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Tuesday 5 April 2011

Nutrish and Delish --Easy Spring Supper

I WANDERED lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o'er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host, of golden daffodils;...
William Wordsworth


Every day is a glory of colors and fragrances right now. Even in rainy England, I stand in awe of the budding blooms and the full-blown blooms when I think that only a couple weeks ago -- the trees and the ground were still bare!

Amazing!

So, why would I want to be stuck indoors? I'm up for brisk walks in the sunshine, tea in the garden, and finding some local outdoor markets to browse and possibly pick up some nutritious bargains. I STILL want to deliver a healthy, tasty meal, but I certainly am not up to slave away in the kitchen. So, here's a meal that will be sure to please, is healthy, and quick to put together. It will also help to get everyone in a springtime frame of mind and it's packed chock full with omega-3 -fatty acids. This helps boost moods. Right now, we sorely need to shake off the wintry doldrums and to get ourselves feeling bright and refreshed!


Easy Spring Menu

Fresh Cherry Tomato Soup with spelt crackers
(Rinse 2 punnets or 4 vines of fresh cherry tomatoes. Sautee in 2 tablespoons olive oil with 1 clove chopped garlic until soft. You can whizz the cooked, softened tomatoes in a blender if you want, but not necessary. I prefer the soup a bit chunky. Transfer to a medium pot. While continuing to simmer, add tomato juice (a good quality one) or water until you reach enough fluid to generate however many small starter bowls of soup you need. Can add 1 Tablespoon cream at end just before serving, but not necessary. Season to taste with salt, pepper, and fresh basil.
Spelt crackers, pumpkin-seed crackers, whole-wheat crackers, etc. are readily available at stores and supermarkets.



Grilled Salmon with Walnut Gremolata Crust
(choose as fresh as possible salmon fillets for as many people as you are serving; Walnut Gremolata: mix together 2 chopped garlic cloves, 1 cup chopped fresh parsley, 1 tablespoon lemon zest,1 tablespoon breadcrumbs, preferably whole wheat, 1/2 cup chopped walnuts, 1 Tablespoon olive oil, salt and pepper -- arrange salmon fillets in lightly greased pan or glass baking dish. Grill for 10 minutes. Take out and gently press Walnut Gremolata mixture on top of each fillet and put back in oven and grill or bake for another 10-15 minutes (depends on how thick fillets are -- ask fish monger how much time you need to cook salmon through) until crust is golden)

Spring Onion Potato Salad
(boil 5-6 red-skinned or 10 new potatoes with skin on, till just tender. Cool. Mix 2 chopped spring onions, 1 chopped celery stalk, 1 hard-boiled egg, chopped and crumbled in mixture, 1 tsp mustard, 1 Tablespoon light mayonnaise, 2 Tablespoons plain yogurt, chopped fresh dill, salt and pepper. Mix all ingredients together and put in fridge until salmon is ready)

Steamed Carrots with Edamame
(prepare carrots in thick strips or rounds; steam until firm and in the last 5 minutes of steaming, add a handful of frozen shelled edamame beans)



Fresh Mango slices with Scoop of Frozen Yogurt

This is a colorful, flavorful, and filling supper. This is JUST THE TICKET to enter the rest of the year HEALTHY, SATISFIED, and looking GORGEOUS

Enjoy!
Mary-Jo R. Overwater-Gervasio, MSc, MMSc, RD :)

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