Healthy St. Patrick's Day Recipes

Whether pronounced SKON to rhyme with "gone" or with a long O to rhyme with "cone," this is the everyday breakfast fare of rural Ireland. The old recipes, like this one, are unfussy. You don't see a lot of farmers grating frozen butter or chilling their mixing bowls. But variations, such as brown bread scones, oatmeal scones and even fried potato scones, abound. It's hard to beat this version made with fresh blackberries and tangy buttermilk.

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.

Nothing says spring like rhubarb. Quick-to-prepare, single-serving fruit crisps like this one are an easy way to get dessert on the table anytime. When buying or picking rhubarb, select stalks that are firm and red--avoid ones that are soft and waggly. And if you slice it very thinly, there's no need to peel off any outer strings.

There are countless variations on this classic Irish potato-and-cabbage combination--ours is made with steamed red potatoes, sautéed cabbage and just a touch of butter.

A comforting dish with a healthier profile.

Colcannon is a classic Irish side dish that couples mashed potatoes with cabbage or kale. We use low-fat milk instead of the more traditional cream-and-butter combination for a healthier profile.

Traditional corned beef & cabbage sure is tasty, but it's typically loaded with preservatives and sodium. In this healthy recipe makeover, we slash more than 2,300 mg of sodium with our quicker twist on the St. Patrick's Day classic. To get great flavor without the additives found in store-bought corned beef, we rub ground pickling spice onto steak instead.

Rhubarb is a tangy counterpart for sweet raspberries in this fruit crumble recipe. For a nutty flavor and a boost of nutrition, this healthy dessert uses whole-grain rye flour and toasted pecans. Serve the crumble with your favorite vanilla frozen yogurt or a dollop of whipped cream.

In this simple shepherd's pie recipe, we call for flavorful lean ground lamb, which isn't always easy to find. You can use lean ground beef or turkey instead. If you want to use lamb, ask your butcher to grind it for you or, to make your own ground lamb, start with a lean cut of lamb, such as leg or loin, trimmed of any excess fat and cut into 3/4-inch pieces. Pulse briefly in a food processor just until uniformly ground.