Do you look for leprechauns on St. Patrick’s Day? I do. When I was a child, my older sister told me that if I stared really hard outside in the trees, I would see tiny leprechauns jumping from tree to tree. I swore I saw them. It’s forty years later, and now I have my kids on the lookout for them. It’s an annual tradition to try to catch leprechauns with homemade traps and special green food. It’s pretty hard not to with Pistachio Banana Bread with Dark Chocolate Chips! I tend to add chocolate to get my kids to eat healthier things. This one was a hit, especially when I told them it contained leprechaun magic. I combined my banana bread recipe with ground pistachio nuts. However, many variations of this recipe include a pistachio pudding mix you can try.

Pistachio Banana Bread

(with Chocolate Chips)

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter, softened

3/4 cup brown sugar (or white sugar)

2 eggs

2 tablespoons vanilla extract  

1/3 cup of whole organic milk

2 large, ripened bananas (preferably over-ripened) mashed well (approx. 1 cup mashed)

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour (I have been using the Molino Grassi flour for all my baking, imported from Italy, find it on Amazon) 

3/4 cup of ground pistachio nuts (I grind them in a coffee grinder)

1/2 tsp of cinnamon

1/2 tsp of nutmeg

1/2 tsp of ginger

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1/8 tsp baking soda

1 squirt of green food coloring (this is optional, the pistachio nuts make it a light green, but for a more intense green, try a small amount of coloring)

Makes one 9X13 loaf pan

Method:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Blend softened butter, sugar, eggs, and vanilla in a food processor until well combined. Add bananas and milk - pulse in flour, spices, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and ground pistachios. Blend until smooth. Stir in the chocolate chips (optional) until combined and transfer to a loaf/bread pan. Add some green-colored sprinkles to the top.

Bake for 50-55 minutes or until baked through. Let cool completely, then cut into slices.

You can also get lucky catching leprechauns and stay healthy with Green Pancakes. 

Healthy Green Pancakes

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups of all-purpose flour (King Arthur)

one egg 

1 1/4 cups of organic whole milk 

1 cup of organic spinach 

1 tablespoon (or more I never measure) of vanilla extract 

1/2 banana 

2 tablespoons of brown sugar (white sugar can be used)

3 tablespoons of baking powder 

1 teaspoon of salt

Melt 3 tablespoons of organic butter in a saucepan - be careful not to burn. In a blender put spinach, milk, egg, vanilla and banana. Blend until smooth (about 30 seconds). Combine flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt in a mixing bowl. Pour liquid into a mixing bowl with dry ingredients and stir until smooth. Add and stir in the melted butter.

Pour into a buttered or oiled frying pan at medium heat. Wait until the bubbles appear before flipping. Then, add more flour for thicker, fluffier pancakes, a couple of tablespoons at a time. Kids love and can’t even guess the secret lucky ingredient!

And for those whose beverage of choice today isn’t green beer - or those who want to feel good about the start to St. Patty’s Day - try the energizing Lucky Green Smoothie. 

Lucky Green Smoothie

Ingredients:

One Handful of organic spinach 

1/2 ripe Hass avocado (Florida Avocados are fine too, they have higher water content and different taste)

1/2 vanilla almond milk (cow’s milk is fine, too, the vanilla almond milk adds more sweetness)

1 frozen banana

1/2 cup of ice or water, depending on your preference for thickness