Healthy St. Patrick's Day Recipes

The abundance of springy sausage, soft beans and tender cabbage packed into this slow-cooker recipe means that each bite is loaded with varied texture. To make this recipe gluten free, use gluten-free sausage. Serve with bread and Guinness, if desired.

This rich homemade ice cream recipe was inspired by Linnalla Pure Irish Ice Cream in County Clare, Ireland. They add carrageenan made from local seaweed to give the ice cream a more velvety texture. We've simplified the recipe for home, relying on only egg yolks and cream to do the job. Chopped honeycomb pieces add texture and pops of pure honey flavor, but feel free to omit them if you prefer a simpler ice cream. This ice cream would be delicious with rhubarb pie or crumble, or all on its own.

Traditional Irish lamb stew is made with inexpensive shoulder or neck cuts of lamb, but for possibly the best Irish stew you'll ever make, give this version made with leg of lamb a try. Choose a bone-in cut to make the rich, flavorful broth for this healthy lamb stew. Requiring just a handful of ingredients and 35 minutes of active time, this lamb stew isn't just tasty--it's also easy!

In this easy one-pan dinner, boneless pork loin roast is cooked over a bed of carrots and parsnips for an all-in-one dish that makes an impressive centerpiece for a holiday meal or Sunday dinner. Choose free-range heritage pork if you can--its flavor really shines with no more seasoning than a bit of thyme and a little sea salt. If you'd like, dress up the meal with a traditional Irish apple condiment--Ploughmans chutney or Bramley applesauce, which you can find in specialty stores and online.

A classic Irish side dish, colcannon is typically a mound of mashed potatoes mixed with crumbled bacon, wilted cabbage and scallions, with a crater full of butter in the middle. For this seaweed variation, salty, umami-rich dillisk (the Irish name for dulse) take the place of bacon in this healthy side dish recipe. Look for dried dulse in well-stocked supermarkets.

This single-serve version of classic Irish soda bread is fun for St. Patrick's Day, but you'll find they're also delicious for weekend brunches. All you need with these scones is a warm cup of tea.

The sheer simplicity of Irish soda bread belies its goodness. We've made this easy whole-wheat quick bread even faster by baking the dough in muffin cups. Serve the muffins warm, with butter and honey.

If you've never baked scones at home, you'll be pleasantly surprised by how easy they are to make. And it's hard to beat this version made with fresh blackberries and tangy buttermilk. This healthy scone recipe calls for half all-purpose flour and half white whole-wheat flour--the latter improves the nutritional profile of the scones without affecting their flavor and texture. Serve these for weekend brunch, at teatime or anytime you want a special breakfast treat.

Lime juice and peel lend a refreshing tang to this creamy low-fat gelatin salad recipe.

For a meal that's ready when you get home after a long day, try this flavorful and hearty pot roast.

This warming slow-cooker stew has all the flavors of corned beef and cabbage but with much less sodium, plus it's ready in half the time of traditional corned beef and cabbage. Rather than curing the beef in a salty brine for at least a day, we just throw the beef and veggies into a crock pot with pickling spice for that delicous briny flavor without the long soaking period.

This quick soda bread is best eaten the day it's made--try it with butter and jam for extra flavor. Traditional Irish soda bread made with wheat flour requires a very light touch to avoid developing the gluten, which would make the bread tough. However this dough, which is made with gluten-free flour, should be beaten thoroughly. A stand mixer is perfect for the job.

In this healthy whole-wheat Irish soda bread recipe, the addition of fruit and caraway seeds is often referred to as ''spotted dog,'' but you can omit them if you prefer a more traditional Irish soda bread. Baked in a skillet, this crowd-pleasing bread is delicious eaten warm with a pat of butter.

Traditional colcannon is an Irish dish made with potatoes and cabbage. In this healthy colcannon recipe, we swap flavor-packed celery root for the potatoes and use less butter than in typical recipes to save more than 200 calories per serving.

Our healthy take on the classic Shamrock Shake uses fresh spinach and juicy kiwi to achieve the fun and festive color we all love. Using fresh mint makes this smoothie extra minty and refreshing.

Fresh strawberries and rhubarb meld together under a crisp oat crumble in this gluten-free dessert recipe made in just one skillet. If you're not gluten-sensitive, regular rolled oats will work too. Top with a dollop of whipped cream for an extra-special treat.

Deli-counter corned beef and sauerkraut top a shamrock-shaped spinach wrap in this festive corned beef and cabbage-inspired appetizer for the perfect St. Patrick's Day food.

Chicken thighs can take plenty of cooking without getting tough or drying out, which makes them perfect for the slow cooker. Here we braise them in Guinness stout along with hearty vegetables, with just the right amount of bacon for added savoriness.

Coated with olive oil and baked in a hot oven, these fries are soft and buttery inside and crisp on the outside--the perfect combination.

These mini vegetarian shepherd's pies feature lentils, carrot and corn, crowned with a velvety mashed potato topping. The recipe can also be made in a broiler-safe casserole dish. Serve with a spinach salad with oranges, walnuts and red-wine vinaigrette.