Lucky Charms cereal (photo © General Mills).

From Jamielyn of I Heart Naptime, Saint Patrick’s breakfast includes green pancakes with Lucky Charms, green milk (use food color) and rainbow fruit parfaits.

She says, “Every once in a while I’ll throw some Lucky Charms into the batter to take these Saint Patrick’s Day pancakes over the top. It’s also fun to top them with whipped cream and some Lucky Charms too. Hello sugar!”

Yes, there’s sugar; but it’s a special-occasion fun food—ready in 20 minutes.

For those who don’t want the extra sugar, there’s a nutritious green pancake recipe below.
 
 
RECIPE #1: GREEN PANCAKES FOR ST. PATRICK’S DAY

Ingredients For 4 Large Pancakes

1. PREHEAT a griddle to 300°F. Combine the milk and vinegar in a small bowl. Set aside and let sit for a few minutes.

2. COMBINE the flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a large bowl.

3. WHISK the butter, egg and vanilla into the milk. Add the food coloring and stir until you reach the desired color. Then combine with flour mixture, and stir until smooth.

4. USE a 1/4 cup measure to pour the batter onto a greased griddle. Let cook on one side until bubbles begin to pop, then flip to the other side. Cook just until golden brown. Garnish as desired.

RECIPE #2: BETTER-FOR-YOU GREEN PANCAKES FOR
ST. PATRICK’S DAY

California Avocados entices bloggers to try different, tasty things with their crop.

This recipe for fluffy pancakes, from Running To The Kitchen, has healthful and nutritious avocado plus blueberries.

For protein, they’re topped with a poached or fried egg for a combination of savory and sweet.

They’re naturally green from the avocado, but you can add a drop of food color for a deeper hue.
 
 
BLUEBERRY AVOCADO PANCAKES

Prep time is 10 minutes, cook time is 10 minutes.
 
Ingredients For 2 Servings

 
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*Coconut oil does not have a coconut flavor. It can be substituted 1:1 for any other oil or solid fat (butter, vegetable shortening) without dramatically changing the flavor of the recipe.
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[4] Avocados add their creamy texture and flavor to a variety of sweet foods, including ice cream (photo courtesy California Avocados).

1. WHISK together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and nutmeg in a medium bowl.

2. COMBINE the mashed avocado, milk, egg, coconut oil and vanilla in a food processor and process until smooth.

3. ADD the avocado mixture to the flour mixture and stir until just combined.

4. PLACE a bit of butter in a large skillet or griddle over medium heat. Once melted and hot, scoop the batter into the pan, dot each pancake with a small handful of blueberries, and cook for 2-3 minutes per side until golden brown.

5. DIVIDE the pancakes into two stacks and top each with a poached or fried egg.
  

[2] For a more sophisticated take on crudités, use green and red endive leaves.

How about a green dip and sauce for St. Patrick’s Day? This recipe is from Seed And Mill, our favorite source of artisan tahini and halvah.

Dip away, or drizzle it on roasted vegetables, salads, meat or fish.
 
 
WHAT IS TAHINI?

Tahini is ground sesame seed paste, a Middle Eastern staple. Look for unhulled tahini, made from the whole sesame seed, leaving its nutritional value intact.

 
The ground paste is mixed with a bit of oil for a consistency that’s similar to homemade peanut butter.

Like homemade peanut butter, some of the oil rises to the top and is mixed back in before the tahini is scooped from the tin. (This shows that it is all natural; no emulsifiers are added to keep it from separating.)

Americans eat most of their tahini in hummus, where it is the second ingredient after chickpeas.

Tahini is also used in salad dressings, sauces for lamb, fish and chicken, dipping sauces and many recipes (even ice cream!). You can substitute it for peanut butter in dishes like Chinese Sesame Noodles.
 
 
RECIPE: GREEN TAHINI DIP & SAUCE

If you want a more vibrant green color for St. Patrick’s Day, add a drop of food color.

 
Preparation

1. PULSE the ingredients in a blender or food processor until smooth.

That’s it! Keep it in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Get a shamrock cookie cutter to make fun foods for St. Patrick’s Day. You can buy a set of 4-inch and 2.6-inch cutters for less than $8.00.

What to cut? We like the large cutter for:

 
You can use the small cutter for:

 
 
WHY A SHAMROCK?

The shamrock is a traditional symbol of Saint Patrick’s Day, as well as the national flower of Ireland.

While trying to convert the Irish Druids into Christians in the 5th century, St. Patrick used the shamrock to explain the Holy Trinity.

The Father, Son and Holy Spirit exist as one person, he explained, just as the three leaves of the clover exist in one plant.

The three leaves of the shamrock are also said to stand for faith, hope and love. If you find a shamrock with a fourth leaf, that leaf is for luck.

The odds of finding a four-leaf clover are about one in 10,000 [source].

The name shamrock in Irish, seamróg, is the diminutive form of the Irish word for clover, seamair. Thus, shamrock little clover or young clover.

[2] Use a small cutter for garnishes like avocado and kiwi (photo courtesy ) California Avocados.

[3] Cut anything you want into shamrocks (photo courtesy Richmond Times Dispatch).