Modern Oats is a packaging concept that puts oatmeal in a grab-and-go mode.

All you have to do is add hot water to cover the oats in the coated paper container, put the lid back on, wait 10 minutes and enjoy. No microwave is required, and the colorful packaging gives a boost to starting the day.

The rolled oats are grown by family farmers in the foothills of the Canadian Rocky Mountains. They are minimally processed by steaming and flaking; you look into the carton and see what looks like “real oats,” instead of the small particles familiar to consumers of instant oatmeal. The oat flakes provide a textural differences that deliver a more solid bite (and, the company says, optimal absorption of nutrients).

Modern Oats are produced in a 100% gluten free facility and are certified GF, Non-GMO, Halal, Kosher, Vegan and 100% Whole Grain. (Whew: There’s no more room left on the carton for any more certifications).

Oats are naturally gluten free*, and are the only major grain proven to help blood cholesterol†.

The containers were initially intended to be sold in coffee shops and other convenience locations, for a suggested retail of of $3.25 per cup. The brand’s parent company, Innovative Beverage Concepts Inc., develops products for cafés.

While retail prices vary widely, we were surprised at the cost to buy them online:

 
Depending on how much you typically spend on breakfast, it could be a wash, a bargain or a convenience premium that’s worth it for the fiber grain infusion (one serving delivers 28% of the recommended Daily Value of whole grains).

Or, you could cook up a weekly batch of steel-cut oats every Sunday, bring the portion to work and heat in the office microwave. If you enjoy your oats without sugar or with a noncaloric sweetener, you can also save the not-insignificant sugar calories in the various flavors:

 
But, there’s just as much—if not more—sugar in many of the foods we pick up for breakfast. Interestingly, a Pop Tart, though empty calories, has fewer calories and the same amount of sugar.

And if you think you’re not getting sugar in that bagel and cream cheese, check again. According to Self nutrition data, a small plain bagel, half to one-third the size of today’s supersized bagels, has 6g of sugar.

Is a cup of Modern Oats better than grabbing a bagel or a pastry? Absolutely!
 
*In the milling and processing process, oats are susceptible to cross-contamination; so that not all oatmeal and other oat products are gluten free. /font>

†Eating three grams of soluble fiber from oats each day, as part of a diet that’s low in fat and cholesterol, has been shown to lower blood cholesterol. This may reduce the risk of heart disease.

Among our Eatin’ O’ The Green recipes for St. Patrick’s Day, this warm spinach dish is very popular. Who doesn’t love a spinach dip, with its glimmer of healthful green spinach blended into a creamy (and not so healthful) base?

This recipe, from Vermont Creamery,is made even richer with mascarpone.

It’s delicious as a kick-back snack with Irish beer; or with wine and savory cocktails like the Martini.

RECIPE: WARM SPINACH MASCARPONE DIP

Ingredients

Warm and creamy, it’s Popeye’s favorite dip. Photo courtesy Vermont Creamery.

Preparation

1. PREHEAT oven to 350°F.

2. COOK the onion with olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat, until translucent.

3. ADD frozen spinach and heat until spinach is hot but still green. Add mascarpone, salt, pepper, cayenne, Parmesan cheese and stir. Pour the mixture into a small casserole or baking dish.

4. BAKE for 30 minutes until bubbling around the edges. Serve warm with pita chips or a sliced baguette. Or add a note of healthfulness with raw veggies (crudités).
  

But times change, and there’s less marzipan decor these days. It’s time to go old school and decorate with marzipan.

Marzipan, or almond paste, is a confection made from almond meal (ground almonds) plus a sweetener: sugar or honey. It is sold plain, enrobed in chocolate, and fashioned into fanciful animals, fruits, mushrooms and other delights.

Some historians believe that the confection originated in China; others in Arabia. These are not contradictory: Arab traders brought many items back from China around the 8th century C.E., including pasta!

With St. Patrick’s Day, Easter and Mother’s Day on the horizon, consider using marzipan to decorate your cakes and cupcakes.

Here’s a video from Martha Stewart on how to decorate with marzipan.

Get out the mini cookie cutters and other tools. Make palm trees for summer, create your dog in marzipan, even try a bust of mom or dad. It’s fun and very delicious.

And maybe it’ll keep the kids entertained for an hour or two.

This cake was originally pitched to us as a holiday fruitcake—an upside-down apple cake with whiskey-soaked fruit. But we liked the idea of it for St. Patrick’s Day as well.

The recipe, from Betty Crocker, was developed with Betty Crocker SuperMoist Yellow Cake Mix. But if you prefer your own homemade cake mix with butter instead of vegetable oil, you can make the cake from scratch.

Ingredients

For The Fruit Cake

Preparation

1. MIX dried cranberries, apricots, orange peel and bourbon in a medium bowl. Let stand at room temperature 1 hour or overnight.

2. PREHEAT oven to 350°F (325°F for a dark or nonstick pan). Generously grease bottom and sides of two 8-inch round cake pans with shortening.

3. LINE bottom of each pan with cooking parchment paper. Grease parchment paper with shortening. Line bottom and side of each pan with overlapping apple slices, cutting slices as necessary to line side of each pan.

4. BEAT cake mix, water, ground almonds, oil and eggs with electric mixer on low speed until moistened, then on medium speed 2 minutes, scraping the bowl occasionally. Stir in soaked dried fruit and ginger. Gently pour into pans over apple slices.

5. BAKE 40 to 45 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Immediately turn pans upside down to release cakes onto cooling racks.

6. MAKE glaze: In small microwavable bowl, microwave apple jelly uncovered on High 15 to 30 seconds, stirring every 15 seconds, until hot. Brush over apples on top and side of each cake to make shiny. Cool completely, about 1 hour. Meanwhile, in medium bowl…

7. MAKE filling: Beat mascarpone cheese, whipping cream and sugar with electric mixer on high speed until stiff peaks form.

8. ASSEMBLE on a serving plate: Place one cake, apple side up. Top with whipped cream mixture. Gently place remaining cake layer on top of cream, apple side up. Garnish with fresh cranberries/arils and orange slices and toasted sliced almonds. Cut into slices with serrated knife. Cover and refrigerate any remaining cake.

 
*Grind the slivered almonds in small food processor, or very finely chop with knife.

†You can roll the raspberries in sugar—ideally superfine sugar—for a special effect.
  

A glass of Murphy’s shows off the chocolaty
color. It also has chocolaty flavors, and a
sweetness which makes it an ideal “dessert
beer.” Photo courtesy Murphy’s.

No, this is time for Irish beer.

You’ve got two choices here:

 
There is no one style of Irish beer. The brews range from light and crisp to strong, rich and full-bodied for sipping, to light and crisp. So whatever your style of choice, you’ll find an Irish beer or two that fits the bill.

But lager is the style of choice in the Emerald Isle, accounting for 60% of the beer sold. Stout is the second favorite at 34%, and ale comprises the remaining 6% is Ale. [Source: Irish Beer Market Survey 2010]

How about an Irish beer tasting party for St. Patrick’s Day? The selection will depend on what’s available in your area, but here are brands to look for.

 
*Not all oyster stouts are made with oysters. The name indicates a style of stout, popular with the oysters served at pubs.

Irish Stout

Irish Ale

 
DON’T LIKE BEER?

Look for Irish hard cider. It’s a relative newcomer—the first large commercial batches were brewed in the mid-1930s by William Magner. Cider now accounts for 12% of Ireland’s “beer market,” much of that Magner’s Irish Cider, which can be found in the U.S.