“Luck of the Irish” Meal

St. Patrick’s Day is a unique holiday to experiment and cook green-themed meals to share with family and friends. So, we chose delicious, simple, and creative recipes that embraced the “green” of this special day! Our meal includes kale chips, mini shepherd’s pie, green cupcakes, and a matcha green tea boba!

APPETIZER – KALE CHIPS (takes 10 minutes)

Ingredients:

  • Bundle of kale
  • Olive oil
  • Salt
  • Pepper
  • Pan
  • Parchment paper (optional)

Steps:

  1. Set oven to 350°F.
  2. From a bundle of kale, tear off leaves from stems and put them in a bowl.
  3. Pour a little olive oil into the bowl and rub it onto the kale with your hands.
  4. Sprinkle salt and pepper.
  5. Lay down parchment paper on pan (optional)
  6. Lay out kale on a pan and bake in the oven for about 10 minutes until kale is crisp.

DRINK – MATCHA BLENDED BOBA

Ingredients:

  • 2 tablespoons matcha powder (you can use Trader Joe’s)
  • 1 tablespoon honey
  • 1 cup milk
  • Handful of ice
  • Boba (either from restaurant or homemade)

Steps:

  1. In a blender, put in the matcha powder, milk and ice.
  2. Blend until thick consistency
  3. Put boba in a glass, and pour in the drink in
  4. Enjoy!
Courtesy of The Little Vegan

DINNER – MINI SHEPHERD’S POT PIE (Serves 12, takes about 1 hour)

Ingredients:

  • 2 9” refrigerated pie crusts
  • 1 lb. ground beef
  • 1/4 diced yellow onion
  • 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
  • 1/2 bag of baby peeled carrots, diced
  • 1/2 bag of frozen peas
  • 1 beef bouillon cube
  • 1 teaspoon tomato paste
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • Shredded cheddar cheese (to top mashed potatoes, optional)
  • 2 cups mashed potatoes (we used 2 lb. bag of Yukon Gold potatoes)
  • Mini muffin pan with 12 cups

Steps:

  1. Prepare mashed potatoes and set aside for later. 
  2. In a pan over medium-high heat, brown the beef until fully cooked. Drain off any excess fat. Remove from heat and set aside.
  3. In separate pan, saute diced onions and garlic until translucent.
  4. Add the cooked onions and garlic into beef.
  5. In the same pan with the beef, add the tomato paste and season with salt and pepper to taste. Turn heat to a low simmer.
  6. Dice carrots.
  7. In separate pan, saute peas and diced carrots until soft.
  8. Meanwhile, unroll the pie crusts and roll each crust to 12″ in diameter (thin enough for it to crisp in the oven). Cut 12 4″rounds from each crust
  9. Press each round on the bottom and sides of the muffin pan.
  10. Bake at 350°F  for about 8 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove pan from oven and set aside.
  11. Fill about 1/2 of every cup with beef mixture and then fill the rest with the carrot and peas mixture.
  12. Top with a scoop of mashed potatoes and a sprinkle of cheddar cheese.
  13. Put back in oven, and bake at 350°F for 20-25 minutes or until crusts are golden brown and mashed potatoes have browned!

DESSERT – “GREEN” CUPCAKES (serves 12)

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups of flour
  • 2 teaspoons of baking powder
  • 1/2 cup of softened butter
  • 3/4 cup of sugar (you can add more if you want your cupcakes sweet!)
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 cup of milk
  • Green food coloring
  • 1 teaspoon of vanilla essence
  • Green sprinkles for decoration
  • Cream cheese frosting (We used Betty Crocker)
  • Simple Oil Baking Spray
  • Green cupcake liners
  • Cupcake pan

Steps:

  1. Preheat the oven to 375°F
  2. Mix the butter and sugar in a bowl until they are fluffy
  3. Beat in the eggs one at a time (make sure the batter is light!)
  4. Add the baking powder, flour, and milk and beat well until nice consistency
  5. Add a drop of vanilla essence to give flavor
  6. Add a drop of green food coloring for color
  7. Spray the liners, in the cupcake pan, with baking spray
  8. Pour the batter evenly into the liners and bake for 18 minutes
  9. Once they are out of the oven, make sure to cool them for around 10 minutes
  10. Decorate with your favorite toppings or cream cheese frosting! (you can always add a little green! )

Enjoy your St. Patrick’s Day meal! We hope you try these delicious and fun recipes for the holiday, and love them as much as we did!