When Kathleen and Daniel Henderson traveled from his homeland of Ireland to the U.S., where Kathleen was born and raised, her aunt proudly served Daniel corned beef and cabbage. “What’s corned beef? I’ve never had this before,” Kathleen recalls Daniel saying. “We had a good laugh over it, but it just shows that some of our Americanized Irish traditions really aren’t so ‘Irish’ after all,” she says. Meanwhile, some stereotypical Irish foods — namely, meat, potatoes and boiled vegetables — are actually staples in Irish households, says Kathleen, founder of Cohu Nutrition, a nutrition practice in Northern Ireland. Here’s how she and others suggest you celebrate St. Paddy’s Day the authentic way:
Irish breakfast
If there’s one thing Stuart O’Keeffe, an Irish celebrity chef living in California, misses most about his native country, it’s breakfast. And he’s not talking about a bowl of cereal; he’s talking sausage, bacon, fried eggs, grilled tomatoes and brown soda bread with Irish butter. “A good Irish breakfast … gives me a feeling of comfort,” says O’Keeffe, author of “The Quick Six Fix Cookbook,” who’s been featured on the Food Network’s “Private Chefs of Beverly Hills” and other TV shows. Going hog wild for breakfast isn’t necessarily counter health; in fact, one study including 50,000 adults found that those who front-loaded their calories had lower body mass indexes than folks who “saved” their big meals for lunch or dinner.
[See: Here’s What People Eat for Breakfast in 9 Other Countries.]
Shepherd’s pie
If you think “Shepherd’s pie” when you think of Irish foods, you’re not off-base, says Kathleen Henderson, who finds it’s a common midday or dinner dish. The hearty meal, which broadly means a savory meat pie topped with mashed potatoes, can be made lighter by using a cauliflower mash instead of potatoes, Henderson says. You can also opt for leaner, nicer cuts of meat over fattier, cheaper ones, O’Keeffe says, and don’t hesitate to load it with traditional — and green — Irish vegetables like peas and broccoli. “When you notice how much better you feel cooking from scratch with real, wholesome ingredients,” Henderson says, “the extra effort doesn’t seem like so big a sacrifice.”
Beef Stew
Not only is corned beef not entirely traditional, it’s also not as healthy as a lower-sodium alternative: beef stew. “It’s yummy, full of great flavor and … healthy and satisfying and warm,” finds O’Keeffe, whose recipe includes sirloin steak, carrots, button mushrooms, tomatoes, cannellini beans, red wine and garlic. The higher-grade meat means less time cooking, he says, and the cannellini beans deliver the starchiness of potatoes with more health benefits (think loads of protein and B vitamins). “There are lots of clever ways of making a stew super healthy and fast,” O’Keeffe says.
[See: 10 Healthy Meals You Can Make in 10 Minutes.]
Colcannon
Just looking at colcannon — aka buttery mashed potatoes mixed with finely sliced kale or cabbage — will get you into the St. Paddy’s Day spirit. To cut back on calories and saturated fat, use 2 percent milk and extra-virgin olive oil instead of butter and cream, O’Keeffe recommends. Cauliflower could be used instead of potatoes too, but there’s no need to avoid spuds entirely, Henderson says. “In other parts of the world, gluten, dairy and white potatoes may be frowned upon as ‘unhealthy’ foods,” she says, “but to me, they are much more wholesome than so many of the highly-processed foods that we eat in America — even if they are labeled as ‘healthy.'”
[See: 12 ‘Unhealthy’ Foods With Health Benefits.]
Guinness
What’s a St. Patrick’s Day without a pint of Guinness? A 12-ounce serving is only 125 calories — just 15 more than a typical American light beer, Henderson says. “Guinness is also a source of iron and was actually once prescribed by doctors for pregnant women to take if they were low in iron,” she adds. Of course, doctors no longer advise imbibing while pregnant at all (even if the drink is iron-rich), but one important Irish tradition remains: drinking and eating in good company. “Gather around a table, eat together, talk, laugh, tell stories, enjoy moments — this is something the Irish have taught me,” Henderson says. “Food is meant to be shared; it’s not only sustenance or nourishment — it’s family, it’s community. That is the Irish way!”
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5 Traditional — and Healthy Enough — St. Patrick’s Day Recipe Ideas originally appeared on usnews.com
