Colcannon for Saint Patrick's Day
by Claire Criscuolo, RN

What do vegetarians eat on Saint Patrick's Day when everyone else is eating corned beef and cabbage? We eat Colcannon. It's absolutely delicious and one of the healthiest dishes you can make, because it combines potatoes, leeks, and kale, bringing together a rich source of complex carbohydrates, vitamin A, and C, calcium, and iron. You'll love it whether you are a vegetarian or not, and the aroma from a simmering pot of Colcannon will seduce you, I promise.

I like to use Yukon gold potatoes for their creamy, almost succulent texture and their beautiful golden color, but really, any potato will be fine. Store your potatoes in a cool, dark, and dry place, a cool closet or basement is perfect. Don't store uncut potatoes in the refrigerator or they will turn grey and their natural starches will turn to sugar. Trim away any green spots because they taste bitter and should be avoided. Leeks will keep for up to five days if stored in a plastic or cloth bag in the crisper of your refrigerator. They are grown in fine sand and can be quite gritty, so be sure to wash them thoroughly after cutting them. After cutting the leeks, separate the rings, and scatter them over a big bowl or sink of cool water. Swish them around to loosen any grit, then using your hands, lift out the leeks to a colander, leaving any grit behind. Repeat until the water is free from any sand. Kale is a sturdy, dark green and leafy vegetable. Look for bunches that have crisp leaves that are free from any yellow color, a sign that it is beyond it's prime and has lost some nutritional value. Store kale in a plastic or cloth bag in the crisper drawer of the refrigerator for up to five days.

Serve Colcannon with a good and crusty wheat bread. For dessert, you can prepare a traditional Irish dessert of Apple and Barley Pudding. I like to add currants or golden raisins and dried cherries for their sweetness and for color, and they are a good source of fiber.

Happy Saint Patrick's Day to you all.

Colcannon, by Claire Criscuolo, RN

Serves 6-8

4 Quarts water
1 ½ Pounds kale, chopped into 2-inch pieces, about one large bunch
2 Leeks, well washed and chopped (about 1 ½ cups)
6 Large potatoes, un-peeled, cut into eighths salt and pepper to taste
5 Tablespoons butter or trans-fat free margarine

Bring the water to a boil in a large covered pot over high heat. Add the kale, leeks, potatoes, salt and pepper. Cover, lower the heat to medium, and boil for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the potatoes are tender. Before draining, reserve 4 cups of the cooking liquid. Drain the vegetables. Return the drained vegetables to the pot. Add the reserved 4 cups of cooking liquid, the butter or margarine, and additional salt and pepper to taste. Using a potato masher, mash the ingredients together, until well combined. Taste for seasonings. Serve in rimmed soup bowls.

Apple and Barley Pudding, by Claire Criscuolo, RN

Serves 8

6 Eggs, or equivalent egg substitute
½ Cup granulated sugar
6 Cups plain soy milk or dairy milk
1 Teaspoon pure vanilla
1/4 Cup wheat germ
2 ½ Teaspoons cinnamon, divided
½ Teaspoon nutmeg
3 Baking apples, Rome or other, cut into a small dice
1 ½ Cups cooked pearled barley, cooked according to package directions, drained
½ Cup currants or golden raisins
1/4 Cup dried cherries or cranberries

Center the over rack. Pre heat the oven to 350 degrees. In a bowl, whisk together the eggs and the sugar, beating to blend. Whisk in the soy milk, vanilla, wheat germ, 1 ½ teaspoons of the cinnamon, and nutmeg, whisking until blended. Stir in the apples, cooked barley, currants, and dried cherries. Spray a 3 quart glass baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Pour the mixture into the prepared dish. Sprinkle the remaining teaspoon of cinnamon evenly over the pudding. Bake on the center oven rack for about 1 ½ hours until the center is set.