People know that in order to be healthy they have to think healthy, to eat healthy. And what better time to do thin than spring and summer. During the winter we are too cold to think about healthy diets, and we need much more calories. In the warm seasons it is another story. It is much easier to find fresh vegetables. Spring is green vegetables season: you can find fresh lettuce, spinach, dock, and nettle. You can cook not only fresh salads, but also delicious soups, and light, meatless meals.
Valuable Advices:
It is important to always remember to wash the leaves carefully, so there are no dirt left. Another thing is to put the vegetables in some cold water for an hour. Do this so there is no traces of nitrate on them. And the last valuable advice is to remember that you should not cut green vegetables with a knife, you should only use your hands. Now, after all these advices, try these delicious recipes with fresh spring vegetables.
Spring Salad
Ingredients:
2 small lettuces
200-300 grams of spinach
some parsley
a rope of onions
2 boiled eggs
spices
olive oil
lemon juice
salt
(If you want you can add some arugula, radishes, and some cherry tomatoes)
Directions:
Get a big bowl. Wash the vegetables with cold water (you can leave them for an hour in a bowl of cold water, of course). Use your hands to “cut” the lettuces and the spinach in very thin slices, or as much as you can. Then cut the onions and the parsley, this time using a knife, and add them to the lettuces and spinach. Now cut the boiled eggs and add them to the rest of the ingredients. The last thing left to do is to add the spices. Its amount depends wholly on your taste, and the people who you are going to serve it to. And your spring salad is ready! If you like it, then check out our 3 more light, spring recipes.
A Nettle Soup
As it is with restaurants after the salad, here it comes the appetizer, which in our case it will be a fresh and green soup. Here is what you will need:
Ingredients:
250 grams of nettle
500 grams of mushrooms
2 ropes of onion
1 rope of fresh garlic
1 liter of vegetable broth
spices (salt, black pepper, nutmeg)
Directions
Cut the onion and the garlic. Get a small pot and heat it. Put a little butter in it until it melts. Put the onion and the garlic in it and fry them until they have a delicious golden color. Cut the mushrooms and put them in the heated pot. Fry a little more, for about 4 more minutes. Then add the vegetable broth and until the mixture boils. Leave it for 5 more minutes this way and use a big cooking spoon to mix it. Then wash and cut the nettle in small slices and put it with the rest of the ingredients. Cook it for 5 more minutes. Serve the soup while it is still hot, but not boiling hot, and add some yogurt and croutons for additional delicious taste.
Veggie Schnitzel with Spinach
Ingredients:
500 grams of potatoes
500 grams of spinach
2 eggs
flour
100 grams of bread crumbs
cooking oil or olive oil
spices (black pepper, salt, parsley)
Directions:
Peel the potatoes. Wash them and the spinach. Put them in a small pot and boil them. Put them in a blender and add the eggs, the spices and the bread crumbs. Mix them until you have a perfect mixture. Then get it out of the blender and make small balls with the mixture. These will be your schnitzels. Now you need to roll them in the flour and fry them in a pan covered with the cooking oil. You can serve them either hot or a little bit cooled down.
Kapama with dock
This special recipe may sound unusual, but it is very delicious. Here is how to do it.
Ingredients:
1 kilo of dock
70 grams of butter
1 chilly
5-6 roasted peppers
some parsley
dill
black pepper
some paprika
salt
Directions:
Remove the stems of the dock and wash it well. Get a small fireproof container and cover the bottom of it with butter. Then put the dock in it. Cut the parsley and the dill in small pieces and sprinkle them over the dock together with the other spices. Now peel the peppers and slice them in long pieces and put it in the container. Cut the chilly very small and also add it to the rest of the ingredients. Finish this recipe with adding a few slices of butter over the ingredients and some boiling water. Cover it with a lid and wait until it is stewed well. Serve it with some yogurt. Voila!
