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Happy (early) St. Patrick’s Day!

We have your St. Patrick’s Day meals all planned for you! Eat Green all day with these delicious (AND HEALTHY) recipes!

For Breakfast – Homemade Green Pancakes!

Ingredients:

  • 5 cups spinach, washed (or use any greens like kale, watercress, etc.)
  • 3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 1-1/2 tablespoons baking powder
  • 1 large egg
  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
  • 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 2/3 cup milk
  • 2 tablespoons plain yogurt
  • 3 green onions, green parts only, finely sliced
  • 1 egg white
  • grapeseed oil

Directions:

  1. To make the green pancakes, wilt the spinach with a splash of water. Drain in a sieve, and when cool, squeeze as much excess water as you can from the spinach. Roughly chop and set aside.
  2. Put the flour, baking powder, whole egg, melted butter, salt, cumin, milk, and yogurt in a large mixing bowl. Whisk by hand until lumps are smoothed out.
  3. Add the green onions and spinach (or any green leafy vegetable of your choice) and mix until evenly dispersed.
  4. In another bowl, whisk the egg white with an electric mixer (or by hand, but this will take longer) until foamy, soft peaks form. Gently fold it into the green batter.
  5. Pour a small amount of oil into a heavy frying pan and place on medium heat.
  6. For each pancake, ladle 2 tablespoons of batter into the pan. The pancakes will be about 3 inches in diameter. You can do multiple pancakes at the same time. Cook for about 1 to 2 minutes per side, or until you get a good golden-green color.
  7. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towels to absorb excess grease. If possible, keep warm.
  8. Continue making pancakes until the batter is used up, adding oil to the pan as needed.

For Lunch – Cucumber Rolls with Grilled Chicken

Ingredients:

  • 2 cucumbers
  • 6 ounces of crumbled feta
  • 3 tablespoons Greek yogurt
  • 2 1/2 – 3 1/2 tablespoons finely diced sundried tomatoes or red bell pepper
  • 8 – 12 pitted kalamata olives, roughly chopped
  • 1 tablespoon roughly chopped dill or oregano
  • 2 teaspoons lemon juice
  • pinch of pepper, or to taste

Directions:

  1. Season the chicken with salt, pepper, basil, garlic, and lemon juice.
  2. Thinly slice the cucumbers longways with a vegetable peeler.
  3. Lay the cucumbers on top of a paper towel-lined cutting board while you prepare the filling.
  4. Add the feta and yogurt to a medium bowl. Mash to combine using a fork. Add the bell pepper or sun-dried tomatoes, olives, dill, lemon, and pepper to the bowl. Stir well to combine. In a bowl, mash the feta using a fork.
  5. Place 1 – 2 teaspoons of the mixture at one end of a cucumber strip and roll it up. Secure with a toothpick. Repeat with the remaining strips. If not serving immediately, chill until ready to serve.
  6. Grill the chicken.

Another delicious green lunch option – Green Pizza

Ingredients:

  • 1 pound prepared pizza dough, preferably whole-wheat – Trader Joe’s has a great whole-wheat pizza dough
  • 2 cups chopped broccoli florets
  • ¼ cup water
  • 5 ounces arugula, any tough stems removed, chopped (about 6 cups)
  • Pinch of salt
  • Freshly ground pepper to taste
  • ½ cup prepared pesto
  • 1 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

Directions:

  1. Position the oven rack in the lowest position; preheat to 450°F. Coat a large baking sheet with cooking spray.
  2. Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface to about the size of the baking sheet. Transfer to the baking sheet. Bake until puffed and lightly crisped on the bottom, 8 to 10 minutes.
  3. While the dough is baking, cook broccoli and water in a large skillet over medium heat, covered until the broccoli is crisp-tender, about 3 minutes. Stir in arugula and cook, stirring, until wilted, 1 to 2 minutes more. Season with salt and pepper.
  4. Remove pizza dough from the oven, spread pesto evenly over the crust, top with the broccoli mixture, and sprinkle with cheese. Bake until crispy and golden and the cheese is melted, 8 to 10 minutes.

For dinner – Green Mac and Cheese

Ingredients:

  • 1 lb macaroni noodles – use whole wheat!
  • 2 Tablespoons butter
  • 1 yellow onion, minced
  • 1 jalapeno pepper, minced
  • 6 cups packed fresh spinach
  • ½ cup boiling water
  • ½ cup butter
  • ½ cup flour
  • 2 cups milk
  • 8 ounces white cheddar, grated
  • 8 ounces fontina, grated
  • Kosher salt to taste

Directions:

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
  2. In a large pot of salted boiling water, cook the macaroni until just shy of al dente (about 6 minutes). Drain and rinse with cold water. Set aside. **Before draining pasta, remove ½ cup of boiling water for the spinach)
  3. In a small pan, melt the butter and add the onions and jalapeno. Let them gently cook over medium-low heat for 7-10 minutes. Set aside.
  4. In the jar of a blender, add the 6 cups of spinach and the boiling water. You probably need to use a spoon to push the spinach down. Blend to a fine, bright green puree.
  5. In the pot that you used to cook the pasta, melt the butter and add the flour. Stir until smooth and cook over low heat for about 1 minute.
  6. Add the milk and stir until very smooth. Simmer for about 1-2 minutes until slightly thickened.
  7. Add the cheese and stir and stir until melted, very smooth, and thickened.
  8. Add the spinach puree and stir until smooth. Season to taste with Kosher salt.
  9. Pour the pasta into the pot of sauce, add the onions and jalapeno, and toss until everything is well combined.
  10. Pour the macaroni into a 9x13x2” baking dish. Bake for 30 minutes until golden around the edges. Serve Hot!