St. Patrick’s Day is an often-overlooked holiday.  It is the perfect opportunity to celebrate in unique ways:  go to a parade, where funky green clothes and accessories, pinch people who don’t join in the fun, and try new color-themed recipes!  Thegirlonbloor.com recently published their favorite St. Patrick’s Day recipes and we narrowed it down and picked our top favorites from the list.  Read on!

1.    PISTACHIO ICE CREAM SANDWICHES WITH THIN MINT COOKIES

Mini cheesecakes, Mini muffins, Mini cinnamon rolls, Mini caramel apple bites….the options are endless!  Mini desserts have become a craze and for good reason. They are fun, delicious, and make for a great presentation.  There is just enough sweetness in a mini dessert to finish off a great meal but not so much that you leave feeling guilty.

Adding pistachios to a sweet dessert is a popular way to give a dish contrasting and complementing flavors.  And their healthy properties almost offset the sugar intake, right? Not only are pistachio nuts tasty and fun to eat, they’re also super healthy.  They are seeds of the Pistacia vera tree contain healthy fats and are a good source of protein, fiber and antioxidants. They also contain several essential nutrients and have benefits for weight loss, as well as heart and gut health. Notably, pistachios are one of the most vitamin B6-rich foods around.  Pistachios are also rich in potassium, with one ounce containing more potassium than half of a large banana.

Around 50 pistachios contain:

Calories: 156
Carbs: 8 grams
Fiber: 3 grams
Protein: 6 grams
Fat: 12 grams (90% are healthy fats)
Potassium: 8% of the RDI
Phosphorus: 14% of the RDI
Vitamin B6: 24% of the RDI
Thiamin: 16% of the RDI
Copper: 18% of the RDI
Manganese: 17% of the RDI

This recipe is the perfect mix of salty and sweet, indulgence and healthy, and most importantly, for St. Patrick’s Day fun …it’s GREEN!

Ingredients
4 Girl Scout Thin Mint Cookies or Ritz Cracker Peppermint Cookies frozen
2 heaping tablespoons pistachio Halo Top ice cream
crushed pistachios

Instructions
Place a heaping tablespoon of ice cream on one cookie.  Top with another cookie and press together until the ice cream has spread toward the edge.  Sprinkle or roll the edge of the cookie into crushed pistachios, coating the ice cream. Repeat with the other two cookies.  Eat immediately for a messy small treat OR put the ice cream sandwiches in the freezer for 10 to 15 minutes to let the ice cream set.

2.    MATCHA GREEN TEA PANCAKES

Matcha literally means “powdered tea.”  With matcha, you’re drinking the actual leaves, which have been finely powdered and made into a solution.  Because you are ingesting the entire leaf you receive 100% of the nutrients vs. the leaked nutrients from tea leaves when you boil it.  Matcha powdered green tea has 137 times more antioxidants than regularly brewed green tea. One cup of matcha equals 10 cups of regularly brewed green tea in terms of nutritional content.  It’s packed with antioxidants including the powerful EGCg.  It also boosts metabolism and burns calories as well as calms the mind and relaxes the body.  It’s become a sort of “It” ingredient that is often mixed in with coffees and teas.

Here we see it incorporated into a classic breakfast staple and we are loving the idea! There is no better was to start out your St. Patrick’s Day than with a full stack of healthy, green pancakes!

Ingredients
2 eggs
2/3 cup milk
1/4 cup vegetable oil or melted butter + extra for frying
1/4 cup coconut palm sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup flour
2 TBSP matcha powder
1 TBSP baking powder
1/8 tsp kosher salt

Toppings:
I suggest plain Greek yogurt fresh raspberries, macadamia nuts, pepitas, chia seeds and pure maple syrup but mix it up however you’d like.

Directions

In a large bowl, thoroughly whisk together the egg, milk, vegetable oil (or melted butter), sugar and vanilla extract.
Add the flour, matcha powder, baking powder and salt. Whisk until combined and the batter comes together. It will be thick and very green.
Heat a cast-iron skillet over moderate heat.
Brush with vegetable oil or butter.
Using a 1/4 cup measure, transfer small mounds of pancake batter onto skillet. Use a spatula to help even out the circle if need be.
Once bubbles appear and pop on the surface of the pancake, carefully flip the pancakes and cook for another minute or so.
Stack the pancakes and serve hot with butter, maple syrup and whatever other toppings you desire.

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