I have been SLACKING with my blog posts lately. Part of it is because, believe it or not, I got tendonitis in my thumb. The hazards of a writer’s life are real.

The other part is, I’ve just been really busy. I spent the first part of this month going to visit my sister in Boston, and then I went down to DC to see my best friend Rachel. When I got back to St. Louis late on a Monday night, there was a full-blown blizzard. I felt like I was in a snow globe when the plane was landing.

That proved to be the peak of winter weather, though…at least so far. After that, St. Louis reverted to spring weather and 70-degree days. I wore a tank top on Christmas.

Still, this time of year makes me crave comfort food. I also try to balance out all the cookie and cinnamon roll eating with healthy takes on comfort food. I’m not a big fan of substituting meat, but if it can be done well, I’m all in.

Which brings me to this vegan samosa shepherd’s pie. I got the recipe from 101 Cookbooks, one of my favorite plant-based food blogs. I like the author, Heidi, because she has inventive takes on standard dishes, and most of her recipes have healthy, natural ingredients. Also, they’re pretty easy to make.

For this shepherd’s pie, you sauté onions, garlic, tomatoes, mushrooms, and spices in a saucepan. This forms the base for the pie. Then you layer fluffy mashed potatoes on top, and use the back of your fork to make a criss-cross pattern.

I turned my broiler on at the end of baking, and it made the mashed potatoes slightly crispy on top and tender underneath. I would recommend doing the same thing.

So yeah. Make this vegan samosa shepherd’s pie as soon as possible. If you don’t have garam masala, the main spice in the dish, you can probably find it at Whole Foods, a natural or international grocery store, or, if you have one in town, an Indian grocery store. If you still can’t find it, you could substitute some cumin, cinnamon, and cardamom. But I’d try your best to find the spice. It’s rich and fragrant, and you can use it when you make Indian food.

Now that I’m back on my blog game, expect lots of posts throughout January. I’ll update you on some of the best places to eat in Boston and DC, give you a few cookie recipes, and try a recipe for rugelach that I should have made in December. The good thing is, it’s never too late.

Here’s a song to take with you into the new year.