Physical Wellness

Healthy Warm Spring Salads

By Sara Gale | Update Date: Apr 28, 2016 04:20 AM EDT

Spring vegetables and fruits are impossible to resist and it is not fair if we don't make good use of them when they are available as much fresh as possible. So, here are two healthy warm spring salad recipes just for you.

Asparagus strawberry salad

One cup of quinoa is rinsed, strained and cooked in a medium pot with 1.5 cups of vegetable broth or water. Cover the pot with a lid and allow it to cook in low to medium flame for about 15-17 minutes. Once it is fluffy with no water left, remove it from the stove and let it stand covered for five minutes or so.

Then, sauté two cloves of minced garlic and one, sliced round or half-moon leek for five minutes in a frying pan or wok in medium heat. After sprinkling desired amount of pepper into the pan add one bunch of asparagus, whose ends are broken and cut into one inch pieces. Sauté the vegetables for around five to 10 minutes in medium heat or until the asparagus is cooked well. Make sure the vegetable is still crisp and not soggy.

Add one cup sliced strawberries, one cup fresh and roughly chopped parsley and three fourth cup of fresh or frozen peas into the pan. The dish is removed from the flame in few minutes once strawberries and peas get warm.

Then a wonderful dressing is made to make the dish more interesting. Whisk half tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil, half tablespoon of pure maple syrup or desired sweetener, three tablespoons of fresh lemon juice and quarter teaspoon of fine grain sea salt in a medium-sized bowl. The dressing is then poured into the vegetables in the pan and mixed well. And then the cooked quinoa is added into the mixture and stirred well.

Season it with salt and pepper and garnish it with the lemon zest. The healthy warm salad would be great to have with lavish sprinkle of seeds or nuts topping. Check out oh she glows for more recipes.

Asparagus and pancetta salad

Boil two pounds trimmed asparagus in water for two to six minutes until it is tender but firm. Drain the excess water in the sink and then on the kitchen towel before transferring it to the serving platter. Heat one tablespoon olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat and add two cloves of minced garlic. After two to three minutes add quarter pound of pancetta cut crosswise into 1/8 sticks.

Pancetta is cooked and stirred for around eight to 10 minutes until it turns brown. The pan is then removed from flame and dressed with three tablespoons of lemon juice, two tablespoons of Dijon mustard and three tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil. The pancetta is then poured over the asparagus placed on the platter and served hot.

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