Healthful eating is never so easy as it is in the spring. From salads to sides, entrées to desserts, here is a collection of our wholesome springtime favorites.
Spring is here—and fresh produce is one delicious benefit of this season of rebirth. These easy healthy recipes highlight fresh fruits and vegetables in season, such as asparagus, sweet peas, strawberries, artichokes, leeks and rhubarb. For produce at its peak, shop the farmers’ market or grow fruits and vegetables in your garden.
Preventive Medicine
Fresh fruits and vegetables are healthy in part because they contain phytochemicals, or beneficial compounds, such as beta-carotene, and lycopene, which aid in the prevention of cancer.
An Apple a DayThere is truth to the old "apple a day" adage, though this time of year, think seasonally and make it a "strawberry" or "artichoke" a day.... Beyond having weight-watching benefits, a diet plentiful in fruits and vegetables decreases your risk of stroke and heart attack, helps lower blood pressure, and even guards against eye disease.
Rich and Thin
Spring favorites asparagus and artichokes are often associated with rich, luxurious menus, but they're also incredibly healthy: They are both excellent sources of fiber and contain a host of nutrients, including vitamins C, K, and folate. "Asparagus is a particularly well-rounded vegetable, nutritionally speaking," says Monica Reinagel, chief nutritionist for our sister site NutritionData.com, writing in Epicurious and NutritionData's joint newsletter Healthy Dinner Tonight. "It's high in antioxidants A, C, and E, as well as vitamin K (for healthy bones), and has an array of B vitamins for energy."
My Favorite Recipe
Asparagus with Prosciutto
Ingredients
16 spears asparagus, (about 1 bunch), trimmed
1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
Pinch of salt
Freshly ground pepper, to taste
2 very thin slices prosciutto, (about 1 ounce), cut in half lengthwise
Cream Cheese (optional)
Cream Cheese (optional)
Preparation
1. Preheat grill to medium.
2. Toss asparagus with oil, salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Wrap 1 length of prosciutto around the middle of 4 asparagus spears. Repeat, making 4 bundles. Oil the grill rack (see Tip). Grill the asparagus bundles, turning once or twice, until the asparagus is tender and charred in spots, about 10 minutes.
OPTIONAL: Spread cream cheese in a length of prosciutto and wrap around the middle of 4 asparagus spears.
OPTIONAL: Spread cream cheese in a length of prosciutto and wrap around the middle of 4 asparagus spears.
