Herbed Colcannon Salad

As I was trying to imagine what I wanted to have for dinner this evening, I was suddenly inspired by an odd combination of ingredients:  a few leftover groceries from a Seder that I cooked for last night!  I had a Spring medley of herbs leftover from my Herbed Matzoh Ball Soup (that recipe I'll post a little later...), some Ba'tampte mustard, brussels sprouts from a lovely shaved salad from one of my favorite food websites, Food52 (here's the recipe for that one:  http://www.food52.com/blog/1929_passover_inspiration), and potatoes from, well, I just always have potatoes!

This recipe is also inspired by the beloved Irish dish, colcannon.  Although it is a major departure from the traditional colcannon, made with buttery mashed potatoes, this version is pleasantly reminiscent of the comforting dish with a much lighter, tangier taste.  The brightness of the vinegar and mustard, sweetness of the honey and crunchiness of the crispy brussels sprouts makes it a flavorful, textural delight.  Serve this alongside any protein you like, or have a bigger helping and call it a meal.  At about 270 calories per serving, you can afford to have seconds!

Herbed Colcannon Salad
serves 4

2 Yukon Gold potatoes, scrubbed and diced
4 cups brussels sprouts leaves
2 tsp olive oil
generous pinch of kosher salt

Dressing:
2 T honey
2 T Ba'Tampte Mustard, or any good deli-style whole grain mustard
2 tsp white balsamic vinegar
4 T olive oil
2 T fresh dill, chopped
2 T fresh chives, chopped
2 T fresh mint, chopped
salt to taste

Preheat oven to 425.  Bring a large pot of water to boil.  Add diced potatoes and cook until just barely tender, about 10 minutes.  Drain and set aside.

Meanwhile, toss brussels sprouts leaves with olive oil and salt.  Arrange in a single layer on a baking sheet and roast until browned and crispy, 7 minutes or more. 

Make dressing:  In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt honey and mustard together.  Add balsamic vinegar and whisk to combine.  While whisking rapidly, slowly drizzle olive oil into the mixture to emulsify.  Remove from heat and pour into a large bowl.  Add potatoes, brussels sprouts, chopped herbs and salt and toss well to combine.  Serve warm or room temperature. 

Truffled Mushroom and Leek Shepherds Pie

April in Colorado is an ever-surprising time of year.  Tulips are peeking through the soil, the Farmers Market springs to life, the weather is crisp and bright, and suddenly... it's snowing.  You never know quite what to expect!  So, in the spirit of the mercurial month of April, I give you this Shepherds Pie.  It's a little bit winter and a little bit Spring, with a couple surprises along the way! 

This recipe is truly a celebration of the almighty mushroom.  Hazel Del Farms is selling their glorious mixed-bag of mushrooms both at the Farmer's Market and in a number of stores across the state, but you can use any combination of mushrooms you like.  Hazel Del's mix is a beautiful medly of trumpet, oyster, lion's head, and shiitake mushrooms. 

One of the things I like best about a vegan version of shepherds pie is that it tastes like an indulgence without actually being one.  Each warm, cozy serving is rich with exotic, complex and decadent truffle flavor but only has about 550 calories (that's for three servings per recipe - which is a nice, heaping helping!) and, of course, no cholesterol.  If vegan isn't your thing, you can easily substitute regular milk and butter in the mashed potatoes, but do give hazelnut milk a try.  It is a mild, creamy substitute for dairy that does not impart that rather unpleasant "beany" taste that soy milk tends to have.

Truffled Mushroom and Leek Shepherds Pie
serves 3-4 (can easily be doubled)

Potato Topping:
1 1/2 lbs Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled (about 5 large potatoes)
1 cup hazelnut milk
1 tsp white truffle oil
1 T butter-flavored olive oil or butter substitute
1 generous pinch of onion powder
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Vegetables:
4 T olive oil
1 large leek, sliced and rinsed
1/2 lb mushrooms, mixed variety
1 large carrot, halved lengthwise and sliced
1 cup frozen peas
2 T flour
1 cup hazelnut milk
1 tsp vegetable broth powder
1 T rosemary, finely chopped
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Bring a large pot of water to boil on high heat.  Peel potatoes and add to water.  Boil until potatoes are fork-tender, about 40 minutes.  Reserve 1 cup of cooking liquid for gravy.

Meanwhile, in a large saute pan over medium-high heat, add 2 T olive oil.  When oil is hot, add leeks and cook until slightly caramelized, about 6 minutes.  Add mushrooms, carrots and peas and saute for an additional 5 minutes, adding a little more olive oil if necessary.  Remove vegetables from pan and set aside. 

Return pan to medium-high heat and add 2 T of olive oil.  Add flour and whisk until combined.  Switch to a wooden spoon and scrape the caramelized vegetable bits off the bottom of the pan.  Lower the heat to medium and carefully drizzle 1 cup of potato cooking liquid into the pan, stirring constantly.  Slowly add 1 cup hazelnut milk and stir well.  Add vegetable broth powder, rosemary and salt and pepper to taste.  Cook until desired thickness is achieved, about 5 minutes.  Add vegetables to gravy and stir well to combine.

Assemble mashed potatoes.  Drain cooked potatoes and press through a ricer into a medium-sized bowl.  Add the rest of the ingredients and lightly fold in with a spatula.  Adjust salt and pepper to taste.

Preheat oven to 375.  In a small casserole dish (I used a 1 3/4 quart dish that measured 8 1/2 by 6 1/2 inches), add a little olive oil and rub with a paper towel to coat the inside.  Add the vegetables and gravy first, then layer the mashed potatoes on top.  Bake shepherds pie until the potatoes turn lightly golden, about 30 minutes.  Allow to cool for at least 10 minutes before serving.

Curried Red Rice

This Indian-inspired recipe is what I would consider a food-geek's pantry meal.  It consists almost entirely of things that I routinely stock in my kitchen, such as frozen peas, coconut milk, and red rice.  Bhutanese red rice is available at specialty markets and is definitely worth a try if you are feeling bored with your usual whole grains.  It is an heirloom rice grown in the Himalayas with a gorgeous rosy tint and a nutty flavor.  Another advantage to red rice is that it cooks much faster than brown because, let's face it, sometimes you just don't want to spend an hour on dinner! 

If you don't stock red rice in your pantry, any ol' rice will do (you might have to adjust the cooking time).  We turned this side-dish into a meal by toasting some home-made chickpea patties, chopping them into bite-sized pieces and mixing them in just before serving.  This rice will compliment just about any protein, so use what you have or just throw in a can of chickpeas!

Curried Red Rice
Serves 4

3/4 cup red rice
3/4 cup coconut milk
1 cup water
1 T curry powder (salt-free)
2 tsp salt
1 10-oz package frozen peas, thawed
1/2 cup raisins
fresh cilantro leaves

In a medium saucepan, add rice, coconut milk and water and bring to a boil over high heat.  Add curry powder and salt and stir to combine.  Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer until rice absorbs most of the liquid, about 15 to 20 minutes.  Some of the coconut milk solids will have risen to the top.

Stir mixture to incorporate milk solids.  Add peas and raisins, mix to combine, and cover pan again.  Heat mixture until raisins plump and peas are heated, about 10 more minutes.  Serve with plenty of fresh cilantro leaves on top.

Brand New Garden!

Today was the first day of the Boulder Farmer's Market!  The weather couldn't possibly have been better, there were lots of new stands to enjoy and best of all... seedlings!   

This is the year we are starting our very first organic container garden and, if you can't tell, I'm super excited about it!  So far, I've got some organic sage, mint, rosemary, and tarragon, and six different varieties of heirloom and organic tomatoes.  Over the next few weeks, I hope to add some more herbs including a variety of basil, cucumbers, and whatever else looks good. 

Vegetable Burritos

It seems to me that one of the most common misconceptions about healthy eating is that it costs more.  In my experience, this is not so!  In fact, when I was a perpetually broke college student a whole decade ago, I ate very well on a minuscule food budget.  Lots of beans and rice, lentils, yoghurt, applesauce and other simple, wholesome foods were the staples of my diet back then.   

This burrito recipe is a perfect example of how to eat well without spending a lot of money.  All the ingredients are widely available, beans are about the cheapest source of protein there is, and the veggies can be just about anything you have in the fridge.  You can make a huge diversity of variations depending on what you have, what's on sale, or what's in season, including zucchini, asparagus, leeks, eggplant, potatoes, and just about anything else you can think of!  Choose what you like and make the recipe in big batches, because these burritos are great for freezing. 

Vegetable Burritos
makes about 6 burritos

Beans:
1 pound dried pinto beans
3 T olive oil
1/2 yellow onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 T ground cumin
1 tsp cayenne
salt and pepper to taste

Veggies:
1 T olive oil
2 red bell peppers, chopped
2 green bell peppers, chopped
1/2 yellow onion, sliced
1/2 bunch kale, stems removed and chopped
6 whole wheat tortillas

First, make the beans.  Pick through beans and remove any rocks.  In a pressure cooker, add dried beans and enough water to fill half the pot.  Cook at high pressure for 10 minutes.  Remove from heat and allow to de-pressurize at room temp.  When beans have cooled, slightly, remove from pressure cooker and strain in a colander.  Rinse well.

In a large pot over medium-high heat, add olive oil.  Once hot, add onions and saute until soft, about 5 minutes.  Add garlic and cook for another minute.  Add beans, cumin, cayenne, salt and pepper and stir to combine.  Use a wooden spoon to mash the beans as you cook and stir them for about 10 minutes.  If you like a smoother consistency, add about 1/2 cup vegetable stock and puree with a hand blender.  Remove from heat and set aside.

Meanwhile, in a large flat-bottomed pan over medium-high heat, add olive oil.  Add peppers and onion and fry until onions darken and peppers are soft.  Add kale and season with salt.  Remove from heat and stir frequently until kale is softened by the heat of the other vegetables.

Add a large spoonful (about 2/3 a cup) of beans to each tortilla and spread around, leaving about 1 inch of room around the edge.  Top with a large spoonful of veggies and roll into a burrito.  Serve with salsa, hot sauce, fresh cilantro, avocado slices, or guacamole, if desired.