From incredible main courses, such as jackfruit corned beef, to fun decorative desserts like rainbow topped matcha cupcakes, this post shares all my festive recipes for a magically delicious St. Patrick’s Day!
March is coming upon us and I have been eager to share some of my St. Patty’s favorites. It occurred to me it may be easiest to gather them all into one post for easy searching, just as I have done for Thanksgiving and other Fall holidays. Let us start with Irish-style mains, shall we?
Inspired by a delicious recipe for Tempeh Corned Beef Sandwiches, by Chez Bettay, last year, I was thrilled to share my Air Fryer “Corned Beef” Jackfruit. This dish is a huge hit and is my go-to for March 17th, served alongside cabbage, potatoes, and carrots.
Not a jackfruit fan (or maybe you’ve never cared for corned beef)? No, problem. How about shepherd’s pie? I actually didn’t realize until a couple of years ago that this was an Irish recipe. Forgive me for that, but I feel like when growing up in the states, California especially, recipes from all over get fused together to where some of us never know where they started from.
My shepherd’s pie is a bit of a fusion itself. I use lentils as the protein for this dish, and at the time I created it, I was trying to stay lower on the carb scale, so I use mashed cauliflower (yum) in place of the potatoes. If cauliflower isn’t your thing, or you just would like to keep more traditional, feel free to substitute your favorite mashed potatoes. The bottom layer is simply delicious with lentils, mushrooms, and peas, in a “beef”-like gravy.
How about dessert? My grandmother would always make a beautiful green layer cake on St. Patrick’s Day. I don’t have her recipe, and have never tried to recreate her festive masterpiece, but have come up with a few delicious sweets of my own. My rainbow-decorated Gluten-Free Matcha Cupcakes have the very best decor…
Or maybe you’d prefer to go slightly boozy with your after dinner treats. Luckily, Bailey’s came out with its vegan version of Irish Liqueur several years back, and when that happened, I created my recipe for Irish Liqueur-Chocolate Vegan Mousse.
No-bake, cashew-based desserts have always been my go-to, and in March of 2020 I presented you with my recipe for Creamy Mint Bars. Unfortunately, on March 16th I prepared a slough of these to share with my classmates at school the next day and guess what happened? That afternoon schools were officially closed due to covid and on St. Patrick’s Day 2020, me and my festive desserts were driving home.
OK, we’ve covered dinner, and definitely dessert, but how do we like to start the day? Why not get festive for breakfast too? Similar to my favorite dinner main, for breakfast I use jackfruit to make a “corned beef” hash. Hash has always been one of my favorite go-to’s for a savory vegan breakfast.
Prefer sweet over savory? My Magical Matcha Muffins are also a great way to start your day, while staying in the St. Patty’s spirit. Perhaps these aren’t exactly Irish, but the green color keeps them festive and the tasty is truly magical!
That about sums up my collection of recipes for the coming holiday. I hope you find something (or somethings) you like, and I hope your St. Patrick’s day is truly magically delicious!
Did you enjoy this post and some of the recipes I’ve shared? Leave a comment below, or snap a pic of your magically delicious creation and tag me on Instagram. 🍀