St. Patrick’s Day is just around the corner, and this fun holiday is made even better by making themed dishes and treats to bring in good luck!
However, many St. Patrick’s Day foods and treats are loaded with sugar, fat and calories. Not to mention the abundance of alcohol that is often consumed. The good news is that there are plenty of ways to get festive with what’s on your plate without sacrificing flavor and creativity.
Here are some clever St. Patrick’s Day recipes shared by @TheWorldAccordingtoEggface, aka Michelle “Shelly” Vicari, the Obesity Action Coalition’s (OAC) Immediate-Past Chairwoman. The OAC is the Producer of the Your Weight Matters Campaign. Since Ms. Vicari’s blog is popular in the weight-loss community, we thought we’d share a couple of her ideas here.
Healthy St. Patrick’s Day Recipes
Corned Beef Bites
Ingredients:
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 3 green onions, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/4 lb. (about 4 slices) corned beef, diced (deli slices or sub diced leftovers)
- 1/2 cup Swiss cheese, grated
- 5 eggs
- A few twists of black pepper
Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Sauté onion till golden. Add garlic and cook 1 minute more. Set aside to cool. When onions are cool, mix all ingredients together. Spoon mixture into a lightly greased mini muffin tin (Pam works great). Bake for 30 minutes. This recipe makes 24 bites. You can also serve it with cabbage (boiled and then sautéed lightly).
Pesto Deviled Eggs (Green Eggs)
Ingredients:
- 5 hard-boiled eggs
- 1 tbsp. Fage Greek yogurt (high in protein)
- 1 tbsp. mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup pesto sauce (homemade or store-bought)
- 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
- Kosher salt to taste
- A few twists of black pepper
- Toasted pine nuts for garnish
Directions: Hard cook eggs. Cool. Cut in half. Remove yolks and mash with the above ingredients. Spoon back into the hard-cooked eggs. Garnish with toasted pine nuts.
Shepherd’s Pie (Without Potatoes)
Ingredients:
- 1 tbsp. olive oil
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 1 lb. ground beef
- 1 large carrot, grated
- 1/2 tsp. Thyme
- 1 tsp. chopped fresh Parsley
- 1 glove garlic, minced
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 tbsp. soy sauce
Topping Ingredients:
- 1 large egg
- 1 tbsp. butter
- 2 tbsp. flour (Spelt)
- 1 cup milk
- 4 oz. cream cheese
- 1/2 cup Ricotta cheese
- Salt and pepper to taste
Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Heat oil in a skillet and sauté onion until golden. Remove and set aside. Sauté ground beef and cook until no pink is seen. Drain any fats. Add onions back, grated carrot, thyme, garlic, parsley, salt and pepper, and soy sauce. Cook for 1 minute. Pour into a casserole dish.
In a medium bowl, lightly beat the egg and set aside. In a small saucepan, melt 2 tbsp. butter over medium-high heat. Whisk in the flour and cook, whisking often, until the mixture is smooth, about 30 seconds. Slowly whisk the milk and cook until thickened. Lower the heat to low and stir in the cream cheese and ricotta. Salt and pepper to taste. Whisk a spoon of the cheese sauce into the reserved eggs until smooth. Whisk the egg mixture into the cheese sauce in the saucepan.
Pour the sauce over the meat in the baking dish. Bake until the top is lightly browned, 40-45 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes before cutting.
Leprechaun Pancakes
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup Ricotta cheese
- 1 egg
- 3 tbsp. multigrain pancake mix
- 1 tbsp. sugar-free pistachio pudding mix, dry
- Optional: sugar-free maple syrup, nuked
Directions: Whiz in a mini food processor. Spray pan with non-stick spray. Cook on low until golden, flip, pat flat a bit. Cook until done. Nuke sugar-free maple syrup for 25 seconds. Serve each pancake with a drizzle of warm sugar-free syrup. Makes 8 silver dollar size or 6 bigger ones.
Pots O’ Gold
Ingredients:
- 4 apples, peeled, cored, and diced
- 1/4 cup golden raisins
- 3 tbsp. walnuts, chopped
- 2 tbsp. sugar-free Torani syrup
- 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
- 1 tbsp. butter
- 1 batch of warm caramel custard (recipe below)
Directions: Combine all ingredients (except custard) and cook for 8 minutes. You want the apples to be tender but still formed. Fill 4 ramekins ¾ of the way full with apple mixture. Top with warm caramel custard. You can eat it warm or put them in the fridge to set for ½ an hour.
Warm Caramel Custard Ingredients:
- 2 tbsp. Bird’s Custard Powder
- 2 cups milk
- 2 tbsp. sugar-free caramel Torani syrup
Directions: Mix powder into a smooth paste with a little of the milk. Heat the remaining milk to almost boiling and pour onto the custard mixture. Return the mix to the pan and heat till thickened (it will bubble). Remove from heat and mix sugar-free syrup in. You can eat this warm or chill it and it will firm up like pudding.
More St. Patrick’s Day Recipes
For more of Ms. Vicari’s healthy and festive St. Patrick’s Day recipes, click here.
