Colcannon with a Sweet Twist

I have wrote about colcannon previously and my previous blog post also featured Kale where I said my garden is still full of Kale which I grew over the Summer! 




So here is another Kale based recipe: Colcannon with a small twist! The twist being adding Sweet Potato!
It seriously makes the slightly bland looking Irish dish so much tastier and colourful, so give it a go! Here is how to make Colcannon.


Ingredients(Serves 2):

• 1 Large White Onion (Finely chopped).
• 5 Medium/Large Rooster Potatoes (Peeled and cut in half)
• 1 or 2 Large Sweet Potatoes.
• A Large bunch of Kale (as much as you like).
• Vegan Butter.
• Dairy Free Milk.
• Salt and Pepper.

How to Cook:

1. Place your sweet potato(s) in the microwave with the skin on and microwave until cooked. Takes about 5 mins. (The reason I don't boil them with the rest of the potatoes is because the sweet potato is very moist and boiling them makes them very wet). 
2. Peel and chop your potatoes and put them in a pot and cover with boiling water. Boil for about 20 minutes or until they are done. Drain and leave in pot when done.
3. While the potatoes are cooking wash your kale and remove the leafy part from the stem and place it in a bowl and put it in the microwave. Microwave for about 5 minutes or until soft. Add your onions on top of the kale about half way through to soften. 
4. Add your kale, onions and sweet potatoes(with skin peeled off) to your potatoes and mash it all up with lots of butter and a drop of milk!
5. Add salt and pepper and serve with buttered bread(trust me it's the best way to serve colcannon).

Enjoy!

Savage Kale, Coriander, Lentil and Vegetable Soup

My small vegetable patch which I filled with homegrown vegetables over the Summer is still delivering the goods. With kale at it's post autumny peak and carrots still good in the ground, I decided to throw them all into a soup. With that, I also have some thin coriander plants growing left over from the Summer too. Although thin and barely resembling the coriander herb, they seriously pack a pungent coriander punch!

Kale growing in my garden.

Weedy but powerful coriander, 

So here is a recipe I put together with a base of vegetables and greens fresh from my garden; a kale, coriander, carrot, sweet potato, butternut squash and lentil soup! Or more simply put a Kale and Vegetable soup.

This soup is packed with good stuff, really easy to make and of course super tasty!

Ingredients

• 1 White Onion
• 3 Cloves of Garlic
• 2 Sweet Potatoes
• Half a Butternut Squash
• 1 Carrot
• 3/4 Kale Leaves
• Bunch of Coriander (or as much as you want)
• 2 Handfuls of Puy Lentils
• 2 Handfuls of Red Lentils
• Vegetable Stock
• 4 Pints of Water

Ingredients.

1. Chop all of the vegetables into to small chunks and put aside.

2. Throw your chopped onion into a pot and sauté until soft.

3. Throw in the rest of the vegetables and sauté for about 10 mins.

4. Add your stock and water and add the lentils.

5. Cook until the vegetables are soft. 

6. Add the chopped Kale and coriander and cook for another 10 mins or until the kale is cooked. 

And some pretty sick looking but tasty soup!