Green St. Patrick’s Day Eats and Treats

It’s the luckiest time of the year! Well, it is definitely time for 4 leaf clovers, leprechauns and lots of green food and beer! St. Patrick’s Day is here! Be sure to check out my hangover fighting foods from last year along with some more fun recipes for your St. Paddy’s Day festivities. And check out some new ones to help jazz up your Irish fete this week!

Drunk Broccoli

• 1 cup beer
• 1/4 cup chopped parsley
• pinch of salt
• 4 cups broccoli florets
• Vegan sour cream for serving

Whisk beer, flour, parsley and salt. Let the batter rest 1 hour. Dip broccoli florets in the batter and fry in 375 degrees safflower oil until golden brown, about 2 minutes. Drain on paper towels. Serve with sour cream for dipping.

Irish Stew

• 2 medium-sized onions, chopped
• Olive oil, for pan
• 1-ounce vegan butter
• 1 sprig dried thyme
• 2 1/2 pounds seitan, cut into large pieces
• 7 carrots, chopped lengthways into 2-inch pieces
• 2 tablespoons pearl barley
• 5 cups vegan chicken stock (from carton or made from vegan chicken bullion)
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 3 sprigs fresh thyme
• 4 sprigs fresh parsley
• 1 bay leaf
• 12 medium potatoes
• 1 bunch parsley, leaves finely chopped
• 1 bunch chives
• Herb butter (recipe follows)

In a large heavy-bottomed saucepan, cook the onions in oil and butter, on medium-high heat until they are translucent. Add the dried thyme and stir. Add the seitan and brown on a medium heat so as to not dry out. Add carrots, and pearl barley. Pour in the stock so that it almost covers the seitan and vegetables. Season with salt and pepper, and add the fresh herbs. Cover and cook on low heat for 2 hours, being careful not to boil. Place potatoes on top of the stew, cover and cook for 30 minutes until the potatoes are fork tender.

Serve the stew in large flat soup bowls, and drizzle herb butter over the potatoes or garnish with parsley and chives.

Herb Butter

• 1 stick vegan butter
• 1 small bunch parsley, finely chopped
• 1 small bunch chives, finely chopped
• 1 sprig thyme

Melt butter in a small saucepan. Add parsley, chives and thyme.

Cocoa Stout Cupcakes

• 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa, plus more for dusting finished cupcakes
• 2 cups organic sugar
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• Pinch fine salt
• 1 bottle stout beer (like Guinness)
• 1 stick vegan butter, melted
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 3 egg replacers, mixed
• 3/4 cup vegan sour cream
• 1 (8-ounce) package vegan cream cheese, softened at room temperature
• 3/4 to 1 cup heavy cream (1 block of silken tofu (12-ounces) and 1/2 cup of plain soy milk. Blend in blender until thick and creamy and there are no more lumps )
• 1 (1-pound) box confectioners’ sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the cocoa, sugar, flour, baking soda, and salt.

In another medium mixing bowl, combine the stout, melted butter, and vanilla. Beat in egg replacers, 1 at time. Mix in sour cream until thoroughly combined and smooth. Gradually mix the dry ingredients into the wet mixture.

Lightly grease 24 muffin tins. Divide the batter equally between muffin tins, filling each 3/4 full. Bake for about 12 minutes and then rotate the pans. Bake another 12 to 13 minutes until risen, nicely domed, and set in the middle but still soft and tender. Cool before turning out.

To make the icing: