Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day With Your Favorite Greens

On Saint Patrick’s Day, the color green is totally unavoidable. Everyone is decked out in green outfits, shamrocks are everywhere, and of course the inevitable green food coloring comes out. But what if we said “enough is enough” to fake green foods and embraced the natural greens that are actually good for us? Now that would be one tasty tradition worth celebrating! Maybe it’s time to take a step outside the norm and explore some meals that can make your holiday a little more exciting.

Unleash the flavor of arugula pesto chicken.

This recipe includes a couple different greens, from A (arugula) to Z (zucchini).

Ingredients:

• 4 cups fresh arugula
• 1 cup fresh basil leaves
• 1/4 cup pine nuts
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt, divided
• 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon olive oil, divided
• 4 zucchinis
• 1 skinned and shredded rotisserie chicken
• 1 cup chopped roma tomatoes
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• Grated Asiago cheese

Instructions:

1. Combine arugula, basil, pine nuts, garlic and 1 teaspoon of salt in a food processor.
2. Pulse until blended, and add 1/4 cup olive oil until mixture is smooth. Here’s your pesto!
3. Spiralize or shred zucchini lengthwise into long pasta-like strands.
4. In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat.
5. Add zucchini strands and chicken. Cook while stirring until zucchini is crispy and tender.
6. Remove from heat.
7. Toss with tomatoes, pesto, pepper and ½ teaspoon of salt.
8. Sprinkle with Asiago cheese.

Get down with some green pea and feta salad.

It’s quick, simple and tasty. This recipe will have you saying “more peas please!”

Ingredients:

• 2 bags frozen green peas
• ¼ cup sliced red onion
• ¼ cup fresh mint leaves
• 2 ½ tablespoons olive oil
• Kosher salt to taste
• Fresh ground black pepper
• ¾ cup feta cheese
• ¼ cup toasted pine nuts

Instructions:

1. Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil and add green peas.
2. Cook for about 2 minutes and drain in a colander.
3. Run peas under cold water and drain well. Dry peas with a paper towel.
4. Add peas to a large serving bowl with remaining ingredients except feta and pine nuts. Toss until evenly coated.
5. Gently stir in feta and pine nuts.

Become a bread-baking master with this hatch chile wheat bread.

Here’s an easy (and delicious) way to impress your friends — and the recipe isn’t even that difficult!

Ingredients for dough:

• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• 2 ½ cups white all-purpose flour
• 2 ¼ teaspoons instant yeast
• 3 large eggs
• 2 tablespoons honey
• ½ cup olive oil
• ½ cup warm whole milk
• ½ cup warm water
• 1 teaspoon salt

Ingredients for hatch chile spread:

• 4 roasted hatch green chiles
• 1 garlic clove
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ cup olive oil

Instructions:

1. Combine both flours with the yeast in a large bowl.
2. In a separate bowl, whisk the rest of the ingredients together until evenly mixed.
3. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix in a stand mixer at medium speed. Change to high once everything starts to come together.
4. Scrape sides and sprinkle white flour as needed to mix until the dough is sticky.
5. Cover the bowl securely with a damp towel and let the dough rise for 1 hour.
6. Throw all the ingredients for the hatch chile spread in a food processor and puree. Done!
7. Once the dough has risen after an hour, sprinkle white flour on a surface and place the dough on it.
8. Roll the dough out to the approximate width and length of a loaf pan. Flatten to about ½ inch in thickness.
9. Spread the hatch green chile mixture on the top and roll it away from you.
10. Place the messy part of the dough at the bottom of the pan and bake for about 17 minutes.
11. Turn it around and bake for another 17 minutes or until golden brown on top.

Enjoy a good blend of goodies with a kale-based bowl.

When you have a hankering for something equal parts hearty and savory, you can’t go wrong with this bowl.

Ingredients:

• 1 ounce finely chopped thick-cut bacon
• ½ bunch kale, sliced
• ¼ cup sliced and halved cucumber
• ¼ cup halved cherry tomatoes
• ½ teaspoon red wine vinegar
• 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 cup cooked quinoa
• ½ avocado, sliced
• ½ teaspoon olive oil
• 1 large egg
• ⅛ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Instructions:

1. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat.
2. Add bacon and cook until browned and crispy.
3. Add kale and cook until kale starts to wilt.
4. Stir in tomatoes, vinegar and salt. Remove from heat.
5. Add quinoa to a bowl and top evenly with kale mixture.
6. Arrange avocado slices next to kale mixture.
7. Wipe pan down with a paper towel and return to medium heat.
8. Add oil to the pan, crack egg in the pan, cover and cook until whites are set.
9. Add egg to the top of the bowl.
10. Sprinkle with black pepper.

Find out why normal flapjacks are no match for these matcha coconut pancakes.

Stack ‘’em high and proud — you won’t be able to pinch these pancakes for not wearing green.

Ingredients:

• ⅓ cup coconut flour
• 1 tablespoon matcha green tea powder
• ¼ teaspoon baking powder
• 6 egg whites
• ½ cup buttermilk
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup

Instructions:

1. Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl and stir until properly blended.
2. Coat a non stick pan with butter and heat over medium-high heat.
3. When the pan is hot enough, pour about ¼ of a cup per pancake and cook until tops are bubbly and the edges look cooked.
4. Flip the pancakes (carefully) and cook until the second side is golden brown.

These recipes should give you a few different options to break out of your St. Patrick’s Day food slump — but there’s always room for more! What other naturally green foods do you like to eat? Is there a St. Paddy’s Day meal you look forward to every year? Let us know in the comments!