Nothing says Saint Patrick’s day like the color green. Green clothes, green hats, green drinks, and yes green food! Here are a few new ideas on how to add a little green to your Saint Patrick’s day menu.
First we’ll start with some quick & easy ideas to add a little green to many everyday food items.
GREEN SUGAR
Add 3 Tbls of sugar to a plastic bag. Add two to three drops of green food dye to the sugar. Work the dye through by kneading the plastic bag until the dye is distributed.
Use your imagination and add a little green to anything you would sprinkle sugar on- breakfast cereal, oatmeal, cookies, breads, etc.
GREEN PASTA, POTATOES, RICE
No need to buy expensive pre-colored specialties, just add green food dye to the water used to cook your pasta, potatoes or rice and they will develop a lovely hue while they cook.
GREEN BUTTER
Melt butter in microwave or on stove top. Add green food dye and mix well. Add to your green water prepared pasta, rice, potatoes, to greater enhance their color. Alternately, brush on bread, toast, pita or tortillas. Sprinkle with garlic powder for an extra kick and cut with a shamrock cookie cutter to take it over the top!
Now, here are some recipes for holiday themed, green food.
SHAMROCK PANCAKES
Ingredients:
Frozen or Fresh Pancakes or waffles
Large Shamrock cookie cutter
Green Sugar
Make fresh or prepare frozen pancakes or waffles. Use a large shamrock cookie cutter to create a shamrock shape and sprinkle lightly with green sugar.
LUNCH/DINNER/PARTY FOODS
THE LEPRECHAN’S BOWTIE PASTA SALAD
Green Food Dye
One Pound (16oz) of Bowtie or Farfalle Pasta
8-10 ice cubes
1 cup fresh parsley
2 cloves of garlic
¼ cup lemon juice
2 Tbls of wine vinegar
¾ cup olive oil
1 6oz can of black olives sliced
1 cup celery finely diced
1 cup of ham finely diced
½ cup shredded parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste
2 green onions sliced for garnish
Cook pasta in 5 quarts of salted water to which 15 to 20 drops of green food color has been added. In the meantime, place parsley, oil, lemon juice and garlic in food processor or blender and liquefy. Drain cooked pasta and place 8-10 ice cubes in the colander with the pasta to help cool the pasta and keep it from sticking. Place drained pasta in a large bowl and add the parsley mixture. Mix well. Toss in the olives, celery, ham and parmesan cheese. Add salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with sliced green onions and refrigerate at least one hour for flavors to blend.
EMERALD ISLE CHICKEN SALAD WRAPS
2 cups of cooked chicken breast (diced)
½ cup celery finely chopped
¼ cup onion finely minced
½ cup of mayonnaise
Green Food Dye
Salt and Pepper to taste
4 Spinach Wraps
4 Romaine Lettuce Leaves
Add 4-5 drops of green food dye to the mayonnaise and mix well. Put diced chicken, celery and onion in a bowl and add dyed mayonnaise. Add salt and pepper to taste. Refrigerate at least one hour for flavors to blend. To assemble, place lettuce leaves on spinach wraps and add a thin layer of the colored chicken salad on top of lettuce. Tightly roll the wraps and cut into 11/2 inch slices. Arrange on a platter to display the festive
green color inside and out!
Note: If you can’t find spinach wraps, you can color plain wraps by adding 5 drops of green food dye to ¼ cup of water and lightly brush over both sides of wrap.
LUCK OF THE IRISH GREEN PEPPER PIZZAS
1 can Pillsbury roll out pizza dough
1 large and long green bell pepper
1 cups Italian blend or mozerella shredded cheese
½ cup minced fresh parsley
garlic powder
olive oil
9×13 baking pan
Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. Spray pan with cooking spray. Roll out dough press into .prepared pan. Drizzle olive oil on the crust and rub-in with fingers. Sprinkle with garlic powder and the shredded cheese. Set aside.
Cut peppers width wise into ¼ inch rings starting at the non-stem end. Notice how the rings have a natural shamrock shape. Place six rings on the pizza making 2 rows of three. Cut small triangle from the end pieces to create a stem for the shamrock and put in place on the pizza. Sprinkle some minced parsley inside the pepper ring to color in the shamrock. Drizzle lightly with olive oil and bake about 15-18 minutes until the crust and cheese turn golden.
SAINT PATTY’S PESTO PARTY TOAST
1 cup fresh basil
2 cloves garlic
¼ cup olive oil plus 2 Tbls
¼. Set aside.
Remove bread loaf from package and cut a large shamrock in each slice with the cookie cutter. Toast the shamrock slices in a toaster or conventional oven.
Spread each shamrock toast with the pesto sauce and sprinkle with the shredded cheese. Place toast pieces on a cookie sheet and run quickly under the broiler just until cheese is melted.
GREEN KISSED SUGAR COOKIES
24 Sugar cookies
1 cup chocolate chips
Wax paper
Green decorations like mini green m&m;’s, green sprinkles, green sugar
Melt chocolate in microwave at 50% power stirring after 1 minute intervals. Continue until all of the morsels have melted.
Dip ½ of each cookie in the chocolate and place on the wax paper. While chocolate is still wet, sprinkle with green decorations.
THE LEPRECHAN’S TOP HAT CUPCAKES
Prepare 22 cupcakes. Frost 18 with green icing, 3 with black or chocolate icing and 1 with a bright yellow icing. Arrange on a large tray by placing 6 green cupcakes on the bottom row. This will be the hat’s rim. Next you will make the strap and buckle by indenting the next row one space then placing 2 black iced, then one yellow iced followed by one more black iced. Above the strap row, place a row of four green cup cupcakes and then make two more rows of green cupcakes above that. Your Leprechan’s hat is complete!
ONE OTHER QUICK IDEA….Add green food dye to your favorite rice crispy treats recipe right after the butter has melted. Finish preparing as usual then cut into squares, top hats, or, you guessed it, shamrocks!
BEVERAGE IDEAS
Add green food coloring to milk, milkshakes, apple or grape juice, lemonade, sprite, clear Capri Sun, and Kool-aid. Also, also several store bought brands like Gatorade have a green colored offering.
Enjoy and Happy Saint Patrick’s day!!
