Celebrate St Patty's Day with Green Foods & Drinks!

Ahhh.... Green the color of St Patty's Day!  We may not all be Irish, but when it comes to St Patty's Day we all like to don our green, break out the shamrocks and show our spirit.  I personally always like to make sure I am serving something green,  so I thought I would share some fun foods from appetizers to main courses and of course drinks that are perfect to celebrate St Patty's Day in style without having to add a whole bottle of green food coloring.

Before we begin, a little background on why the color green.  It was believed that the color green was invisible to the fairy leprechauns that would pinch anyone they could see. Since they could not see green, you would not get pinched if you were wearing green. The tradition carries on today with people pinching anyone not wearing green. Ok enough backstory, now onto the green drinks and food.

Green Drinks

Let's face it, St Patrick's Day and drinking kinda go hand in hand!  I personally need to have a green drink.  Sure, you can add green coloring to your beer or white wine.... I have been known to do that a few times myself.  But, if you want to get a bit fancier, here are a few drinks, that are delicious and will help you get your green on.

Green Drinks for St Patty's Day

The first one on the list is the tried and true Margarita... I know a Mexican drink might be crossing the line for an Irish-born holiday, but green is green.  Check out TheCookful.com for this yummy margarita recipe.

The next one on the list is a smooth and citrusy drink, the Lime Sherbet Punch from thecookierookie.com

The third green cocktail is the refreshing citrusy, sweet and minty Mojito from WineandGlue.com

The last drink is a Creme de Menthe Parfait.  It is a mixture between a drink and a dessert. With vanilla ice cream, whipped cream and cream of mint layered, it is pretty and delicious.  Check out RicardoCuisine.com for the recipe.

Once you have the drinks figured out, now we can worry about the food.

Appetizers & Snacks

Food to nibble on is always key. These snacks are green and healthy, but feel free to add in the chips and other snacky food that may or may not be as green.

Green Veggie Tray

You guessed it, green veggies brought to us by californiagrown.org along with some chips and a creamy avocado dip make for a balanced spread.  Adding some green fruits on a kebab such as green honeydew melons, green grapes, kiwi and granny smith apples shown below from Creativejuice.com is attractive and delish, especially when paired with a zesty limeade fruit dip from CremedelaCrumb.

Green fruit Kebabs

 

Main Course

I know there are many Irish dishes that are traditional, but in keeping with the spirit of green food, we are going to go for a South of the Border meal - Tacos. You just cannot go wrong with avocado, lettuce and cilantro when looking for green foods. 

Green Dinner - TacosAbove is a combination of various tacos. We start with a vegetarian taco from HispanicKitchen.com where you can easily add a protein like ground beef or grilled chicken. 

The second taco recipe is a shrimp and avocado taco from KalynsKitchen.com where the shrimp is marinated in an avocado sauce - green and yum.

Finally, a black bean taco where the guacamole and lettuce bury the beans so all you see is the beautiful green. Feel free to reverse the order so the tomatoes and cheese are hiding under the green toppings. This recipe is from  Cookingclassy.com.

The great thing with tacos is that you can really mix so many variations that as long we you have some of the green toppings at the top, you will have any taste combination and still have your festive green!


Desserts

There are a lot of green desserts out there. You can make almost anything green if you add enough green food coloring to it. In keeping with trying to avoid additional food coloring, here are some ideas. I am not saying they are healthy, but at least you don't have to be the one to empty a bottle or 2 of coloring.

Green Desserts

The first on the list is key lime pie.  This recipe is super yum thanks to Thegunnysack.com and you will get your green on.   

Next is just plain cute.  Marshmallows on a stick with some sprinkled sugar. An easy and fun treat idea from thedecoratedcookie.com that everyone will enjoy.

Finally, the margarita cupcake. Thanks to bettycrocker.com these little gems are adorable and delicious.

Well there you have it, an entertainers guide to green cuisine.  The things we do to celebrate in style - LOL!  Enjoy this St Patty's Day.  If you make any of them, drop us a line and let us know what you think. If you pour any of the green drinks from your PortoVino Purse while you are out and about, we'd love to see pictures!  Tag us at #portovinowinepurse.

Happy St Patty's Day!

Cheers!

co-founder

 

 

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