Spring vegetables and fruits always look so fresh and innocent. They make you feel young at heart when you eat them. Spring means new beginnings and now’s a perfect time to begin eating healthier and more consciously. When I think of springtime vegetables, the first thing that comes to mind is sugar snap peas. I love how they crunch. You can eat them raw or steamed in salads, side dishes or by themselves as a quick, healthy snack. I created a Spring Salad with Strawberries and Peas to bring in the season.
To your health and well-being!
- 1½ cups of fresh snap peas (trimmed)
- mixed salad greens
- 2 cups of fresh strawberries sliced lengthwise in quarters
- 1 Persian cucumber (sliced thin)
- 4 oz crumbled Gorgonzola cheese
- ¼ cup Raspberry vinegar
- 2 shallots (chopped)
- 3 Tbsp fresh basil (chopped)
- 2 tsp Dijon mustard
- Salt and pepper to taste
- ¾ cup extra virgin olive oil
- Steam the snap peas for 2 minutes until tender-crisp
- Once steamed put the snap peas in ice water
- Slice the snap peas lengthwise carefully
- Toss together the mixed greens, strawberries, cucumber slices, and cheese with the raspberry basil dressing below
- Mix all ingredients or blend until smooth in a blender (depends on desired consistency)
The stores are filled with mixtures of pre-washed baby greens making it easy to throw together a quick salad. I found a bag of young baby spinach, organic mizuna, organic chard leaves, and organic kale to use in the salad. However, any mix of fresh baby greens will do. Try arugula, mesclun, salad greens mixed with herbs or other varieties you enjoy.
Strawberries have been called the queen of fruits and the fields here in California are full of them. Or, at least partially full because of our annoying drought. They’re sweet, tangy and anti-oxidant rich. In fact, they’re rated in the top 10 of fruits in terms of having the most anti-oxidants.
Eating strawberries will help prevent heart disease, cancer, diabetes and a host of other ailments.
Adding them to a salad is not only a healthy choice but is a wonderful way to make it look festive.
It’s a “snap” to make too. Blend a batch of dressing ahead of time and then drizzle it on your salad when you’re ready to eat.
What are your favorite berries? Please leave a comment below.
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