Get your green food coloring out, y'all, because everyone's favorite Irish holiday is right around the corner. Since I'm sure you will be dressing in head-to-toe emerald, wearing your shamrock pin, pinching your friends, hitting up the parades and going to the pub, one of the other most festive ways to get in touch with your inner leprechaun is to make way to the kitchen and prepare some beautifully green foods for St. Patrick's Day. So, put your (green) aprons on, my friends, because it's time to go all-out-Ireland.
Of course, the traditional corned beef and cabbage meal isn't exactly everyone's favorite dish (side note: I finally tried it last year for the first time, and guys, it's actually pretty darn good), but that's far from the only option on the table. Celebrating St Patrick's Day in the kitchen is all about getting creative with how you can make your favorite meals a little more green.
Whether you're bringing in something super sweet to share with your co-workers or classmates, or you just want to liven up your regular daily meals with an extra and oh-so-nutritious boost of natural green, these recipes are sure to leave you smiling like you just found a big pot o' gold.
I know, I know, it seems boring. But hey, sippin' on a smoothie of any kind is an awesome way to get a nice kickstart to your day, and it'll be especially good if you're going all out on the Guinness later, know what I mean?
Green up your smoothie with spinach, avocado, kale, and a little Swiss chard. Add a couple of your favorite fruits (perhaps kiwi, to stay on-theme?) for a sweetened flavor, and a milk of your choice for texture.
Honestly, this is something I'd make all year round, not just for St. Patrick's Day. But hey, it's green, and matcha is trendy AF at the moment, so there's no better time than now to whip up these delicious treats.
These guys are filled with delicious ingredients like coconut oil, peppermint extract, and cocoa, and the base for the matcha frosting is Greek yogurt. Is anyone else drooling uncontrollably right now, or is it just me?
Growing up, my mom always made us green pancakes before school on St. Patrick's Day, and it was one of the few things I looked forward to about the holiday every single year.
This pancake recipe goes extra Irish by adding some potato along with that hint o' green food coloring. The potato also adds some major fluff factor and nutritious sweetness to boot — yum.
OK, so this one might not seem all that festive at first, but think about just how many shades of green you can get into your lunch salad before you work your way over to all the green baked goods and beer.
Personally, my salads always include kale, spinach, arugula, avocado, pistachio nuts, a little roasted broccoli and some homemade green goddess dressing, like the above one from Dimitra's Dishes. For real, that dressing can take any salad to the next level.
You'll be the talk of the town with these darling and oh-so-easy shamrock pretzels.
Kellie from Pretty Little Bakers is very enthusiastic in the above tutorial about how delicious and simple her recipe is, since the only special ingredient you need, other than pretzels, is green "melts," which are basically just dyed, white chocolate buttons made for colorful candy-making. If you want to make them into pops, you'll need some lollipop sticks, too.
The real art here is arranging the pretzels to look like shamrocks after you've gotten them nice and dipped in green chocolate. Once that's done, arrange 'em on a baking sheet, wait until they harden completely, and indulge away.
This bad boy has all the rich deliciousness of red velvet cake — except, you know, it's green.
The recipe calls for buttermilk and vinegar to create that super fluffy, and yes, velvety texture of this ever-popular layer cake. Makin' it green is a St. Patty's Day dream come true, and of course, you can always add peppermint if that's your jam.
Can you say chocolate cookie graham cracker crust? Because I can.
The filling for this pie is sinfully sweet, featuring marshmallow fluff, crème de menthe syrup, and whipped cream. If you're feeling extra festive, you can add some Bailey's Irish cream for a boost of boozy flavor.
When you've got graham cracker, wafer, and a crushed-almond crust filled with cream cheese and key lime juice, what's not to love? Top it all off with a little whipped cream, and you've got yourself something super delicious and festive.
Enjoy, my little leprechauns!
