The Emerald Buffet Menu for St. Patrick's Day

Hummus Guacamole

Makes 3 cups.
Ingredients 1 ripe avocado, peeled
2 cups hummus
1 scallion, chopped
1 small tomato, chopped
1 tbsp green chilies, chopped
Olive oil
Cilantro, chopped
Pita bread
Preparation Scoop avocado into a medium bowl. Mash & add hummus, blend thoroughly. Gently stir in the scallion, tomato & chilies. Check seasonings. Cover & refrigerate. Before serving, drizzle with olive oil & garnish with cilantro. Serve with pita wedges.

Recipe provided by Frieda's Inc. - www.friedas.com

Spicy Wasabi Pear Lettuce Wrap

Makes 15 wraps.
Prep Time 15 minutes
Ingredients 1/3 cup mayonnaise
3 tbsp rice wine vinegar or white wine vinegar
1 1/2 tsp wasabi paste
2 pears
1 head butter lettuce leaves, washed, trimmed
2 cups mushrooms, thinly sliced
2 cups radish sprouts
1 1/2 cups carrots, peeled and grated
4 tsp sesame seeds, toasted
Preparation Whisk mayonnaise, vinegar and wasabi paste in medium bowl until blended. Slice pear stem side up into 12 ¼" vertical planks. Cut pieces into thin julienne slices. Place in bowl with wasabi dressing and toss until coated.

Place lettuce leaves on plate and top with mushrooms, sprouts, carrots and pears. Drizzle any remaining dressing in bowl over pears. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve.

Recipe provided by USA Pears - www.usapears.org

Shamrock Dippers

Pile a plate high with bright green celery, cucumbers, broccoli, green bell peppers and sugar snap peas with your favorite "green goddess" dip on the side.

Avodog

Makes 8 servings.
Prep Time 15 minutes
Ingredients 8 hot dogs
8 hot dog buns
2 medium ripe tomatoes, seeded, chopped in 1/4 inch pieces
2 large ripe Chilean Hass avocados, halved, pitted, peeled, chopped and mashed
2 limes, juiced
Salt, to taste
Optional grilled or raw onions
Preparation Grill hot dogs until lightly browned. Open hot dog buns and grill flat. Mix avocados, diced tomatoes and lime juice in a small bowl. Place hot dogs on each dressed bun and top with avocado mixture. Add grilled or raw onions, if desired. Sprinkle with a little salt. Serve.

Credits
Recipe provided by the Chilean Avocado Importers Association - www.chileanavocados.org

Crunchy Spinach Salad with Shrimp & Grapes

Makes 8 servings.
Ingredients Sesame Vinaigrette
1/2 cup rice vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tbsp toasted sesame oil
2 tbsp sugar
2 tsp each minced garlic and minced ginger
1 tsp each salt and pepper
Salad
16 cups spinach leaves, loosely packed
4 cups California seedless grapes
1 pound shrimp, cooked, peeled and deveined
2 cups celery, thinly sliced on the bias
2 cups jicama, peeled and julienned
2 cups English cucumber, julienned
1/2 cup green onion, sliced
Toasted sesame seeds, for garnish
Preparation Sesame Vinaigrette
Combine dressing Ingredients in blender, pulse until emulsified.

Salad
In a large bowl, toss together all salad Ingredients. Serve on individual plates with sesame vinaigrette. Garnish with toasted sesame seeds.

Recipe provided by the California Table Grape Commission - www.freshcaliforniagrapes.com

Tortellini with Mushrooms, Zucchini and Bell Pepper

Makes 4 servings.
Ingredients 16 ounces cheese-filled tortellini
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 pound white button mushrooms, thinly sliced
2 cups thinly sliced zucchini
1 cup diced red bell pepper
1 tbsp minced garlic
2 tsp oregano leaves, crushed
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
Grated Parmesan cheese (optional)
Preparation Cook tortellini according to package direction and drain.

Meanwhile, heat olive oil in large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms, zucchini and bell pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes or until mushrooms become red-brown on one side. Stir in garlic and oregano and cook 1 minute longer. Add chicken broth and cook, stirring, until vegetables are tender, 2 to 3 minutes.

Add cooked tortellini, salt and pepper and toss until well-combined. Sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese, if desired.

Recipe provided by the Mushroom Council - www.mushroominfo.com

Asparagus with Fresh Grape Relish

Makes 4 servings.
Ingredients 1 pound medium fresh asparagus
1 cup water
1/8 tsp salt
2 tsp olive oil
2 tbsp finely chopped onion
1 clove garlic, minced
1 cup each coarsely chopped red and green seedless California grapes
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp Dijon-style mustard
1/4 tsp fresh ground pepper
Preparation Remove thick, woody part of asparagus. Bring water and salt to boil. Add asparagus; cook about 5 to 7 minutes, until crisp-tender and still bright green.

While asparagus is cooking, heat olive oil in a skillet; sauté onion and garlic. Add remaining Ingredients; heat thoroughly.

Spoon half of grape mixture onto serving platter, top with cooked asparagus and spoon remaining grape mixture over asparagus.

Serving tip: Serve with broiled fish or chicken breast.

Recipe provided by the California Table Grape Commission - www.freshcaliforniagrapes.com

Swiss Chard and Brussels Sprouts Sauté

Makes ten 4-ounce servings.
Ingredients 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
3 tbsp unsalted butter divided
2 cloves peeled garlic minced
1 1/2 pounds Brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved
3/4 cup water
2 bunches chard (use red chard) ribs removed and chopped
1/2 tsp salt and pepper or to taste
1 pinch Cayenne Pepper
Preparation Heat oil and 2 tablespoons of butter in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Cook the garlic for 30 seconds and add the Brussels sprouts. Season with salt and pepper and sauté, on high, for 5 minutes. Add 1/2 cup of water and cover. Reduce heat to low and cook until tender. Add the rest of the water and the chard and cook until just wilted. Stir in the rest of the butter, add a pinch of cayenne and serve.


Note: For a nutty undertone, add some slivered almonds just before serving.

Recipe provided by Melissa's - www.melissas.com

Green Cabbage & Apple Bake

Ingredients 1 large green cabbage (rinsed and chopped)
3 cups Granny Smith apples (cored, sliced and peeled)
1/3 cup sugar
1 1/4 cup bread crumbs
5 tablespoons butter
1 tsp salt
1 TBSP cinnamon
Preparation Boil cabbage for 5 minutes. Drain well. In a large bowl, combine cabbage, apples, salt and cinnamon and mix well. Place mixture in casserole and top with sugar and bread crumbs. Melt butter and pour over the top. Cover and bake at 350 for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until heated throughout.

Lime Sorbet

Serve garnished with lime slices for eye appeal and extra green.

Key Lime Pie

Ingredients 3 cans sweetened condensed milk
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
6 TBSP unsalted butter
7 large eggs
12 oz key lime juice
Key lime slices (to garnish)
Preparation Melt butter. Mix together graham cracker crumbs and butter in bowl. Press mixture into bottom of 12-inch springform pan. Bake at 350 for 6 minutes.

In large bowl, combine milk and eggs using mixer on low speed. Add lime juice and continue mixing. Place whipped mixture into pan. Bake at 250 for about 2 hours and 15 minutes. Cool before slicing. Garnish with fresh key lime slices.

Fresh Honeydew and Green Grapes

Serve with a marshmallow fruit dip colored green.