St. Patrick's Day brunch for four

With St. Patrick's Day falling on a Sunday this year, why not try something a little different than the traditional corned beef and cabbage dinner and serve up a St. Patty's Day Brunch? From the Kiwi Mimosas to the Shamrock Green Eggs and Ham, this delicious brunch menu takes advantage of fresh green vegetables and fruits to create whimsical new "green" traditions to celebrate St. Patrick's Day.

St. Patrick's Day Brunch Menu For Four

Kiwi Mimosas
St. Patty's Day Donuts
Green Fruit Bowl
Shamrock Green Eggs and Ham
Green Chili Potatoes

Kiwi Mimosas

4 kiwis, peeled

1/2 cup pineapple juice, fresh preferably

2 ounces Midori liqueur

1 bottle chilled champagne or prosecco

Combine peeled kiwis, pineapple juice and Midori in a blender or food processor until smooth, adding a little more pineapple juice if necessary to make a pourable, fruit nectar-like consistency. Transfer to a small pitcher and chill in the refrigerator until ready to use.
When ready to serve the mimosas, pour enough kiwi mixture into 4 champagne glasses to come up to about an inch from the bottom of each glass. Add more or less, depending on taste.
Fill the rest of the glasses with chilled champagne or prosecco and serve immediately.

St. Patty's Day Donuts

1 dozen donut holes (from your local donut shop)

2 cups powdered sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 - 4 tablespoons milk

1/2 teaspoon vanilla or almond extract

green food coloring

green sprinkles or other small green cake decorations

Stir together powdered sugar and salt.
Add two tablespoons milk, vanilla or almond extract, and stir vigorously with a fork until smooth. Add a little more milk at a time until the glaze is a pourable consistency, like a thick pancake syrup.
Add a few drops of green food coloring at a time, stirring well after each addition, until the desired color of green is achieved.
Place the donut holes on a cookie rack and pour the glaze evenly over each.
Sprinkle with sprinkle or small green cake decorations and allow the glaze to firm before transferring to a serving plate.

Green Fruit Bowl

1 green apple, cored and cut into bite-sized chunks

1/2 honeydew melon, peeled, seeded and cut into bite-sized chunks

1 bunch green grapes, stems removed

1 green pear, such as Bartlett, cored and cut into bite-sized pieces

1 large kiwi, peeled, halved and sliced

1 lime, zested

pinch of ground nutmeg

Combine all of the fruit in a serving bowl.
Squeeze the juice of half the zested lime over the fruit and toss very lightly.
Sprinkle a little of the lime zest over the top and garnish with a sprinkle of ground nutmeg.
Chill until ready to serve.

Green Chili Breakfast Potatoes

8 small red potatoes, washed and halved or quartered depending on size of potatoes

1 onion, peeled and diced

1 clove garlic, peeled and minced

1 small can diced fire-roasted green chilies

salt and pepper

2 - 3 tablespoons olive oil

good handful chopped fresh cilantro (can substitute fresh parsley)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Toss the potatoes, onion, garlic and green chilies together with the olive oil in a bowl until well-coated with olive oil.
Sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper to taste and toss again until well mixed.
Spread the mixture in a single layer on a baking sheet.
Roast in pre-heated oven until potatoes are fork tender and browned on the edges, about 20 minutes depending on the size of the potatoes. Turn with a spatula once or twice during roasting for even browning.
Remove from oven and transfer to a serving platter. Scatter the chopped cilantro (or parsley) over the top.

Shamrock Green Eggs and Ham

4 rashers (1/4-inch thick slices) Irish bacon or Canadian bacon

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 large green bell pepper

1 tablespoon butter

4 extra-large fresh eggs

salt and pepper

grated parmesan cheese

In a skillet over medium heat, add 1 tablespoon olive oil and swirl around the bottom of the skillet.
Place the bacon in a single layer and cook for a few minutes on one side until it starts to brown then turn each slice over and do the same on the other side.
Remove from heat and keep warm until ready to serve.
Place the green bell pepper horizontally on a cutting board. Slice off the stem end. Under running cold water, rinse the seeds out of the inside of the pepper.
Place the seeded pepper once again horizontally on the cutting board and slice into 1/4 inch-thick rounds. You will need 4 whole slices. These are the "shamrocks." Use the remaining part of the bell pepper to cut into pieces to arrange on each plate as "stems" for the "shamrock" eggs before serving.
In a large skillet that has a lid, heat 1 tablespoon butter over medium-low heat.
Place the 4 bell pepper slices in a single layer in the skillet.
Break an egg into the center of each bell pepper slice.
Sprinkle with salt, pepper and grated parmesan cheese.
Place the lid on the skillet and allow the eggs to cook for several minutes until they are as cooked as you like your eggs to be.
Transfer to plates with a wide spatula and serve immediately.

For other tempting St. Patrick's Day recipes, try:

And what to do with that left-over corned beef? Check these ideas out.

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