It’s not St. Patrick’s Day that has people seeing green at this Lenexa food festival

Erin Timmons finds endless ways to enjoy spinach.

Timmons is not only a lover of the leafy green, he’s a seasoned competitor in the Lenexa Spinach Festival’s recipe contest. The contest will be a part of the festival, which is being held 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday at Sar-Ko-Par Trails Park, 8801 Greenway Lane, Lenexa.

The recipe competition is a fun and creative community event, Timmons said.

“I look forward to it every year,” she said. “I love the challenge of experimenting with unique recipes like spinach cupcakes, spinach macarons, spinach pop tarts, and — last year’s winner — spinach cannolis.

“All year my mind has been spinning recipe ideas and considering all the ways spinach can be transformed. I get so inspired by the other submissions. I can’t wait to see and taste what everyone comes up with this year.”

The contest has been a popular part of the festival for about 20 years, said Susanne Neely, recreation supervisor in Lenexa’s Parks & Recreation Department and manager of the event.

The recipe contest has four judging categories: appetizer, salad, entree and dessert. The top entry in each category wins $100.

“It’s fun to see all of the creative and delicious ways contestants incorporate spinach in their dishes,” Neely said.

Anyone from anywhere can enter.

“We have had participants of all ages, including children,” said Neely, adding that a parent or guardian has to co-enter with a child.

Neely said the contest has included both repeat and new contestants who range in experience from culinary students to food enthusiasts to experienced home cooks.

Neely said there have been all types of recipes including spinach ice cream, cookies, cake, pie, scones, muffins, hummus, donuts, tarts, dips, roulade, soufflé, spinach potato salad, pastas and meatballs.

The only requirement is all entries must include spinach.

Neely said each participant must submit a signed entry form, a printed copy of the recipe and their prepared dish for the judges to sample.

And walk-up entries are welcomed.

“The format of not requiring people to register in advance is a tradition that dates back to the beginning of the contest and is in keeping with the small-town community vibe of the festival,” Neely said. “I think it is successful because of the tradition that people look forward to. The main challenge for us is that we never know until festival day how many entries we will have, but it always works out.”

And nibbling on entries is allowed.

“We have found that participants in the contest are interested in what other people submitted, and they are excited for the chance to try the other submissions,” Neely said. “Offering samples is a fun way to let people try the wide variety of spinach recipes. My hope is that it will inspire people to try their own creative ways of incorporating spinach into their cooking at home.”

The Spinach Dip Showdown is returning to the festival this year after debuting in 2023. Local restaurants and food establishments enter, and festival attendees can sample the dips and vote on favorites.

This year also includes cooking activities with K-State Extension.

“I think people have an expectation that festivals that focus on foods provide opportunities to see, taste or learn about that food at the event,” Neely said. “We hear from people every year that they love spinach and would like more opportunities to try spinach foods or learn about them.”

Before becoming the coordinator of the event in 2012, Neely entered the recipe contest and won the dessert category with her Spinach Apple Mini Cakes.

“For the past several years, I have donated 8 to 10 dozen of the mini cakes to the Lenexa Historical Society for them to sell at their booth,” she said.