As a former teacher and mom to 3 girls, I have loved every holiday I could celebrate with food! Red, white and blue on the Fourth of July, Orange and pumpkin shaped things for Halloween and of course all things green for St. Patrick’s Day.
While shamrock-shaped and rainbow themed lunches are a bit too juvenile for my teens these days, they still enjoy a green and/or minty treat to help celebrate. Below is a short list of our favorite real, naturally green snack and meal ideas.
Guacamole. Open a ripe avocado, smash it with a few drops of lime juice and salt. Really, nothing else is needed!
Avocado Toast – open the ripe avocado, smash it on toast and sprinkle with your favorite toppings.
Pesto. Whether you like it with pine nuts, walnuts, cheese or DF, there is a pesto recipe out there for you. Here’s a good vegan one I just made.
Broccoli Soup – I take my vegetable chowder add broccoli and puree (saving a few florets for after). You can also sprinkle cheese on top or add to the puree.
Green “Bagels”, breadsticks, dough bites, etc. – Take my Few Ingredients Dough, mix in some green spirulina or puree some spinach with your yogurt. Shape and bake in Air Fryer for 10 minutes at 350F.
Green Salad – add all the green vegetables (and fruits) you can think of – spring onions, cucumber, celery, avocado, green grapes, kiwi. Serve with a green goddess or avocado ranch dressing!
Spinach Muffins – these are just sweet enough and also nutritious enough to have for breakfast. The best part is that it’s completely made in the blender! Love this recipe!
Looking for a new twist on hummus? Try Edamame Hummus! Substitute defrosted edamame in your favorite hummus recipe! I blend in the food processor: 1 cup edamame with 2 Tbsp tahini and a few drops of sesame oil. Add some vegetable broth until it blends to the right consistency. Season with salt.
Shamrock pudding/shakes. In a blender, mix 1/2 cup milk, 1/2 cup plain yogurt, 2 Tbsp sweetener, 1/4 cup oats, 1/2 tsp peppermint extract (or 8 fresh mint leaves) and 1 tsp green spirulina. Blend until smooth, adding extra milk if desired for consistency. In a separate bowl, whisk 1 Tbsp cocoa powder with 1 Tbsp maple syrup. Drizzle this chocolate syrup around the edges of the cup/bowl and then pour the pudding/smoothie in. Serve the smoothies right away, but refrigerate the puddings for at least 30 minutes.
Broccoli (or spinach, or combo) Quiche – You can make your favorite egg-based version, or this tofu version pictured. I only used broccoli and onions for mine. Use a pre-made crust, make your own or keep it crustless.
Minty-Chocolate Chia Pudding: I made two separate chia puddings and poured them to layer. Note: I let the chocolate sit for about 10 minutes before adding the minty top layer. My chia pudding recipe: 1/2 cup milk plus 2Tbsp chia seeds and 1 Tbsp sweetener. To make chocolate, add 2 Tbsp cocoa powder and blend. To make green-minty, add a handful of spinach and 8 mint leaves and blend with milk first. Then add chia seeds, sweetener (and 1/2 tsp mint extract if you don’t have fresh mint). Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
Heather Cooks With Veggies 