Green, naturally

St. Patrick’s Day is drawing near, and that means green foods will soon be popping up everywhere. A lot of food (and beer) will be artificially colored green for the celebration, but there are plenty of green foods you can make that don’t require a squeeze of the food coloring bottle.

The EYB St. Patrick’s Day Pinterest board has several interesting green options, especially for dessert. You can try an avocado pie or matcha cupcakes. Another dessert option is basil-mint ice cream. Basil, a member of the mint family, makes an intriguing and delicious ice cream.

For appetizers or snacks, there are many dips and spreads flaunting green hues. Guacamole is always a welcome green addition to the table. There’s the aptly-named extra-green green goddess dip, green hummus, and a lovely kale pesto white bean dip.

Speaking of pesto and moving to the main course, you can choose from a plethora of green pesto pasta dishes. We’ve got the mysterious secret green sauce spaghetti (I’ll tell–the secret is spinach), or the less traditional but equally delicious-sounding spaghetti with a kale and Brussels sprout pesto.

If you don’t want pasta, how about soup? This zucchini, pistachio and buttermilk soup is intruiging, or you may prefer a green pea, lettuce and fennel soup that practically sings spring. If you want to keep some traditional St. Paddy’s Day foods on the table, why not serve your corned beef with a refreshing, and very green, gremolata garnish?

What green foods will grace your St. Patrick’s Day table?