Spring Clean Out

Today is the first Monday of the spring season. The time for asparagus and rhubarb is drawing near and my loved ones and I spent the past two weeks making room in our homes and bodies for the exciting gifts of the new season. In honor of the spring and National Nutrition Month, I challenged myself to take inventory of everything in my families' kitchens and prepare health conscious meals with what we had on hand. No going to the grocery store allowed. I found lots of cheese in the house so my first impulse was to make grande quesadillas every day. Ah, the thought of melting yellow cheddar and white jack cheese between two corn tortillas was so comforting. Then the thought of finishing my Spring Clean Out challenge with five pounds more body weight cut the quesadillla image in quarters and put a generous helping of Red Cabbage and Pepita Salad at the center of the plate.

In two weeks time, my challenge yielded Rustic Rye Bread, Chocolate Chip Bread Pudding, Sweet Peas with Carrots and Ham, Puree of Broccoli with Toasted Almonds, Red Cabbage and Pepita salad and a surprising Mexican-inspired variation of French Onion Soup with Hominy. The video box below has a short slide show with images of dishes from the spring challenge.


Yes, I realize every dish did not meet the American Dietetic Association's criteria for healthy eating. However, plant-based foods such as broccoli, peas, red cabbage, corn, spinach, chickpeas and tree nuts were among my primary ingredients and I used olive oil to cook mostly everything. When meat entered the equation it was mainly for flavor but not the primary ingredient.

Spring is here now, but you can certainly challenge yourself to clear out your fridge and kitchen cabinets to make room for refreshing spring fare. Kohlrabi, rhubarb and asparagus are among the vegetables that should be available from farmers soon. If fresh veggies live long torturous lives in your refrigerator, consider putting a few bags of frozen spinach, peas or mixed vegetables in your freezer. They come in handy from time to time.

For those eager to try new vegetables and be reacquainted with familiar favorites, visit www.localharvest.org to find the community farms and farmer's markets in your area.

Welcome Spring 2010!