About's Food Channel is delivering up some well-themed food and drink ideas for your St. Patrick's Day celebrations.

From Gluten-Free cooking, we have:
Celebrate St. Patrick's Day gluten and dairy free with this lovely, fragrant loaf of Irish Soda Bread- more accurately called "Freckle Bread or Spotted Dog" thanks to the raisins that stud the loaf. Gluten and Dairy Free Irish Soda Bread is prepared with a convenient gluten-free mix, making this a fast and easy GFCF recipe.

Gluten-Free Barm Brack:
According to Elaine Lemm, About.com Guide to British and Irish Food, "Brack is one of Ireland's most famous bakery products." Barm brack is a yeast bread, unlike more common Irish breads which are leavened only with baking soda. This Gluten-Free Barm Brack recipe is laced with fragrant fresh lemon peel, plump raisins and chopped candied ginger. The golden loaf is slightly sweet and delicious!

Gluten-Free Creamy Potato Leek Soup Recipe:
What better to serve alongside a warm slice of Gluten and Dairy Free Irish Soda Bread or Gluten-Free Barm Brack than a warm, cheery bowl of Gluten-Free Creamy Potato Leek Soup? This recipe can be adapted to dairy free as well, making it a perfect match for celebrating St. Patrick's Day while eating healthy foods for your restrictive diet.

From Linda Larsen - Busy Cooks

Crockpot Corned Beef and Cabbage Recipe

This super easy lets you cook tender corned beef in the slowcooker. The cabbage is added at the end of cooking time so it stays slightly crisp.

Corned Beef and Cabbage Tarts

For a twist on the classic St. Patrick's Day recipes, these delicious individual little tarts combine red cabbage and cubed corned beef with Gruyere cheese.

Photo 2010 Teri Lee Gruss, licensed to About.com, Inc.

This St. Patrick's Day Sangria recipe takes a wee bit o' Irish Whiskey and transforms the traditional Spanish Sangria into a festive, "Irish" Sangria - a perfect substitute for green beer and it works well with corned beef and cabbage for celebrating Saint Patrick's day in wine-themed style. Check out the full skinny on the St. Patty's Day Sangria here.

When St. Patty's day roles around, some local leprechauns may be looking to shake up their green beer traditions with a true Irish treasure - enter Mead. Not sure, what Mead is and why it has anything to do with St. Patty's Day? Then take a quick trip through Mead Basics here. Ready to dive a bit deeper into the world of Mead? Then Mead Recs and Reviews are ready to help you fine tune your selections.

In anticipation of St. Patty's Day, I wanted to highlight a true Irish Meade this week. For those of you unfamiliar with Mead, it is an ancient honeyed wine that has been circulating for centuries. If you've been to the Bunratty Castle in County Clare, you will recognize this particular Mead as the second Mead served in the Castle's lower quarters, the first Mead being a warm, mulled red Mead that I've yet to find for sale anywhere. Maybe it was the fog, the chilly November air, or the wait to gain entrance to the castle itself, whatever the influence this was by far the very best Mead I've had the privilege of trying. The Bunratty white Meade is still a tasty treat, and at its best when served slightly chilled, in my opinion.