Eating o' the Green: Serve an 'Emerald Buffet' for St. Patrick's Day!

Photo by Rhana Castle

Corned beef, cabbage and potatoes may be traditional St. Patrick's Day fare, but you won't get arrested by the Food Police if you change the menu to something a little more colorful (literally). Instead of simply wearing the green, you can also serve it with a change-of-pace Emerald Buffet.

And not to worry: with this party-worthy spread from FruitAndVeggieGuru.com, your guests don't need to don green glasses like the Wizard of Oz's subjects in the Emerald City. The green on your table will be the real thing, fresh from your grocer's produce bins. As a bonus, you get more than your daily quota of fruits and vegetables, along with the vitamins and minerals you need to keep up your stamina during the festivities.

Start with a big basket of whole Granny Smith apples as a green centerpiece to set the scene, perhaps with a couple of leprechaun plush toys "offering" the shiny orbs to your guests. Then consult the Emerald Buffet menu for a whole table's worth of recipes that carry through the green theme.

For green appetizers, try FruitAndVeggieGuru.com's:

• Hummus Guacamole – store bought hummus greened with avocado, cilantro sprinkles on top, and green chips for good measure
• Spicy Wasabi Pear Lettuce Wraps - an unusual blend of pears, mushrooms, radishes and carrots in a spicy mayo and wrapped in light green butter lettuce leaves
• 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

For entrees, choose from the site's:

• Avodog - grilled hot dogs slathered with a layer of avocado/tomato relish that is seasoned with a couple squeezes of lime
• Crunchy Spinach Salad with Shrimp and Grapes – a veritable carnival of green in every hue with fresh spinach, grapes, cucumber and green onions punctuated by shrimp and jicama and dressed in a sesame vinaigrette
• Tortellini with Mushrooms, Zucchini and Bell Pepper - adorned with green confetti from the zucchini skins and even greener if you use green tortellini

For green side dishes, FruitAndVeggieGuru.com recommends:

• Asparagus with Fresh Grape Relish – a unique fruit and veggie combo that gives you a double dose of green
• Swiss Chard and Brussels Sprouts Sauté – green Brussels sprouts and red or green chard tossed with almonds for a bit of crunch
• Green Cabbage and Apple Bake – because what would St. Patrick's Day be without some kind of cabbage?

And for dessert, your Emerald Buffet can include sweets like:

• Lime Sorbet - garnished with lime slices for eye appeal and extra green
• Key Lime Pie – made with regular lime juice to green it up (key lime juice is pale yellow) or the limes that give the pie its name tinted with food coloring
• Fresh honeydew and green grapes – served with a marshmallow fruit dip colored green (what else?)

Photo by Rhana Castle

Access the entire menu. Just add Guinness and guests, and you'll discover that it IS easy being green – at least for one day.

About FruitandVeggieGuru.com
FruitandVeggieGuru.com is a central source of information, tips and recipes on fruits and vegetables ranging from apples to zucchini. It is owned and operated by Vance Publishing Corp. headquartered in Lincolnshire, IL, with offices in Lenexa, KS and St. Louis, MO. Since its founding in 1937, Vance Publishing has been a recognized leader in business information and communications. The company serves select business-to-business markets with 20 magazines, a host of newsletters, web offerings, events, data and custom media products.