St. Patrick's Day Food

I normally don't post on weekends, but since today is St. Patrick's Day, I wanted to get some good Irish food here. Here are six recipes to help you through your St. Patrick's Day, including Corned Beef and Cabbage and Irish Mint Brownies. Enjoy!

CORNED BEEF AND CABBAGE

This is from the FamilyTime e-newsletter. It begins, “Everyone is Irish on St. Patrick's Day! Celebrate with this traditional boiled meal and don't forget about it on other days of the year. Always delicious!” Serves: 6; Prep Time: 20 minutes; Cook Time: 3 hours

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

3 pounds corned beef, or brisket

4 cloves garlic

1 teaspoon black peppercorns

6 medium-size onions

6 medium-size potatoes, scrubbed

6 medium-size carrots, peeled and trimmed

1 green cabbage, trimmed and cut into 6 wedges

Directions

Put the beef in a large, heavy pan or pot with enough cold water to cover it by 1 inch. Add the garlic and peppercorns, bring to the boil and then reduce the heat to low. Cover and cook gently for about 3 hours until the beef is tender but not falling apart.

About 20 minutes before beef is done, add the onions, potatoes, carrots and cabbage and continue cooking until they are just tender.

Remove the beef and transfer it to a serving platter. Cover and keep warm.

Increase the heat under the saucepan to moderately high and cook for 10 to 15 minutes longer until the vegetables are tender. Arrange the vegetables on the platter around the beef. Serve immediately with pickles, horseradish and mustard.

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

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

IRISH MINT BROWNIES

This comes from Linda Larsen, About.com's Busy Cooks expert. She writes, “These fabulous brownies with a rich mint topping are perfect for St. Patrick's Day or anytime. I like to bake these brownies in a 9" round cake pan and cut it into wedges for a slightly fancier presentation.” Prep Time: 20 minutes; Cook Time: 25 minutes; Yields 16 brownies.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 Tbsp. water

1/4 cup fudge ice cream topping

1/2 cup sugar

2 eggs

3/4 cup flour

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. salt

1/2 cup cocoa

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1 tub vanilla ready to spread frosting

1/2 tsp. peppermint extract

Few drops green food coloring

1 cup powdered sugar

2 Tbsp. cocoa

1-1/2 Tbsp. water

2 Tbsp. butter

1/2 tsp. vanilla

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In heavy saucepan, melt butter with brown sugar and water. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly, and boil for 1 minute. Remove from heat and blend in fudge topping with wire whisk. Add sugar, beating well. Then add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add flour, baking powder, salt, and cocoa and mix well. Stir in 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips. Spray bottom of 9x9" square cake pan with baking spray containing flour. Spread batter evenly in prepared pan. Bake at 350 degrees F for 20-25 minutes or until just set. Cool completely.

In small bowl combine frosting, green food coloring, and mint extract and beat well until frosting is evenly colored. Spread over brownies in pan.

In medium bowl, combine powdered sugar and cocoa and mix with wire whisk. In microwave safe bowl, combine 2 Tbsp. butter and 1-1/2 Tbsp. water and microwave for 30-45 seconds until butter melts. Add to powdered sugar mixture and beat with wire whisk until smooth. Stir in vanilla. You may need to add more water to reach a pouring consistency. Then carefully pour this frosting over the green frosting and gently spread to cover. Don't worry if some of the chocolate frosting mixes with the green frosting; that just looks pretty!

MASHED POTATOES WITH CHIVES

I absolutely love potatoes, especially mashed. This comes from the March 2008 issue of Vegetarian Times, and begins, “It really isn’t an Irish dinner unless there are potatoes. These can be served as a side dish, or combined with a stew to make a cottage pie: Simply place the stew in a pie dish, spread the potatoes on top, and place under the broiler until the potatoes are browned.” Serves 2 in 30 minutes or less.

To view this online, click here.

1 lb. Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch slices

3/4 cup low-fat milk

1 1/2 Tbs. butter

3 Tbs. finely chopped chives

1/4 tsp. grated nutmeg

Place potatoes in medium pot and cover with 1 inch water. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium, and simmer 8 to 10 minutes, or until potatoes are tender. Drain, and put potatoes through ricer or mash in medium bowl.

Heat milk and butter in small saucepan until butter is melted. Stir into potatoes along with chives and nutmeg. Season with salt and pepper.

nutritional information Per SERVING: Calories: 331; Protein: 8 g; Total Fat: 10 g; Saturated Fat: 6 g; Carbohydrates: 55 g; Cholesterol: 27 mg; Sodium: 404 mg; Fiber: 5 g; Sugar: 7 g; Gluten-Free