Healthy Spring Recipes — Part 2

Eating clean whole foods is simple in the spring. Fresh produce is sprouting up, farmers markets are back and sunny al fresco dinners are here! Hallelujah!

Here are three healthy spring recipes to help you welcome the season:

Mediterranean Chickpea Salad

A Healthy Nest Favorite

30 ounces chickpeas (garbanzo beans), rinsed and drained
1 medium red bell pepper, chopped
1 1/2 cups chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, about 1 bunch
1/2 cup chopped red onion
1/2 cup chopped celery plus leaves, about 2 ribs
3 tbps extra virgin olive oil
3 tbps lemon juice (from 1 to 1 1/2 lemons)
2 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
optional additions: cherry tomatoes, olives, cucumbers

In a large bowl, add the chickpeas, bell pepper, parsley, red onion and celery. In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil, lemon juice and garlic and season to taste with the kosher salt and freshly ground pepper. Add dressing to chickpea mixture and toss to coat. Serve immediately or chill up to 4 days.

Grilled Potato & Arugula Salad

loveandlemons.com

1 pound little potatoes, sliced in half
salt, pepper
olive oil, for roasting/grilling
a few big handfuls of arugula
¼ cup chopped chives
1-2 tablespoons capers
lemon juice and zest

Quick pickled red onions:
½ small red onion
a good splash of sherry vinegar
generous pinches of salt 

Dressing:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1-2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
½ -1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
2 cloves chopped garlic
squeeze of lemon

Slice potatoes in half and season with salt and pepper. In a small bowl, combine the red onions with sherry vinegar and salt. Chill while you make everything else (or make ahead, the longer they sit the better). Whisk together the dressing ingredients at the bottom of a large bowl. Set aside.

Heat a grill pan to high heat and brush with oil. Place the potatoes, cut side down and let them cook without moving them until nice char marks start to form (flip one to check). Flip them, add a good squeeze of lemon juice and continue cooking until roasted on the outside and tender in the middle. Reduce heat and cover if necessary (my grill pan doesn’t have a cover, but we placed a baking sheet over it). I cooked my 1″³ potatoes for about 20-25 minutes total.

Transfer cooked potatoes to the large bowl with dressing and toss to coat. Let cool and toss with arugula, onions, capers, chives and lemon zest. Taste and add more dressing to your liking. Serve at room temp, or make ahead and chill.

Pea & Prosciutto Salad

bonappetit.com

1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
½ tsp Dijon mustard
3 tbsp olive oil
Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper
1¼ cups shelled fresh green peas (from about 1¼ pounds pods), or frozen peas, thawed
12 ounces sugar snap peas (about 3 cups), trimmed
4 ounces arugula, tough stems removed (about 6 packed cups)
4 ounces prosciutto, thinly sliced
Knob of fresh horseradish, peeled (for serving)

Whisk lemon juice and mustard in a large bowl. Gradually add oil, whisking constantly until emulsified; season vinaigrette with salt and pepper. Working in batches, cook green peas and sugar snap peas in a large pot of boiling salted water until crisp-tender, about 2 minutes per batch. Immediately transfer to a bowl of ice water and swoosh peas around until cold; this sets their color and halts the cooking. Drain and pat dry with paper towels.

Add green peas, sugar snap peas and arugula to bowl with vinaigrette and toss until well coated; season with salt and pepper. Arrange salad on a platter and top with prosciutto. Finely grate horseradish over salad to your liking.

For more info on blood sugar balance, good energy or feeling your best through smarter food choices, please contact our holistic nutritionists. It’s a personal puzzle and we can assist in figuring out what’s best for your body.

Read more about natural weight loss and book a free 20-minute consultation with Healthy Nest Nutrition owner Robin Hutchinson.