• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees

Prepping the lentils and sauting the vegetables

• In a large sauce pan add in diced onions and a little water (1-2 tbsp) and saute onions for about 3-5 minutes. Add in the garlic and saute for 1 minute. Add in green lentils, bay leaves and vegetable broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a low simmer, cover the pot with a lid for about 20 to 30 minutes. The lentils should be tender but not mushy.
• Around 20 minutes into cooking the lentils add in the carrots and cover the pot for about 10 minutes. The carrots take longer to cook than peas and corn. Add in the peas, corn and tamari. Stir together and allow to cook for about 5 minutes uncovered stirring often. Remove the bay leaves.

Mashed Potatoes

• While the lentils are cooking. Peel and chop the potatoes into 1-1 1/2 wide pieces and add to a medium sized pot. Cover with at least an inch of cold water. Add a teaspoon of salt (optional). Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cook until tender (about 20 minutes or fork tender)
• When the potatoes are done cooking (a fork can easily pierce), remove them from the pot and place them in a bowl and minced garlic. Mash with a fork or potato masher, and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Assemble Vegan Shepards Pie

• Preheat oven to 400°F. Spread the vegetable lentil mixture in an even layer in a large baking dish (9x13 casserole).
• Spread the mashed potatoes over the top of the lentils and vegetables. Rough up the surface of the mashed potatoes with a fork so there are peaks that will get well browned. You can even use a fork to make creative designs in the mashed potatoes.
• Place in a 400°F oven and cook until browned and bubbling, about 30 minutes. If necessary, broil for the last few minutes to help the surface of the mashed potatoes brown.