St. Patrick’s Day is a holiday known for parades, shamrocks and all things Irish. From leprechauns to wearing Kelly green, thousands of Irish Americans gather with their loved ones on St. Patrick’s Day to share a "traditional" meal of corned beef and cabbage. In Ireland, lamb is in season, so lamb dishes including stew are often enjoyed. According to a recent National St. Patrick’s Day survey, approximately 65% of Americans enjoy some form of corned beef and cabbage while celebrating the Holiday! Twenty five percent of the corned beef and cabbage lovers follow it up with fish and chips. Also in traditional Ireland, beef is not always that plentiful, so they more often celebrate the Holiday with Bacon and Cabbage.
Whatever menu you choose, enjoy the Holiday! Here are some recipes that fit into the traditional menu in a different way.

Soda Bread is enjoyed with your main course and it thought to aid in the absorption of the Guinness that you are too drink in between course of the meal. Soda Bread is often used as a hostess gift when dining with friends.

Traditional Irish Soda Bread

• 3/4 cup whole meal flour
• 1 1/2 cups white flour
• 1 1/2 cups buttermilk
• 2 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 free range eggs
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon honey (or maple syrup)

Directions

Combine dry ingredients over a fine mesh sieve into a mixing bowl.
Mix all wet ingredients in a jug, start to slowly incorporate the wet mixture into the dry goods while mixing with one hand.
Use a small amount of flour and knead the dough for 1 minute on a dry surface, shaping the dough into a round shape.
Score the dough on top with a quarter-inch cross and bake in a pre-heated oven at 356 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes.

Favorite Cottage Pie

(Cottage pie is the first cousin to Shepherd’s pie, lamb is used instead of the beef, you can use this recipe with ground or stewed beef as well)

• 2 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 leeks, trimmed, thinly sliced, and washed
• 1 bunch thin young carrots or 2 regular sized, trimmed, peeled and sliced
• 1.5 pounds ground beef short ribs, you can use regular ground beef as well
• 2 tablespoon tomato paste
• 2 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 cup good beef stock or bone broth
• Salt and fresh cracked black pepper to taste

For the mashed potato topping

• 1.5 pounds of russet potatoes, peeled and cut in chunks
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 4 tablespoon unsalted butter, divided
• 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350F
Heat the oil in a skillet and sauté the leeks and carrots for about 5 minutes. Remove to a plate.
Brown the ground beef, breaking it up as it browns so it has a nice crumbly texture. If it’s excessively greasy, drain some off. I didn’t, I like to retain the fat for flavor unless there’s a ton of it.
Stir in the tomato paste, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, and broth to combine. Bring up to a simmer and let simmer gently for 15 to 20 minutes to allow the broth to reduce. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Add the vegetables back into the pan and mix well. Turn the mixture into a large pie plate or casserole dish. Spread out evenly.
Meanwhile boil the potatoes until very tender. Drain and mash with the buttermilk and 3 tablespoons of the butter. Add more buttermilk if the potato mixture seems dry. Fold in the cheese and season with a little salt and pepper if needed.
Spread the mashed potatoes over the top of the pie. Melt the remaining 1 tablespoon butter and gently brush over the mashed potatoes.
Put the baking dish on a baking sheet to catch any drips, and bake for about 50 minutes, or until browned and bubbling.
Serves 6, each serving contains; Calories 610, Carbohydrates 29g., Protein 29g., Fat 18g., Fiber
4g., Sodium 454mg.

Not only can you enjoy your Guinness in a cold mug, but it can be used as a flavorful ingredient in stews and pies.

Corned Beef Sandwiches with Irish Cheese and Pickles

(This is a favorite recipe from Star and Shamrock Restaurant, NYC)

For the Pickles

• 4 tablespoons sugar
• 4 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 small shallot, thinly sliced
• 1 cucumber, thinly sliced

For the Sandwiches

• 8 slices best quality rye bread
• ½ stick butter, at room temperature
• English mustard
• 1 ½ pounds cooked corned beef, thinly sliced
• 8 ounces Irish cheddar, grated (This is easier to find than you would think)

For the pickles, in a bowl mix together the sugar and vinegar until the sugar has dissolved. Mix in the salt and shallot and add the thin slices of cucumber. Cover and leave in the fridge for at least 2 hours or overnight.
For the sandwiches, butter both sides of the rye bread, and spread generous amounts of mustard on one side of each slice.
Divide the corned beef slices amongst 4 of the bread slices. Top with cheese and sandwich together with the remaining bread slices.
Heat a large non-stick frying pan over medium-high heat and fry each sandwich with butter until golden brown on both sides and the cheese is melted.
Slice each sandwich in half and serve with pickle slices on the side.
If you are throwing the St. Patrick’s Day party, here are some easy appetizers you can share.

Cucumber Feta Dip

• ½ English cucumber
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 cup plain low fat Greek yogurt
• ½ cup sour cream
• ½ cup feta cheese crumbles
• ¼ cup parsley
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Serve with green veggies such as broccoli, celery, green beans, snap peas, and any others
Slice the ½ English cucumber in half, remove the seeds. Grate the cucumber into a sieve over a bowl. Toss with ¼ teaspoon salt and let sit for 10 minutes.
Use a small food processor to combine Greek yogurt, sour cream, feta crumbles, parsley, and lemon juice.
Right before serving squeeze the water out of the grated cucumber with a clean towel then mix the cucumber into the dip.
Serve cold. Refrigerate any extra dip.
Yields 32 servings, each serving contains; Calories 610, Carbohydrates 2g., Protein 1g., Fat 1g.,
Fiber 0g., Sodium 43mg.

Guacamole Cups

• Wonton wrappers
• Guacamole, homemade or store bought
• 3 ripe avocados, peeled and pitted
• 1 jalapeno, cored and finely diced, add more or less to taste
• ½ cup finely diced red onion
• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
• 1/3 cup fresh cilantro leaves, finely chopped
• ½ teaspoon sea salt
• ¼ teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 Roma tomato, cored and chopped

For the cups, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Press your wonton wrappers into a mini muffin baking pan to form the cups. Making sure that the corners do not fold down after the pan sits a minute.
Bake the cups for 10-15 minutes, remove and let cool for at least 5 minutes.
For the guacamole, in a medium mixing bowl, use a fork or a potato masher to mash the avocados to your desired consistency.For the guacamole, stir in the jalapeño, onion, lime juice, cilantro, salt, cumin until well-mixed. (If
adding tomatoes, stir them in at the very end.)
Taste and season with extra salt (plus extra lime juice, jalapeño and/or cilantro) if needed.
Scoop guacamole into the cups. Serve.