#springgreens

A pasta dish that is light and tasty, perfect for spring. When you mix fresh greens, garlic, and Parmesan cheese, you get a tasty and filling meal.

Ingredients: 8 oz pasta. 2 cups mixed spring greens such as spinach, arugula, and kale. 2 cloves garlic, minced. 1/4 cup olive oil. 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese. Salt and pepper to taste. Red pepper flakes optional.

Instructions: Cook pasta according to package instructions until al dente. Drain and set aside. In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add minced garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add mixed spring greens to the skillet and saut until wilted, about 2-3 minutes. Toss cooked pasta with the sauted greens in the skillet until well combined. Season with salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes if desired. Sprinkle grated Parmesan cheese on top. Serve hot, garnished with additional Parmesan cheese if desired.

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

With its fresh ingredients and tangy dressing, this Spring Greens, Avocado, and Grapefruit Salad is a real treat. It is the best choice for a healthy, light meal.

Ingredients: 2 cups spring greens. 1 ripe avocado, sliced. 1 grapefruit, segmented. 1/4 cup sliced red onion. 1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese. 1/4 cup chopped walnuts. 2 tablespoons olive oil. 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar. Salt and pepper to taste.

Instructions: Put the mixed spring greens, feta cheese, grapefruit segments, red onion, and chopped walnuts in a large salad bowl. To make the dressing, mix the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt, and pepper in a small bowl with a whisk. Spread the dressing out on the salad and gently toss it to cover all the ingredients. Serve right away as a healthy and refreshing salad.

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 0 minutes

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You probably eat lettuce and maybe spinach, but in springtime, there are so many delicious greens that are packed with nutrients that it’s time that you upped your intake. Goddess Gardener Cynthia Brian shares the interesting and flavorful supergreens that are proven to help you stay strong, lean, and disease-free.

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Springtime has kissed the winter-scorched earth and painted the landscape in a thousand shades of green from the deep green forests to lush, verdant meadows. This blanket of green telegraphs the explosion of new growth that is occurring as plants surge full of chlorophyll to photosynthesize the warm spring sun and soft May showers. The farmstalls in your Down to Earth farmers market will also be brimming over with all things leafy and green plucked fresh from the fields at this time of year. Now is the season to embrace and enjoy this bounty of springtime produce, especially tender, young salad greens which are at their peak for the next few weeks.

Lettuce

Lettuce is a cool-weather-loving vegetable that is planted in the early spring and harvested in late spring to early summer. Usually eaten raw in salads, lettuce is extremely hydrating as it contains around 95% water. Looseleaf lettuce (defined as lettuce that hasn’t formed a compact head, as well as mesclun greens which are an assortment of young salad greens) abounds at farmstalls right now and includes romaine, Boston, red leaf, green leaf, and butter-head varieties. The baby leaves are clipped from the lettuce plant before it is full grown and are extra succulent and sweet. As the weather warms and we transition away from heartier fare to lighter meals, these salad recipes pay homage to the cornucopia of delicious looseleaf lettuce that you can scoop up at the farmers market this spring:

Roasted Carrots and Red Leaf Lettuce Salad with Buttermilk Herb Dressing

Butter Lettuce Salad with Honey Mustard Vinaigrette

Oakleaf Lettuce Salad with Mustard Dressing

Simple Red Leaf Salad

Oakleaf Lettuce Salad with Oyster Mushrooms

Dandelion Greens

You may not like the sight of them popping up in your yard, but in the past dandelions were highly regarded due to their medicinal, aesthetic and nutritive qualities. In fact, they were first introduced to this continent after being shipped over on the Mayflower to be used as medicine in the American colonies. All parts of a dandelion plant are edible, from the top of the yellow flower down to its roots. The leaves are extremely nutritious and boast high levels of calcium, iron, fiber, Vitamins A, E and K, beta-carotene, and lutein.

Dandelion greens come into season at the very onset of spring, in late March or early April, which is when you’ll spot leafy bunches of them dotting the farmstalls. Dandelion leaves have a sharp yet pleasingly bitter flavor similar to chicory. However, young leaves harvested in the spring are less bitter than the mature leaves harvested as the season wears on, so now is the prime time to enjoy them. Dandelion greens work wonderfully in a salad when coated in an oil-and-acid-based dressing which helps to counterbalance their strong flavor and tenderize the leaves. They are also delicious when sautéed in extra virgin olive oil, spritzed with a little fresh lemon juice and sprinkled with sea salt.

Arugula

Arugula, also known as garden rocket, has a peppery, spicy, slightly tart flavor. The distinctively lobed, dark green leaves are rich in nutrients like potassium, folate, and vitamins A and C. Native to the Mediterranean region, arugula blossoms and leaves have long been a popular ingredient in the cuisines of Italy, Morocco, Portugal, and Turkey. Tender baby arugula is ubiquitous at farmstalls in the spring and packs less peppery punch than matured arugula. Arugula is highly versatile and works perfectly in salads with either fatty or sweet dressings, heaped on top of chicken Milanese, wilted aside salmon, or thrown on pizza as a fresh topping. My sister-in-law Gail likes to add a handful of raw arugula to hot pasta, soups and cooked grains as it wilts quickly and adds extra nutrients, color, flavor and texture to her plant-based dishes.

Watercress

A lesser-known spring green, watercress is a semi-aquatic flowering plant that is a member of the cabbage family Brassicaceae. Watercress is a rapidly growing perennial plant native to Europe and Asia and is one of the oldest leafy green vegetables consumed by humans. The intense peppery aftertaste of watercress is more pronounced when it’s harvested in the spring as, once the hot weather arrives, the flavor mellows and dissipates. While it is very low in calories, watercress contains a vast array of nutrients rendering it an extremely nutrient-dense food. In fact, it has ranked number one on the US Centers for Disease Control’s list of Powerhouse Fruits and Vegetables.

Watercress can be substituted for basil to make a pesto that is packed with bright, tangy flavor and lots of nutritious goodness:

Ingredients

1 clove garlic

1/4 cup pine nuts

4 cups loosely packed watercress leaves (separated from stems)

1/3 cup shredded parmesan

1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil

1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

Instructions

Add the garlic and pine nuts to a food processor bowl. Process until both are chopped and have formed a roughly textured meal.

Add the watercress, and pulse until the watercress has formed a paste.

Add parmesan, olive oil, lemon juice, and sea salt. Pulse to combine.