Almost St. Patrick's Day

I realize I normally don't post on the weekends, but since tomorrow is St. Patrick's Day, I figured I'd post these today. (And yes, there is a bit of debate about whether St. Patrick was good for the non-Christians around him. Let's just go with the "let's eat" part of it, okay?! You can use the food to celebrate either way.)

Today's post includes two Colcannon recipes and Vegetarian "Beef" and Guinness Stew. Enjoy!

Note: About.com has changed into DotDash.com, and split into different channels. Jolinda Hackett has since left DotDash.com. I haven't had time to check on the other writers listed in today's post. Hopefully, I'll be able to do that in the near future.

COLCANNON

I've posted two colcannon recipes today. The first one comes from the March 2007 issue of Vegetarian Times. It starts of, "This ultra-Irish dish varies from one county to the next, with some cooks using cabbage in place of kale, others using leeks or onions for extra flavor. Here, it gets a modern-day makeover with purple potatoes, garlic and shiitake mushrooms to reflect all the delicious new options found in Irish markets today. If you can’t find purple potatoes, Yukon gold, fingerling or russet varieties also work well." Serves 6

1 lb. purple potatoes

1 lb. kale, tough stems removed

2 to 3 Tbs. olive oil

10 oz. shiitake mushrooms, sliced (about 3 cups)

3 cloves garlic, chopped (about 1 Tbs.)

1 cup unsweetened rice milk, warmed

Place potatoes in large pot, and cover with water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium, and simmer 15 to 20 minutes, or until very tender. Drain, and return to pot. Heat potatoes over medium heat 1 to 2 minutes to steam off excess water, and set aside.

Meanwhile, bring large pot of salted water to a boil. Add kale, and cook 5 minutes. Drain, and set aside.

Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add mushrooms and garlic, and sauté 5 to 7 minutes, or until mushrooms are soft and all liquid has evaporated. Stir in kale, and cook 1 minute more, or until hot. Season with salt and pepper.

Mash rice milk into potatoes until soft, but still chunky. Fold in kale mixture, and serve.

nutritional information Per SERVING: Calories: 184; Protein: 4 g; Total Fat: 7 g; Saturated Fat: 1 g; Carbohydrates: 30 g; Sodium: 406 mg; Fiber: 4 g; Sugar: 5 g; Vegan

COLCANNON

This one comes from About.com's Fiona Haynes, who does the Low Fat Cooking blog. She writes, "Colcannon is a perfect side dish for St. Patrick's Day. It's basically a mashed potato and cabbage dish, although many variations exist. I like to blend in milk-simmered leeks in this version. Other people swear by kale rather than cabbage, which may be more in keeping with tradition. Add a little nutmeg or mace if you have it." Prep Time: 0 minutes; Cook Time: 30 minutes; Total Time: 30 minutes; Serves 6 - 8.

To view online, click here.

Ingredients

2 pounds potatoes, peeled and cut into pieces

1 small cabbage, cored and chopped

2 small leeks, white parts only, sliced

1 cup fat-free milk

4 ounces fat-free cream cheese, softened

1/2 teaspoon white pepper

Directions

Boil potatoes in a large pot of water until tender, about 20-25 minutes. Meanwhile, in a second pot, boil or steam cabbage for 10 minutes or until tender. Drain, cover and set aside.

In a medium saucepan, simmer leeks in milk for 5 minutes. When leeks are soft, remove with a slotted spoon and put to one side, reserving the milk.

When potatoes are tender, drain well. Add half the milk used to simmer the leeks. Mash the potatoes until all the lumps have gone. Add cream cheese and white pepper then mash again until blended. Use remaining milk if needed. Stir in cabbage and leeks.

Serve immediately.

Per Serving: Calories 132, Calories from Fat 6, Total Fat 0.7g (sat 0.2g), Cholesterol 2mg, Sodium 113mg, Carbohydrate 25.3g, Fiber 4.2g, Protein 6.2g

VEGAN IRISH COLCANNON POTATOES AND CABBAGE

Can we really have too many recipes for colcannon? Maybe...or not. Here's another version of this yummy recipe. Even after St. Patrick's Day is over, this can be eaten any time.

This one came from Jolinda Hackett, About.com's vegetarian food expert. She writes, “Colcannon is a traditional Irish side dish made with potatoes and cabbage, and this version is both vegetarian and vegan and it's gluten-free as well (double check that your soy milk is gluten-free). Make this recipe for St. Patrick's Day, or any day that you are longing for a wee taste of Ireland.” Prep Time: 10 minutes; Cook Time: 45 minutes; Total Time: 55 minutes; Yield: 6 servings.

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

water for boiling

5 large potatoes

1 head green cabbage, chopped

3 leeks, sliced

1 cup soy milk

1/4 tsp nutmeg (optional)

salt and pepper to taste

Preparation

Place potatoes in a large pot and add enough water to cover the potatoes. Bring to a boil and cook for at least 20 minutes, or until potatoes are tender.

In a separate pot, boil the cabbage in water for 15 minutes. Drain and set aside.

In another pot or skillet, cook leeks in soy milk until tender, about 15 minutes.

When potatoes are done cooking, mash them together with leeks, soy milk, nutmeg, salt and pepper.

Add cabbage and stir to combine. Add more salt and pepper to taste and enjoy!

IRISH SODA BREAD

This is from Fiona Haynes, About.com's Low Fat Cooking expert. She writes, "Irish Soda Bread requires only a few simple ingredients: flour, baking soda, salt and buttermilk. Throw in a cup of raisins if you like, and some orange zest, too. Traditional Irish Soda Bread is made without these, however, as it was made as a daily bread to accompany meals. Enjoy the original version warm with a little low fat spread with some tea, or as an accompaniment to a lean beef stew." Prep Time: 15 minutes; Cook Time: 45 minutes; Total Time: 60 minutes; Yields 1 round loaf (8 - 10 wedges or slices)

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

1 1/2 tsp. salt

1 1/2 cups low fat buttermilk

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a large bowl, stir dry ingredients together with a whisk. Make a well in the center and add 1 cup of the buttermilk, reserving 1/2 cup. Combine dry ingredients and buttermilk with a fork, gradually adding more of the remaining liquid until a soft dough is formed.

Knead the dough lightly on a floured surface for 1 minute. Form into a slightly flattened circle. Place on a parchment lined (or silicone baking mat) cookie sheet. Mark a large 1/2-inch deep X with a sharp knife and bake soda bread for 40-45 minutes. The bread is ready when it is golden and sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom.

Per Serving: Calories 148, Calories from Fat 6, Total Fat 0.7g (sat 0.4g), Cholesterol 1 mg, Sodium 582mg, Carbohydrate 30.5g, Fiber 1g, Protein 5g

SWEET IRISH POTATO ROLLS

From about.com's bread baking guru, Elizabeth Yetter, who wrote, "Sweet Irish potato rolls are made with mashed potatoes and the water you use to boil the potatoes. These rolls are soft, moist, and slightly sweet. They taste great with salty dinners, such as ham, and with most stews. The rolls can be made ahead of time, cooled, and frozen. This recipe for sweet Irish potato rolls makes 18 medium sized rolls."

Prep Time: 2 hours; Cook Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted

1 cup mashed potatoes

1 cup potato water

1 tbsp (2 pkg) active dry yeast

1/4 cup sugar

1 tsp salt

2 eggs

5 cups bread flour, about

Preparation:

Melt stick of butter in small saucepan.

In large bowl, add mashed potatoes, potato water, and melted butter. Mix and let set until lukewarm.

Add yeast, sugar, salt and eggs to mixture. Stir well.

Stir in 2 cups bread flour. Let mixture sit for 15 minutes in warm place.

Stir down sponge and add enough flour to make a soft dough. Turn dough out onto floured board and knead until soft and smooth. Put dough in greased bowl. Turn dough over in bowl so that the top is also lightly greased. Cover and let rise for 1 hour or until double in bulk.

Punch dough down. Turn out onto lightly floured board and knead out air bubbles. Divide and shape dough into 18 rolls. Put rolls on 2 greased baking sheets. Cover and let rise for 30 minutes or until doubled.

Bake rolls at 350 degrees F for 15 to 20 minutes, or until golden. Serve warm or cold.

VEGETARIAN "BEEF" AND GUINNESS STEW

Jolinda Hackett is about.com's vegetarian cuisine guide. She wrote, "Beef and Guinness stew, an Irish pub favorite, gets a vegetarian makeover in this recipe, using seitan instead of beef to absorb all that rich stout flavor. Yum! The flavor of the beer is very strong in this recipe, so I've suggest using half the amount of Guinness and adding an equal amount of vegetable broth if you aren't a Guinness fan."

Prep Time: 10 minutes; Cook Time: 60 minutes

Ingredients:

Approx 14 oz seitan, cut into thin strips

2 tbsp soy sauce

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp steak sauce

3 tbsp butter or margarine

1 onion, diced

3 ribs celery, chopped

2 carrots, chopped

2 medium potatoes chopped into 1 inch pieces

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 12 oz bottles Guinness Stout OR 1 bottle plus 1 1/2 cups vegetable broth

2 tbsp flour

1 tbsp chopped fresh thyme

1 tsp brown sugar (optional)

Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:

Sautee seitan in olive oil and soy sauce until slightly browned, about 5 minutes. Reduce heat, add steak sauce and stir until seitan is lightly coated. Remove from heat and aside. In a large pot, sautee onions, celery, carrots, potatoes and garlic in butter or margarine for 3-5 minutes, or until onions are slightly soft. Reduce heat and slowly add Guinness, gently stirring to combine. Add flour, thyme, sugar, salt and pepper and stir well. Add seitan and allow stew to simmer until Guinness reduces and stew thickens, about 40-50 minutes.

Add more salt and pepper if desired and enjoy!