Spring Eats - Seasonal Fruits, Vegetables and Herbs

These days, thanks to the import and export, we are able to treat ourselves with exotic açaí bowl, and favorite banana smoothie all year round. And as much as I enjoy this, it’s also very beneficial to buy and consume local and seasonal products for many different reasons such as better nutrition, richer flavors, cost efficiency, multiple environmental reasons, or local support.
From the very end of the Winter, and until you can trade cherries for summery strawberries, here are the food you should put your focus on during Spring!

all recipes are vegan

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Asparagus

Asparagus is an extremely healthy vegetable, loaded of nutrients, proteins, vitamin A, C, E and K, fibers, folate, potassium, phosphorus and many more. It’s a very easy food to add to your diet, and here are some of the best recipes I’ve tried, but simple steamed asparagus are also very tasty!

1. Shaved Asapargus Salad by Wonky Wonderful, 2. Asparagus Salad by Homespun Capers, 3. Green Detox Soup by Detox DIY, 4. Maple Dijon Asparagus by Food Faith Fitness.

Root Crops

Carrots and beets are a very nutritious and good source of vitamins and magnesium, but more than this, they’re very good detoxifiers with the beets’ nutrients supporting liver functions, and carrots’ nutrients helping eliminate toxins. They’re also very good to fight inflammation in the body, and let’s not forget delicious and cheap.

1. Carrot Cake by Namely Marly, 2. Maple Roasted Beets and Carrots by Media Berita Degree, 3. Beet Burger by It Doesn’t Taste Like Chicken, 4. Carrot Ginger Turmeric Soup by Simply Quinoa.

Kale

Landmark food of this list, kale is among the most nutrient dense on the planet. One of the highest source of vitamins out there, a simple cup of kale exceed your daily needs of vitamins A, K and C. This off-charts food, will also provide your body with minerals that most people lack such as calcium, magnesium, and potassium, yet are low in oxalate which is a substance found in many plants that prevent from being absorbed by the body. Health food here are some of my personal favorite ways to cook it, in salad mostly, but adding some in your post workout smoothie, or pasta is also an option.

1. Kale and Quinoa Salad by The Simple Veganista, 2. Asparagus and Kale Pasta by The First Mess, 3. Shredded Kale Salad by Oh She Glows, 4. Kale Pesto White Bean Dip by The First Mess.

Salad Greens

Warm up your salad skills for the Summer with these four seasonal tasty additions. Delicious and nutritious, packed in potassium, magnesium, calcium, vitamins A, C, K, antioxidants, minerals and even omega 3 for the purslane.

1. Purslane Salad by Food 52, 2. Arugula Pesto by Dianne’s Vegan Kitchen 3. Grilled Romaine Salad by Heart Beet Kitchen, 4. Watercress Soup by Greedy Gourmet

Citrus

Citrus fruits aren’t just delicious, they’re packed in vitamin C which is great for the immune system especially during this season, but they’re also a very good source of fiber, a good way to keep you hydrated, and a great source of antioxidants, so go for the grapefruits, limes and lemons, and for these sweet kumquats!

1. Kumquat Jam by Lemons and Anchovies 2. Citrus Salad by Grateful Grazer, 3. Citrus Avocado Toast by Food Fidelity, 4. Lemon Asparagus Pasta by Vegan Richa

Artichokes & Cardoons

Artichoke and cardoons look different but both taste similar, and are very healthy food. Very low in calories they’re loaded in good nutrients, particularly high in folate and vitamins, they also contain important minerals, it’s also been said many times that they help regulate and lower cholesterol. You may not have heard of cardoons, but if you like artichoke you’ll adopt this vegetable!

1. Roasted Cardoons by A Small Kitchen In Genoa, 2. Spaghetti with Marinated Cardoons by Eat Well 101, 3. Artichoke Spinach Dip by Nora Cooks, 4. Artichoke Pesto Pasta by Bites Of Wellness.

Cherries

Who doesn’t like cherries? Their taste is so unique, between sour and sweet, cherries are good on their own, or cooked in any way imaginable. Beyond being delicious, they have many different health benefits it’s hard to believe how many good nutrients are contained into this tiny ball. They possess crazy amount of antioxidants and anti-inflammatory compounds, vitamin C in very high quantity, potassium and more.

1. Cherry Coconut Sorbet by Sunkissed Kitchen, 2. Cherry Pie Crumble Bars by Darn Good Veggies, 3. Cherry Pie by Bianca Zapatka, 4. Chocolate Cherry Balls by Nest & Glow.

Cucumbers

Cucumbers are high in beneficial nutrients such as vitamin K, vitamin C, vitamin A magnesium, potassium, and manganese, they also promote hydration and are very easy to incorporate to your diet.

1. Chilled Cucumbers and Avocado Soup by Pickles & Honey, 2. Sweet and Spicy Cucumbers Salad by Simply Whisked, 3.Thai Cucumber Salad by One Lovely Life, 4. Asian Sesame Cucumber Salad by Will Cook For Friends.

Fresh Herbs

Fresh herbs are often underestimated due to their size, but don’t be fooled herbs are super nutritious, and concentrated in flavor too! Oregano, basil, rosemary, dill, mint, parsley and such are way higher in nutrients than other greens such as spinach for example; higher in vitamins A, K and C, but also in calcium and iron. It’s easy to find herbs all year long, but Spring is their natural time of growth, you could even easily grow some yourself from your kitchen. Fresher and cheaper!

1. Lemon Basil Pesto by Vanilla and Bean, 2. Mint Pesto by Simply Recipes, 3. Coriander Lime Hummus by The Vegan Eskimo, 4. Vegan Tzatziki by Katelyn Block.

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As mentioned above, consuming seasonal food is beneficial for different reasons, but don’t forget that it’s important to vary your diet during every season of the year and that you should always alternate many different type of food/plants, especially if like me, you are following a vegan diet. Eating a varied diet is essential to get all the nutrients required for a healthy body and life.