Vegan Japanese Style Shepherd's Pie

1 pound Okinawa purple yams
1/2 teaspoon shichimi togarashi
2 tablespoons Earth balance
2 to 4 tablespoons soymilk
1 large onion, chopped (3/4 cup)
3/4 cup carrot, sliced
1 tablespoon canola oil
2 pounds edamame, cooked and drained
2 pounds Japanese eggplant, diced
1 1/2 pounds kabocha squash, diced
1 teaspoon Okonomi sauce
1/2 teaspoon sugar
Earth balance for brushing
Shiso for garnish (optional)
Miso sauce:
4 tablespoons Smart Balance Organic Vegan Buttery Spread
4 tablespoons flour
1/4 cup + 1 3/4 cups soy milk
3 tablespoons white miso
1 teaspoon Better than Bouillon Vegetable Stock Base
2 dashes pepper
8 oz shitake mushrooms and oil (optional)

Peel and quarter yams. Cook, covered, in a small amount of boiling lightly salted water for 20 to 25 minutes or until tender. Drain. Beat yams, Earth Balance, and togarashi with an electric mixer on low speed. Gradually beat in enough milk to make light and fluffy. Set aside.
For filling, In a medium sauce pan melt miso with ¼ cup soy milk and pour into a small bowl and set aside. In the same sauce pan, melt butter over low heat. Add flour and stir frequently. Add the rest of the soy milk and stir until thickened. Add miso with soy milk, vegetable flavor bouillon and pepper.
If desired, in a frying pan, sauté mushrooms in oil for 3-5 minutes and mix in sauce.
In a different saucepan saute onion and carrot in oil until onion is tender but not brown. Stir in edamame, eggplant, kabocha, miso sauce, Okonomi sauce, and sugar and cook until simmering.
Transfer vegetable mixture to a 9x13 pyrex. Drop yams in mounds over vegetable mixture and brush with melted Earth Balance. Bake, uncovered, in a 375 degree F. oven for 25 to 30 minutes. If desired, garnish with chiffonade of fresh shiso leaves. Makes 9 servings.

Altered from http://www.recipe.com/vegetarian-shepherds-pie/