Green Food.

Hello and Happy St. Patrick’s Day! And if they’re reading, Happy Birthday to my wonderful husband.

And my lovely aunt Susan!

I hope they both have awesome birthdays.

What a celebration-packed day! I think we should probably have some cake just out of obligation to these special occasions. Agreed?

I know a lot of people celebrate St. Patty’s Day by drinking lots of green beer, partying, wearing green clothing, trying not to get pinched, and faking Irish accents.

However, I’ll only be participating in the last of these popular traditions.

Beecuss I luff me en EYYYYE-Rish Accent. Don’t yuuuuuuu?

And some Loocky Charms, too lad. Don’tya know?

Heee heee. I should eat some Lucky Charms today just because. That would be grand.

I digress.

So today I thought I would share an actual Irish recipe with you, as well as all of the green food and beverages I have in my foodie arsenal. Let’s get started shall we?

First up: Irish Oat Cake with Buttercream Frosting.

I have been long inspired to make this cake ever since devouring a slice of a vegan version I found at Palio Dessert and Espresso House in Portland, OR.

This cake was incredible. It was oaty, hearty, perfectly sweet and generously frosted. Ugh, for this cake alone I wish I still lived in Portland.

So why did I make this cake today? Because it’s St. Patrick’s Day and I was craving cake. But then again who really needs an excuse to make and eat cake? Nobody. Moving on.

*Note, you could easily make this cake (and frosting) vegan by using vegan-friendly butter, cream cheese and flax eggs.

inspired by the magnificent Vegan Irish Oat Cake found at Palio Dessert and Espresso House

recipe from cooks.com

Ingredients:

1 cup quick-cooking rolled oats

1 1/3 cups boiling water

1/2 cup butter, soft

1/2 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed

1/2 cup granulated sugar

2 eggs, beaten

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Frosting:

4 oz. light cream cheese, softened

1/4 stick butter, softened

splash of vanilla extract

1/2 lb. powdered sugar

Instructions:

Combine oats and boiling water, stirring to blend well. Let stand 20 minutes.

In a mixing bowl, cream butter; add sugars and beat at medium speed of electric mixer. Add eggs, vanilla, and cooled oatmeal mixture, beating until well blended.

Into a separate bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Add to creamed mixture, stirring until smooth.

Pour batter into a greased and floured 9-inch baking dish. Bake at 325° for 30-35 minutes.

To prepare frosting, simply beat the cream cheese and butter together in a medium bowl. Then add the vanilla extract. And then add the powdered sugar little by little until you reach the desired consistency.

Once the cake is cooled, frost and devour!

Like so…

Seriously good. The texture is a little dense, but moist. The oats and brown sugar work wonderfully together to make a hearty sweetness. And the buttercream frosting is pure perfection.

Need I say more?

GREEN FOOD

What would St. Patrick’s Day be without an obnoxious amount of green? Not half as fun. So here is all of the green food I have in my recipe book. Enjoy!

Vegan Green Pancakes

Green Monster Smoothie

Peanut Butter Cup Green Monster

Island Green Monster

Kale Kitchen Sink Salad

Alright that’s all for now! I hope you’re having a lovely St. Patty’s Day. I’ll be back later with a tutorial on how to roast your own coffee beans at home. Should be fun!

Questions:

Are you wearing green today?

Have any special St. Patty’s Day plans?