A few weeks ago I rediscovered my first vegan cookbook—The Vegetarian Manifesto—complete with helpful notes from my early experiments with cooking in college (“really good,” “not good,” “somewhat good…?”). Skimming the pages revealed that I’ve always preferred brunch and dessert recipes, and my experiments with dinner components are still relatively rare. Still, a recipe for Colcannon caught my eye, since I had all the ingredients and it sounded interesting, so I decided to give it a try.

Mashed potatoes plus.

Colcannon is a traditional Irish dish that I’ve never heard of. It turned out to be delicious, and as a bonus, I’m happy to report that I’m beginning to sort out the “salt to taste” issue. (Salt + coconut milk = buttery + awesome.) Supposedly it’s a side dish, but it made a nice light dinner for a few nights. So the recipe cost a relatively inexpensive $5, but it only made three good-sized servings.

Based on the standard Manhattan large soup price of $6, let’s say I saved $13. I’ve decided it should go to Farm Sanctuary, which is just what it sounds like—a sanctuary for rescued farm animals. I’ve donated to them before, since I think protecting and advocating for farm animals is important. $13 isn’t much, but it’ll help support one lucky turkey, goose, or duck for a month. (I’m hoping for a duck.)