Inspired by traditional Irish colcannon, this dish is made with pureed cauliflower rather than mashed potatoes. Scallion, kale leaves, and parsley leaves are sautéed and stirred into the pureed cauliflower to create cauliflower colcannon. The colcannon is decorated with a shamrock naturally colored using kale and parsley stems.
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If you’re looking for a St Patrick’s Day food idea, this cauliflower colcannon could be it! I wish I can say the decision to use cauliflower rather than potatoes in this recipe were health-related, but it is not. It is actually due to laziness. Mashing potatoes is time-consuming and requires energy. After work, I just want to press a button and make dinner happen. That’s not possible with mashed potatoes (at least not with a blender), as potatoes turn gummy when overworked and can easily be overworked in a blender.

Cauliflower, on the other hand, CAN be “mashed” in a blender. It is low in starch and thus won’t turn gummy. The consistency is lighter and more like a puree than mashed potatoes. I think it’s great for a quick and easy weekday meal, but I’m not sure I would serve it at a party where people have a certain expectation for mashed potatoes.

Preparation

Cut the cauliflower into florets.
Cut scallions lengthwise, and then mince crosswise.
Remove kale leaves from steam and chop the leaves for use. Chop the stems and set aside for decoration.
Remove parsley leaves from steam and chop the leaves for use. Chop the stems and set aside for decoration.

Cauliflower Colcannon

Steam cauliflower using a steaming basket placed in a saucepan with 1 cup water. Cover with lid and cook on medium heat for 5 – 8 minutes until cauliflower is tender and slightly translucent.

 

Melt vegan butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add the scallions and sauté until fragrant. Add the kale leaves and vegetable broth; cover with lid and cook until the liquid has mostly evaporated, then uncover and sauté until wilted yet still green. Turn off heat and stir in parsley.

 

Pour any excess vegan butter from the sautéed greens into a blender. Add the cauliflower florets to the blender and puree. Drizzle in coconut milk, as needed, for the blender to run smoothly.
Put 3½ cups mashed cauliflower into a serving dish and mix in the sautéed greens. Season the colcannon with salt and pepper.

Shamrock Decoration

Puree all the “Shamrock Decoration” ingredients in a blender. Add vegetable broth, as needed, for the blender to run smoothly.
Drop three 1 tablespoon scoops of the green puree onto the cauliflower colcannon to form a triangle. Measure 1 teaspoon of the green puree and drop it a few inches below the triangle formation. (You can use 1 tablespoon/1 teaspoon cookie scoops or melon ballers for this step.)

 

Place the back of a clean spoon onto a green dollop and drag from the outside inwards. Do this twice for the larger dollops to create a heart shape, and once for the smaller dollop to create a raindrop shape.

 

Use the edge of a clean spoon to form two arcs on the outside of each large dollop to create the shamrock leaves. Use the back of the spoon to shape the bottom of the smaller dollop into a rectangular stem.

 

Define each shamrock leaf with a toothpick or scribe tool. Start the toothpick on the outside and drag inwards towards the center.

 

 

Shamrock Cauliflower Colcannon

  • Author:

    Tiffany Makes

  • Inspired by traditional Irish colcannon, this dish is made with pureed cauliflower rather than mashed potatoes. Scallion, kale leaves, and parsley leaves are sautéed and stirred into the pureed cauliflower to create cauliflower colcannon. The colcannon is decorated with a shamrock naturally colored using kale and parsley stems.

  • Shamrock Cauliflower Colcannon

  • Diet:

    Gluten Free, Nut Free, Soy Free, Vegan

  • Yield:

    4 cups cauliflower colcannon

  • Prep time:

  • Cook time:

  • Idle time:

  • Decoration time:

  • Total time:

Ingredients

Cauliflower Colcannon

  • 6 cups cauliflower florets or 1 head cauliflower – cut into florets
  • ½ cup vegan butter
  • ½ cup (about 3) scallions – minced
  • 2 cups (about 6) kale leaves – stems trimmed, chopped
  • ½ cup (120 mL) vegetable broth/water
  • ⅛ cup (2 US tbsp) fresh parsley – stems trimmed, chopped
  • ¼ cup (120 mL) full fat coconut milk – as needed
  • ½ tsp sea salt
  • ⅛ tsp ground black pepper

Shamrock Decoration

  • ½ cup cauliflower colcannon
  • ½ cup kale stems
  • 3 tsp (1 US tbsp) parsley stems
  • 3 tsp (1 US tbsp) vegetable broth/water – as needed

Equipment

  • Cutting board
  • Kitchen knife
  • Measuring cups
  • Measuring spoons
  • Saucepan with lid
  • Steaming basket
  • Skillet with lid
  • Tongs
  • Blender/food processor
  • Serving dish
  • Spoon
  • Toothpick/scribe tool

Instructions

Preparation

  1. Cut the cauliflower into florets.
  2. Cut scallions lengthwise, and then mince crosswise.
  3. Remove kale leaves from steam and chop the leaves for use. Chop the stems and set aside for decoration.
  4. Remove parsley leaves from steam and chop the leaves for use. Chop the stems and set aside for decoration.

Cauliflower Colcannon

  1. Steam cauliflower using a steaming basket placed in a saucepan with 1 cup water. Cover with lid and cook on medium heat for 5 – 8 minutes until cauliflower is tender and slightly translucent.
  2. Melt vegan butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add the scallions and sauté until fragrant. Add the kale leaves and vegetable broth; cover with lid and cook until the liquid has mostly evaporated, then uncover and sauté until wilted yet still green. Turn off heat and stir in parsley.
  3. Pour any excess vegan butter from the sautéed greens into a blender. Add the cauliflower florets to the blender and puree. Drizzle in coconut milk, as needed, for the blender to run smoothly.
  4. Put 3½ cups mashed cauliflower into a serving dish and mix in the sautéed greens. Season the colcannon with salt and pepper.

Shamrock Decoration

  1. Puree all the “Shamrock Decoration” ingredients in a blender. Add vegetable broth, as needed, for the blender to run smoothly.
  2. Drop three 1 tablespoon scoops of the green puree onto the cauliflower colcannon to form a triangle. Measure 1 teaspoon of the green puree and drop it a few inches below the triangle formation. (You can use 1 tablespoon/1 teaspoon cookie scoops or melon ballers for this step.)
  3. Place the back of a clean spoon onto a green dollop and drag from the outside inwards. Do this twice for the larger dollops to create a heart shape, and once for the smaller dollop to create an upside down teardrop.
  4. Use the edge of a clean spoon to form two arcs on the outside of each large dollop to create the shamrock leaves. Use the back of the spoon to shape the bottom of the smaller dollop into a rectangular stem.
  5. Define each shamrock leaf with a toothpick or scribe tool. Start the toothpick on the outside and drag inwards towards the center.

Notes

  • Traditional Irish Colcannon is made with potatoes, not cauliflower. Cauliflower is used as a lighter, healthier alternative.
  • The vegan butter used was Earth Balance’s Organic Whipped Buttery Spread.
  • When putting on the shamrock decoration, use your spoon to help scoop out the green puree from the measuring spoons.