How To Use Spring Produce In Your Cooking
There is such a powerful connection between food and your body. Food fuels us, giving us the energy to pull through school, work, and the tedious challenges of the day. It also has the power to make us feel better. Food provides nutrients that produce serotonin and dopamine—your body’s feel-good chemicals. A simple way to better your diet and eat more healthy food is to try and integrate more in-season produce into your cooking.
Foods bought and consumed around the time they are harvested are considered in-season. Out-of-season food is harvested early, stored, and transported, leading to a loss in freshness, flavor, and nutrients. When ripe produce is harvested, it is filled with natural flavors and higher nutritional value. Therefore, seasonal food is fresher and more nutritious, making it the best option when deciding what to cook with.
With spring comes an abundance of delicious vegetables and fruits that are in-season. There are so many ways to include spring produce in your cooking and so many flavorful recipes to try. Here are some simple and plant-based ways to incorporate in-season foods into your diet this spring!
Asparagus
Asparagus makes the perfect side dish for any protein and is effortless to cook. For a roasted style, preheat the oven to 425°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Trim asparagus right where the stalks turn from white to green; this is how to prep your asparagus for the cooking process. Toss the asparagus with olive oil, salt, pepper, and any other spices you favor. Bake for about 12 minutes until spears are tender, and sprinkle with lemon juice before serving. A simple, yet delicious recipe.
Another easy thing you could do with asparagus is make a unique pasta sauce. Cook some onion and garlic in a pan until soft, then sauté with cut-up asparagus and mushrooms. Flavor with lemon juice and spices, and add spinach at the end. Mix with cooked pasta, drizzle pesto on top, and you have a simple vegetable-filled meal that is perfect for the season.
Here are some other simple recipes to try:
Avocado
Avocados are so versatile and give an amazing texture to anything it’s added to. Sliced-up avocado is excellent to add to salads or a hummus wrap with veggies and greens. Avocado toast is another healthy, quick breakfast idea that’s packed with flavor. Simply mash avocados, salt, and garlic powder, load on mixture to toasted bread, top with tomatoes, and drizzle with lemon juice. So fresh and appetizing! While this is one of the easiest ways to make it, there are countless ways to make avocado toast.
Check out these recipes for more ideas:
Authentic guacamole calls for the simplest, freshest ingredients, with good avocados being the most essential. So, spring is the perfect time to make this beloved dip! Start by mashing avocados with diced onion, tomatoes, jalapeno, garlic, cilantro, lime juice, and salt. Finish it off with some toppings of your choice and enjoy your homemade guacamole with anything from chips to veggies.
You can also see these recipes for more ideas about what to do with an avocado:
Broccoli
Broccoli is another dish that can be cooked in a multitude of ways. Steaming or roasting is an incredibly efficient and delicious way to cook broccoli. To make a high protein and fiber meal, add sweet potatoes, broccoli, carrots, and chickpeas onto a baking sheet. Coat with olive oil and spices and bake till sweet potatoes are soft and veggies are crispy, yet tender. Serve with hummus and lemon juice, and you have a quick and easy meal using multiple in-season vegetables.
Broccoli is also great in soups. To make a creamy soup, boil water, onion, potato, salt, and garlic powder in a soup pot. Then add steamed broccoli and peas. Bring all to a boil, and once all the vegetables are cooked, transfer the soup into a blender. Blend and serve with chopped dill—easy and tasty!
Here are some more simple recipes:
Dessert
After trying these tasty recipes for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, now you have to make dessert! Luckily, spring has some incredible seasonal fruits such as strawberries, apples, apricots, and bananas. Try some of these recipes for fruity, fresh desserts, perfect for any event or picnic.
What recipes will you try out this spring? Leave a comment below.