Naturally Green Recipes for a St. Patrick’s Day Spread—No Food Coloring Needed-
Using green ingredients in unique preparations will leave you with delicious and colorful dishes that don’t require additives.
The following written content by Magdalena O’Neal
We are all familiar with the celebratory green foods that fill party spreads and appear on the menus of our favorite restaurants come St. Patrick’s Day. So many of these recipes rely on a few drops of food coloring to turn things like beers, dips, and desserts a bright (and artificial) emerald shade.
This year, opt for a better-for-you spread that’s green and eye-catching all on its own—no dye needed. By using items like matcha, spinach, avocados, and herbs, you can garner an equally dynamic color without compromising the flavor or purity of ingredients.
If you want to add some pops of color to dishes that might not be green on their own, like grilled chicken or steak, make a quick salsa verde or guacamole to serve alongside to incorporate the lucky shade. Dishes like halibut baked in green salsa make for a great on-theme entree as well as a delicate and flavor-packed way to prepare the flakey white fish.
Matcha could make an appearance in two different drink preparations, one with a sake base, and the other in a nonalcoholic beverage that combines coconut cream and lime with the finely ground tea leaves.
For dessert, we revisit using matcha in a whoopie pie recipe in which it is mixed into the cream filling. And for a surprising savory item turned sweet, avocados are combined with cream cheese, powdered sugar, lemon, and vanilla to create a stunning filling in a dark chocolate tart topped with pistachios.
With all of these recipes in your back pocket, creating a green menu for St. Patrick’s Day is easier than ever!
Drinks
Cucumber Smoothies
Yogurt drinks are popular across the Middle East and South Asia, and combines flavors like mango and rose in blended beverages. To give them a light green makeover, we make ours with puréed cucumber and herbs, plus a spritz of club soda. Read more from Sunset Magazine.
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