Vegan colcannon with seared mushrooms and kale chips

The famous St. Patrick's day is a day for celebrating everything green and good luck! We all need good luck and more greens in our diets.

"For each petal on the shamrock, this brings a wish your way: Good health, good luck, and happiness for today and every day."

- Irish blessing

While I am not Irish, I am Romanian, I am a freckled ginger, so I qualify to share a delicious Irish recipe today to help you incorporate more greens into your diet! I discovered this recipe years ago, and it forever changed my take on mashed potatoes.

I grew up loving mashed potatoes. It seemed, to me, that my mom used to make the best mashed potatoes in the world, maybe because she was using a lot of milk and butter. The recipe I am sharing today is dairy-free and vegan, but that doesn't take away from the taste or texture of this dish.

You can adapt this recipe to all dietary needs. If you are vegan or vegetarian, enjoy the recipes as is. If you are a pescatarian, replace the mushrooms with seared scallops or fish. If you are on an AIP(autoimmune paleo diet), use sweet potatoes, yams, or other accepted root vegetables. If you want a low-carb recipe, use celeriac or cauliflower for the mash. And so on, be creative!

This version is my take on the original recipe- feel free to use any veggies you desire. I chose to use some Swiss chard, green onions, and green garlic picked fresh from my garden. I also decided to use green and red cabbage for diversity and color. Some people add kale to this recipe, yet I decided to make some kale chips to add a crunchy texture to an overall soft dish.

RECIPE

Ingredients

• 8 medium-sized Yukon potatoes, peeled and diced (about 3 pounds)

• a bunch of green onions, diced

• green garlic or 6 garlic cloves, diced

• 1 cup green cabbage, finely chopped

• 1 cup red cabbage, finely chopped

• 1 cup ruby red Swiss chard, finely chopped

• 1 cup plant-based milk of choice

• 2 Tbsp salt

• 2 Tbsp avocado oil

• 2 Tbsp olive oil

• 3 Tbsp nutritional yeast, it adds that cheesy flavor

• 1/2 tsp black pepper for taste

• 1/2 tsp nutmeg, optional

Instructions

• Place the peeled potatoes in a large pot and cover with enough water to cover the pieces with an extra inch or two. Add a teaspoon of salt to the water. Bring to a boil, and then reduce heat to medium. Cook until the potatoes are fork-tender, about 15 to 20 minutes.

• While the potatoes are cooking, heat the avocado oil in a pan over medium-high heat, and add the green onions, a pinch of salt, cook for 3 minutes.

• Add garlic, the rest of the greens, cabbage, cook for 10 minutes until they wilt.

• Drain the potatoes, and place them back in the pot along with 1 tablespoon of salt, non-dairy milk, olive oil, nutritional yeast, and black pepper. Mash until the potatoes reach your desired mashed potato consistency. Add the nutmeg now, mix well, and taste.

• Add the greens to the potatoes, mix everything well.

Kale chips

• Wash the kale, remove the leaves from the stem, season with olive oil and salt, bake until crispy. You can also use the air fryer for a faster result.

Mushrooms

• Clean the mushrooms and sear them in a pan with avocado oil, soy sauce, and other spices of choice.

As usual, these are my thoughts and ideas, not medical advice. You are encouraged to create your own recipes or search for some suited to your needs. I am just sharing my opinions, hoping that I can inspire some of you to make better choices.

Please remember that we all have different nutritional needs and that food affects us differently. If you are not sure which foods are best for you, reach out for a free phone consultation.

In good health,

Ioana