Rainbow Connection

March 14, 2013 · 4 comments

Tags: green eggs • green smoothies • greens • recipes • spring recipes

You know what I like best about St. Patrick’s Day? I’ll give you three guesses. It’s not the green beer. I don’t even like beer in its natural state. It’s not the parades, though I did take the train downtown one wet March 17 to see the Chicago River churn in a turbulent, emerald splendor. I was more entertained by having ditched a day of 11th grade and gotten away with it than by the actual parade itself (Mom, did I ever tell you that?). And you won’t be surprised to hear I’m not crazy about corned beef or boiled cabbage.

Out of guesses? It’s the lore of rainbows, mysterious pots of gold, leprechauns and luck! Good luck. In addition, St. Patty’s Day is the only day of the year I can make green foods and pass them off as holiday fare, much like pink pancakes are to Valentine’s Day. How lucky is that?! Green smoothies! Green soup! Green eggs! Green pasta! It’s all in the messaging, my friends. Talk it up. Treat it like a celebration. Make it seem like you’ve gone to great trouble to produce something special for the holiday. You can turn a traditional fruit smoothie (we like frozen mango, banana, plain yogurt and orange juice) green with a big handful of spinach. It’ll still taste fruity and sweet, I promise. Need more ideas?

In case you were wondering, I’m not Irish. Shocker, I know. The gorgeous rainbow in the picture above was taken in the Angolan province of Malanje, where my father was born. I snapped this shot over Kalandula Falls a few years ago when I traveled to Angola with Andy, the kids and my parents. You don’t have to be Irish to appreciate a rainbow, the treasure at the end of it, all things green or a classic Irish blessing. I leave you with a favorite:

May the road rise to meet you,
May the wind be at your back,
May the sun shine warm upon your face,
The rain fall soft upon your fields,
And until we meet again,
May God hold you in the palm of His hand.