May: What's Up With Food & Nutrition?

May Harvest of the Month: Spring Greens!

This month we are highlighting some of the first fresh veggies of the season, Spring greens like spinach, leaf lettuce, kale, arugula, and mustard greens. Dark leafy greens are a rich in vitamins A, C, E, and K, contain an abundance of carotenoids-antioxidants that protect cells, and have high levels of fiber, iron, magnesium, potassium and calcium. The dark greens also supply a significant amount of folate, a B vitamin that promotes heart health. Late Spring is also the time for early crops like asparagus, rhubarb, radishes, turnips and snap peas. Don’t forget that you can also find other local foods such as maple syrup, honey, eggs, dairy products, and meats at farm stores and roadside stands all year long!

Spring Greens Recipes

Sunshine Salad Servings: 4 Ingredients: 4 cups Kale, chopped 4 cups Romaine lettuce, chopped 1 can Mandarin oranges, drained Poppy seed or Vinaigrette style dressing Instructions: Rinse greens under cold running water and pat dry. Chop and combine the kale and romaine lettuce. Drain and add mandarin oranges. Can substitute with sliced fresh oranges or strawberries. Top with dressing of choice. Makes four servings. Spring Greens Salad Servings: 4 Ingredients: 4 cups leaf lettuce (or head lettuce, chopped) 2 cups spinach, kale, mustard greens, or arugula (or a mix), chopped 1 cup sugar snap peas, de-stemmed and quartered (shell and all) 1 cup strawberries, sliced Vinaigrette dressing (oil, vinegar or lemon juice, salt, pepper, herbs) Optional: crumbled cheese Instructions: Rinse salad greens and pat dry. Chop greens to desired size. Rinse peas and de-stem by snapping off the tops. Cut into quarters. Rinse strawberries, remove stems, and slice. Pour in a vinaigrette dressing and toss. You can make a simple one at home using the ingredients above.  Optional: You can top with a local crumbled cheese Apple Kale Salad Servings: 4 (1.5 cup)  Note: Salad is best if made the day before serving. Ingredients: 1 large bunch Kale (1 lb.) 1 NYS apple, diced 1/8 cup lemon juice 1/8 cup local honey 1/4 cup oil 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon pepper 1/4 cup dried cranberries or raisins Instructions: Finely chop kale and dice apple. Toss diced apple in 1 Tablespoon of lemon juice. Make dressing by whisking together the remaining lemon juice, honey, salt, and pepper. Slowly add in oil until dressing thickens. Add dressing to kale and toss. Add diced apple and dried cranberries/raisins to salad mixture and serve heaping cup of salad (to equal 1 1/3 cup).

Egg Recipe

Springtime Cheesy Veggie, Herb, and Egg Pie

Servings: 8

Ingredients:

• 2 cups spring vegetables, such as asparagus, peas, spinach, and/or kale
• 1/2 cup chopped sweet onion
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil or butter
• 4 large eggs
• 1 can evaporated milk
• 4 oz. (about 1 cup) shredded cheese
• Handful of chopped fresh herbs such as chives, parsley, mint
• Dash of salt and pepper

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 425°F.
2. Sauté onion and veggies in a skillet set over medium heat in olive oil or butter for about 4 minutes until just tender, stirring a bit. Transfer to a greased 10” pie plate.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk eggs and evaporated milk until blended.
4. Spread cheese on top of veggies in pie plate and add herbs, salt, and pepper.
5. Pour egg and milk mixture over veggies and cheese. Carefully place in preheated oven.
6. Bake about 20 minutes until golden brown and eggs are set.
7. Let cool slightly and cut into 8 serving pieces.

Our Favorite Egg Salad

Servings: 4

Prep time: 20 minutes. Cook Time: 15 minutes (for the eggs)

This creamy, crunchy, comforting classic, goes nicely in a sandwich or wrap, inside a lettuce leaf, or scooped on top of a green salad.

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons plain Greek yogurt
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon mustard (any kind you like)
• 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
• 1 celery stalk, chopped
• 4 large eggs, hard-cooked and peeled

Instructions:

1. Put the yogurt, olive oil, mustard, herbs, and salt in the bowl and mix well.
2. Add the celery and mix well.
3. Cut the eggs in half lengthwise and then cut them back and forth a few more times (they don’t need to be evenly cut and they don’t need to be cut into tiny pieces).
4. Add the eggs to the bowl and, using the fork or spoon, mix well. Now taste the egg salad. Does it need a pinch more salt? If so, add it and taste again.

Recipe provided by: SNAP-ED New York

Deviled Eggs or Egg Salad

Ingredients:

• 1 dozen eggs
• 2 tsp. mustard (Dijon style)
• 1/3 cup light mayonnaise
• ¼ tsp. celery salt
• Dash of pepper
• 1 T. chopped, fresh herbs, such as dill or parsley or 1 t. dried herbs (optional)
• Paprika to sprinkle on top (optional)
• Variation: add about 2 T. chopped green olives with pimiento.

To make egg salad: simply chop the hard boiled eggs after peeling them and add the remaining ingredients. Mix well.

Instructions:

1. Hard boil the eggs by placing them in a heavy bottomed pot and covering with water 1” over tops of eggs. Bring water to a boil over medium high heat. Remove the pan from heat and cover tightly with a lid for about 12 minutes. Drain and immediately cool the eggs by running under cold water or putting them in ice water for a few minutes.
2. Peel the eggs and cut them in half long ways. Carefully pop out the yolk and place in a small mixing bowl. Place the white part of the eggs on a tray.
3. Once all of the yolks are in the small mixing bowl, mash the yolk with a fork and add the mustard, mayonnaise, salt, pepper, and any desired herbs (dill, parsley, tarragon, etc.) Mix well.
4. Place about 1 T. of the egg yolk mixture back into the egg white halves and sprinkle with paprika. Arrange on a platter to serve.

Asparagus Recipes

Asparagus with Gremolata Sauce Ingredients: 3 cups asparagus (washed and trimmed) 2 Tbsp. butter 2 tsp. lemon peel (grated) 1 garlic clove (large, minced) 2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice 2 Tbsp. chopped parsley Directions: Steam or boil the asparagus in water until just tender, about 2 minutes. Drain. Heat butter in a heavy, large skillet over medium-high heat. Add lemon peel and garlic and sauté for 30 seconds. Add asparagus to skillet, sprinkle with lemon juice, and toss to coat. Sauté until asparagus is heated through and coated with gremolata sauce, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a platter. Sprinkle with parsley and serve hot or warm.

Last updated May 2, 2024