anxiety, but instead based on need.

Adulthood is not for the faint of heart, especially these days.

If you want an allergy-friendly main dish, meanwhile, you can easily make this shepherd's pie without major allergens. Just sub some olive or avocado oil for the coconut oil if you need to avoid coconut.