3/10/2008

St. Patricks Day Dinner Ideas

I've had someone ask about green Main Dish ideas for a St. Patricks Day meal. I'll be working on it this week. So far, I've thought of:

-Shepherd's Pie but add some green food coloring to the mashed potato topping. There's a great recipe here.

-Saag Chicken. It's a favorite around here. My kids love Indian food, though. Here's our favorite recipe.
Saag Chicken
Ingredients:
2 lbs chicken breast, cubed
5 cloves garlic, minced
2 large onions, minced
1 (400g) can crushed tomatoes
1 inch ginger, minced
4 tbsp milk
4 bunches spinach, washed & chopped
2 tbsp butter
3/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
2 big cardamom pods
2 whole cloves
7 tsp oil
1 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp salt
Directions:
Heat 4 tsp of the oil over medium-high heat, add the chicken and stir-fry for around 3-4 minutes until lightly browned. Set aside.Put the spinach in a pot, add 1/4 cup of water. Bring to a boil and remove from heat. When cool, grind very well (almost to a paste) in blender and set aside.Heat the remaining oil in a pan over medium-high heat and add the ginger, garlic and onions, stirring until lightly browned. Add tomatoes, salt, cayenne pepper, ground coriander, turmeric, cloves and cardamom. Add a tablespoon of water and cook for 10 minutes over low heat.Add chicken and milk to the pan. Simmer until the chicken is tender (about 10 minutes). Add spinach and garam masala to the pan. Cook until spinach starts sticking to the pan (about 15 minutes).Remove from heat, add butter and cover until ready to serve with rice.

-Green Chile Enchiladas
Ingredients:
2 cans Old El Paso's green enchilda sauce.
2 cans green chilies.
Spinach tortillas (about 8, depends on the size)
Green cream cheese--(mix a few drops of green food coloring into a block of cream cheese)
Chicken, cubed or chopped (however much you want)
Instructions:
Follow the recipe on the back of the Enchilada Sauce cans or simply make your regular favorirte enchilada recipe using these green indgredients. Feel free to add rice, beans, whatever floats your boat.:)

-Pesto Pasta I just got an email with a great recipe. You can get it here. I'd add some chicken for protein.

-Green Spaghetti Thanks, Juls! This is a great idea!
lb. spaghetti, cooked, drained
10 oz. frozen spinach, chopped
1/2 C. chicken broth
1/2 C. Parmesan cheese, grated
1/2 C. milk
4 Tbs. butter (optional)
Prepare spaghetti according to package directions. Meanwhile, heat spinach in microwave until hot. Heat broth over low heat. Place spinach and it’s liquid into blender. Add warmed broth and liquefy. Stir cheese and milk into spinach mixture. When spaghetti is done, drain and place in large bowl. Toss with butter, then spinach mixture.

Other ideas to share? Please let me know!

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