Yummy, Healthy Spring Recipes

Spring is a beautiful time to explore and play with healthy, wonderful, and delicious recipes.

I love gardening. I love cooking. I love coming up with new recipes as the vegetables appear in my garden and farmers’ markets near me.

Sesame Snap Peas with optional Ginger

Ingredients

• 3 cups or so of snap peas
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 clove of garlic
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon sesame seeds (best if you toast them first *)
• 1 teaspoon ginger fresh, shredded (optional)

Instructions

• Heat olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Add chopped garlic (and ginger if desired) and sauté for a minute.
• Immediately add the snap peas and soy sauce. Sauté for about 4-6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until snap peas are tender but still crisp (don’t overcook, or they will get soggy). 
• Remove the pan from the heat and toss with sesame seeds; stir for 30 seconds.

Serve immediately.  If you store any leftovers, make sure they are in a tight container and used within a day or two. Just sauté for a few minutes to warm up.

* You can buy pre-toasted sesame seeds. Or, to toast them yourself, simply sauté them for a few minutes in a pan. DO NOT add any oil to the pan. Be careful not to overcook them.

Sweet & Spicy Spinach and Strawberry Salad

Ingredients:

Sweet & Spicy Dressing

1/4 cup organic maple syrup
1/4 cup raw, organic honey
1-2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1/4 – 1/2  tsp chili pepper spice
1/4 tsp sea salt
Juice of one lemon

Combine all of the ingredients above, except the lemon juice, in a small bowl. 

Juice the lemon by cutting in half and squeezing it into a bowl (you may have to spoon out the seeds!)
Add the lemon to the other ingredients.

Toasted Pecans: 

Preheat oven to 350
Spread pecans on a cookie sheet
Bake for 7 – 9 minutes
Chop the pecans (easy to do with a large knife)

Salad

4 cups of fresh, cleaned, organic spinach
8 strawberries, cleaned and cut in half
1/2 cup toasted pecans
1/4 cup chopped feta or crumbled blue cheese, or goat cheese

Make the salad!

Rinse and dry spinach
Clean and half strawberries
Place the spinach into individual serving bowls or plates
Top with the cut strawberries and toasted pecans
Optional: add chopped feta, red onions, shredded carrot or any other veggie you love

Pour the dressing and toss the salad just before serving.

Serve immediately.

Enjoy!

Coconut Milk, Fruit & Banana Pops

Ingredients

• 14 oz of coconut milk
• 1 pint of fresh strawberries, chopped
• 1 medium banana, sliced up
• 2 tablespoons sugar or organic maple syrup
• 12 popsicle molds or 12 paper cups (3 oz. each
  • 12 pop sticks

Directions

• Place coconut milk, 1-1/2 cups strawberries, banana, and sugar or syrup in a food processor or blender; cover and process until smooth. 
• Put the rest of the strawberries in the 12 molds or paper cups. 
• Pour strawberry mixture into molds or cups. Fill the molds or cups 3/4 full. 
• Top molds with holders. If using cups, top with foil and insert sticks through the foil.
• Freeze until firm, at least 4 hours.

Good news – you can make these pops with other fruits. Be creative and have fun.

Coconut Milk – Raspberry pops

• Substitute the strawberries with 1 pint of raspberries.
• Follow the rest of the recipe (with raspberries)

Coconut Milk – Blueberry pops

• Substitute the strawberries with 1 pint of blueberries.
• Follow the rest of the recipe (with blueberries)

Coconut Milk – Peach pops

• Substitute the strawberries with 2 cups of chopped and peeled peaches.
• Follow the rest of the recipe (with peaches)