There are shamrock cookies and petit fours, green marshmallows and malt balls.

There’s a jumbo caramel apple rolled in chocolate and green chips, and Irish Crunch popcorn.

For those who like elegant chocolates, we tried some terrific ones in appropriately green boxes.

• See all of our St. Patrick’s Day treats.

Lucky Clover cookies from Elenis.com. Photo
courtesy Eleni’s.

Enjoy the recipe as a taco or atop salad
greens. Photo courtesy McCormick.

Turmeric, long consumed as a restorative tea in Okinawa, the Japanese island famed for health and longevity, is a vibrant spice from the ginger family that’s now attracting the attention of Western science for its numerous health benefits. Curcumin, the substance that gives turmeric its yellow color, has compounds that laboratory studies indicate have potential health benefits, from cancer-fighting powers to the ability to block the progression of multiple sclerosis. (Read our review of Dr. Andrew Weil for Tea’s Turmeric Tea.)

Turmeric is the key ingredient in many Indian, Malay, Persian and Thai dishes and an element in many curry powders. As a cheaper alternative to saffron, it’s also used as a natural yellow food coloring in prepared food, cheese, mustard and chicken broth.

The best place to find true, vine-ripened tomatoes is at a farmers market in late summer (August and September) when they’re in season and memorable. But for the purpose of this pairing, look for the best “vine ripened” tomatoes you can find—or hold off until summer.

RECIPE

Turmeric and vine-ripened tomatoes are an earthy and naturally sweet blend. Try them in this recipe for Turmeric-Spiced Chicken with Tomato-Avocado Salsa. It’s a chicken taco recipe, but you can serve the chicken atop salad greens instead of in taco shells.

The recipe has three very healthy ingredients:

• Turmeric’s active ingredient, curcumin, has been long known for its anti-inflammatory properties. Recent medical research is revealing much more, as turmeric is being used to treat health conditions from cancer to Alzheimer’s disease.
• The lycopene in tomatoes is a powerful antioxidant that shows promise with cardiovascular disease, diabetes, osteoporosis, prostate cancer and even male infertility.
• Avocado is very heart-healthy: Avocado oil can help lower cholesterol and regulate blood pressure. (Learn more about avocado oil.)

So you can legitimately tell guests who watch their diets that they’re eating “healthy tacos.”

Use it with olive oil and garlic for a delicious focaccia; with lamb, poultry and fish; in pasta and potatoes; in Mediterranean soups and stews.

The sprigs make beautiful garnishes for any course, from eggs to sandwiches and mozzarella kebabs (they can work like toothpicks) to cocktails (think swizzle sticks) and desserts.

Rosemary is also made into beautiful topiary. See a selection here.

Find more favorite seasonings in our Salts & Seasonings Section.

Rosemary for the kitchen. Check out beautiful
rosemary topiary as decorative houseplants.
Photo courtesy USFreeads.com.