Meatless Monday - silverbeet colcannon

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As usual, I call things stuff, but they're rarely the legitimate, traditional recipe. It's just easier to do that than be specific. Silverbeet and onion mixed with mashed potato doesn't really conjure the same instant recognition as saying colcannon does.

All that aside, this week I was looking to be more mindful with my food use and not let things to to waste because I haven't eaten them in time. My silverbeet from the farmer's markets was wilting slightly and while I think it's too strong to eat on its own, I didn't have the inclination or the feta to bake it into a pie like I normally would. So I put it in mashed potato. And I ate the whole lot, by myself, in one day.

What? I'm pregnant. I'm allowed.

I also ate a lot of tiramisu birthday cake. Let's never speak of it again.

So here's my "use what you've got instead of buying more crap" colcannon. Now that's a catchy title!

Ingredients
4 potatoes, peeled and diced.
2 bunch silverbeet, thick core cut out and leaves shredded
1 clove garlic, peeled
1/2 small onion
1 tablespoon butter
1/4 cup milk
salt and pepper

Directions:
1. Boil the potatoes and garlic clove until tender.

2. Throw in the silverbeet and cook 2-3 minutes until tender.

4. Drain all and place back on low heat. Move veggies to one side and pour in the milk. When bubbling, take off heat, add butter and mash.

5. Add more milk if needed, stir in onion and season to taste. If you prefer your onion cooked, put in with either the potatoes or the silverbeet. Or you can use spring onion, but I didn't have any.

6. Serve with extra butter on top. What? I'm pregnant. I'm allowed.


Enjoy, Claire!


Linky bitz...

♥ The linky will be up at 9am every Monday morning, and will stay up until the following Sunday. It doesn't matter if you eat your meal on a day other than Monday - it's just an easy day to create the link
♥ Grab the Meatless Monday button above and put it in your post, and even on your sidebar if you're feeling generous.
♥ Visit at least one other blogger and leave some love. This is so much more cool if we're in it together
Where it says "Name", you might like to add the name of your dish instead or as well.

Meatless Monday: Honey-Soy Sesame Saute

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I stole this idea from someone many years ago who was struggling on a very restrictive diet, and who wasn't overly excited by the amount of vegetables they had to eat. As someone who would happily down a bowl of steamed broccoli without a glance at the condiment cupboard, I was intrigued at how they tried to dress up their veg in order to make it palatable. Just about the only condiment they were allowed was balsamic vinegar... I could drink the stuff, but they weren't feeling it.

So part of their strategy was to saute their veg in various substances to give it a bit of extra flavour.

I have taken that idea and ran with it many times over the last few years, and I'm happy to say that although it takes a bit longer than throwing some veg in a steamer in the microwave (guilty), it is truly delicious.

You could use it as a side dish, or add some tofu or beans or faux-meat strips to make a stir-fry. I sometimes just eat it on it's own, but it does benefit from having some protein if you want to stay fuller for longer.

Ingredients:
various chopped green veg - I used bok choy, zucchini, broccoli (including the big green stem - it's amazing!), celery and spinach in this picture
something to break up the green - I used corn, but red capsicum is good, too
1 onion, sliced
2-3 cloves garlic
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon sesame seeds

Directions:

1. Saute onion and garlic gently with the sturdier of your veg - broccoli and zucchini, etc, until onion is soft.

2. Add softer veg and ensure heat is reasonably low. Add sauces and stir, then pop the lid on for 2 minutes or so to make sure the broccoli is cooked through

3. Serve, sprinkled with sesame seeds.


This is also really good with a little stock. And chilli. And sometimes rice vinegar. Options are endless!

Linky bitz...

♥ The linky will be up at 9am every Monday morning, and will stay up until the following Sunday. It doesn't matter if you eat your meal on a day other than Monday - it's just an easy day to create the link!

♥ Grab the Meatless Monday button above and put it in your post, and even on your sidebar if you're feeling generous.

♥ Visit at least one other blogger and leave some love. This is so much more cool if we're in it together!

Where it says "Name", you might like to add the name of your dish instead or as well.