Me, my cousin, and my sisters in Dublin.
Since I paid homage to my dad's side of the family last week by making German food, I decided to try something I haven't cooked or eaten before last night: Irish food. You would never know from looking at me, but my mom comes from a big Irish family. We celebrated St. Patrick's Day every year, but I never had much appreciation for my Irish heritage--until I went there last Thanksgiving.
I honestly wasn't that excited about going. I'd just moved and finished up working on a campaign, and I was burned out. But it turned out to be the best trip I've ever taken. We spent a few days in Dublin, where my cousin Molly was studying abroad at the time, then went out west to Galway. It was more beautiful than I expected, and the people--customs officers, cab drivers, even the cops--were incredibly friendly.
If you ever go to Ireland, go on a tour. It doesn't matter what kind of tour, as long as you get a local guide. The Irish have a very vivid manner of speaking and are natural storytellers. We went on an 8-hour bus tour of the Connemara region of western Ireland, and it was unforgettable.
If you ever go to Ireland, go on a tour. It doesn't matter what kind of tour, as long as you get a local guide. The Irish have a very vivid manner of speaking and are natural storytellers. We went on an 8-hour bus tour of the Connemara region of western Ireland, and it was unforgettable.
My sister at one of the bus tour stops.
I'm happily married now, but I also think Dublin would be an ideal place for a single girls' week. There's tons of upscale shopping, and the bar scene was so much fun. And while I've heard women complain that in other European countries they've had to put up with a lot of gross dudes who leer and grope, Irish guys aren't like that. American men do all sorts of weird, indirect things to get women's attention in bars--there's an entire industry devoted to teaching men how to play mind games and act like a jerk to get women to like them!--but Irish guys will come right up to you and strike up a conversation, and they don't hold back or act cocky. They'll say things like "you're so beautiful, I wanted to buy you a drink."
The only thing I didn't enjoy was the food. Since I was still a picky eater at the time, I refused to try any of the stews or fish, which are menu staples over there. I ended up eating sandwiches the whole week, and managed to find the only McDonald's in Galway to get lunch. Twice.
So, to make up for it, I made a traditional Irish dish last night: Shepherd's pie. But this being a healthy eating blog, I switched out the usual white mashed potatoes for sweet potatoes and ground beef for ground turkey breast.
Mashed potatoes are yet another food that gets labeled a "no-no" for weight loss, and it's true that white potatoes have a lot of empty calories. (In fact, they're so lacking in nutritional value, government programs that pay for food assistance cover every vegetable except white potatoes.) But sweet potatoes are packed with nutrients, especially Vitamin A, and are considered a super food.
The other vegetables in this dish make it high in nutrients and fiber and low in calories.
Ingredients:
1 pound of lean ground beef or ground turkey breast
2 large sweet potatoes, peeled (you can also use a carton of premade mashed sweet potatoes to save time)
1/4 cup fat-free milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chopped white onion
1 1/4 cups coarsely chopped zucchini
1 cup chopped carrots
1/2 cup frozen whole kernel corn, thawed
1/4 cup water
1 and 1/4 cups beef broth
2 tablespoons of ketchup
2 tablespoons of flour
Directions:
1. Boil the peeled potatoes for 20 minutes or until soft. Beat with an electric mixer to mash, mixing in milk and salt. Set aside.
2. In a skillet, cook the turkey and onion until meat is browned. Stir zucchini, carrots, corn, and the water into meat mixture. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat. Simmer, cover, for 5 to 10 minutes or until vegetables are tender.
3. Add ketchup and cook, stirring, for one minute. Add in the flour and stir. Gradually add in broth and cook until the meat mixture is thickened.
4. Pour the meat-vegetable mixture into a casserole dish, then cover with the mashed potatoes. Bake for 20 minutes or until heated through.
The finished product:
My husband isn't Irish, and he liked it.
Ingredients:
1 pound of lean ground beef or ground turkey breast
2 large sweet potatoes, peeled (you can also use a carton of premade mashed sweet potatoes to save time)
1/4 cup fat-free milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chopped white onion
1 1/4 cups coarsely chopped zucchini
1 cup chopped carrots
1/2 cup frozen whole kernel corn, thawed
1/4 cup water
1 and 1/4 cups beef broth
2 tablespoons of ketchup
2 tablespoons of flour
Directions:
1. Boil the peeled potatoes for 20 minutes or until soft. Beat with an electric mixer to mash, mixing in milk and salt. Set aside.
2. In a skillet, cook the turkey and onion until meat is browned. Stir zucchini, carrots, corn, and the water into meat mixture. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat. Simmer, cover, for 5 to 10 minutes or until vegetables are tender.
3. Add ketchup and cook, stirring, for one minute. Add in the flour and stir. Gradually add in broth and cook until the meat mixture is thickened.
4. Pour the meat-vegetable mixture into a casserole dish, then cover with the mashed potatoes. Bake for 20 minutes or until heated through.
The finished product:
My husband isn't Irish, and he liked it.
Served with a very un-Irish side of mangoes, papaya, strawberries, and pineapple.
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