Spring into action with these recipes

Spring is a great time to get outside and start grilling.  Many people are inside throughout the winter.  Once spring arrives, families emerge from their homes.  They are ready to picnic in the park and their backyard. 

Instead of making the same tired spring recipes, you could make some new dishes.  Many people are starting to eat healthier.  Spring recipes often include chicken, tuna, and vegetables.  These ingredients will help you maintain your diet. 

Spring Recipes

Here are some spring recipes that you can whip up for your family.  Remember, you can always substitute ingredients if necessary.

Strawberry Spinach Salad

Ingredients

2 Tbs. sesame seeds
1 1/2 lb. fresh spinach
1/3 C. vegetable oil
1/3 C. red wine vinegar
1 Tbs. sugar
2 tsp. minced green onion
1/2 tsp. paprika
1/4 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
2 C. fresh strawberries, washed, hulled and halved

Preparation

In a 7 inch skillet over medium heat, stir sesame seeds until golden; set aside.  Wash spinach thoroughly; dry on paper towels and tear into bite size pieces.  Wrap and chill.  Blend oil, vinegar, sugar, onion, paprika and Worcestershire sauce.  In large glass bowl, mix together spinach, strawberries, dressing and seeds.  You could add walnuts or pine nuts to this salad.  Taken from Recipe4Living.

Blueberry Banana Bread

Ingredients

2 C. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1 C. sugar
1 egg, beaten
1/2 C. vegetable oil
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2/3 C. mashed bananas
1 C. fresh blueberries
1/2 C. chopped nuts

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  In a large bowl, combine flour, salt, baking soda and sugar.  In a separate bowl, combine egg, oil, and vanilla extract and mix.  Add to dry ingredients.  Fold in bananas and blueberries and mix well.  Add nuts and mix.  Pour into a greased loaf pan and cook at about 1 hour.  Allow bread to cool before slicing. 

Chicken Mediterranean Salad

Ingredients

2 cups baby spinach leaf (set aside )
2 C. white chicken (canned is fine)
4 oz. feta cheese, crumbled
2 Roma tomato diced
1 C. broccoli slaw (you can find this in produce section in most food stores) or cucumber, cut finely
2 Tbs. fresh basil
1 tsp. lemon juice
1 Tbs. fresh mint
3/4 C. favorite mayo
Koser salt and pepper for taste

Preparation

Fold all ingredients together lightly until all is mixed well. Appearance will be creamy, fragrant and colorful.  Fill a pita with this wonderful dish, and you have a great lunch!  Take from Recipe4Living.
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Many people enjoy spring cooking because the recipes are light.  Avoid ingredients such as mayonnaise because it will require refrigeration.  If you plan to be outside, this would not be a good dish to bring to the party.

It’s good to experiment with spring recipes.  Do not be afraid to substitute ingredients, especially if you’re allergic.  If you cannot eat walnuts, use pecans instead.  On the other hand, if you cannot eat nuts, leave them out of the recipe.

There’s a big push for people to eat more organic and natural foods.  You could incorporate these into your spring recipes.  Use organic grown fruits and vegetables in your salad or as a side dish.  You’ll find that these foods often taste better than regular fruit that is harvested.

Enjoy making these spring recipes for family and friends.  Move out of your comfort zone and spice things up with by making different foods.  You will not know if you do not like a dish unless you make it!