Green Day

Last week was St. Patrick's Day and it happened to fall on a Monday, which meant a lot of people went the extra mile to keep it meat-free. Did anybody groan when they realized it? A lot of Irish foods are a bit meat-centric: bacon and cabbage, bangers and mash, Irish stew and the like. But one could embrace the challenge and make a meatless version of one of the above, or try a recipe like boxty or colcannon, which are normally meat-free. Last week's "Meatless in Miami" column in the Miami New Times took on the latter and it looks delicious.

In honour of the occasion, MeatlessMonday.com posted an article to "shine a light on Irish cuisine" which featured Kevin Dundon, Executive Head Chef at Dublin’s Shelbourne Hotel, talking about changing tastes of Irish customers and how he enjoys the challenge of preparing vegetarian dishes. They also had this to say about a recent story in a Dublin paper: 

"Irish consumers have become more health conscious as well. Last month the Irish Times praised Meatless Monday for addressing the global obesity epidemic, as well as growing environmental and ethical concerns."

Nice going, Ireland! We in the Young Household rose to the challenge with three separate Irish-themed recipes. First a traditional soda bread, then a past favourite you may remember called "Beefless Stew" and finally some vegan cupcakes to which we added green food colouring for a festive feeling. They are the latest addition to our collection of "Seena" recipes and we hope you'll give them a try when you feel like something sweet.