Heralding Spring-Eat Healthy

Spring Salad with Meyer Lemon Vinaigrette

Cook's notes: Meyer lemons are more sweet and less tart than a typical lemon. The sweet mandarin orange and lemon hybrid is the perfect citrus for just about any dish.

recipe from the fifthtine.com

Salad Ingredients

• 1 bunch asparagus
• tomatoes
• radishes
• avocado
• red onions or shallots
• dried cranberries
• pine nuts, toasted
• blue cheese, goat cheese or feta cheese
• spring mix or any lettuce mix

Dressing Ingredients:

• juice and zest from 1 meyer lemon (about 1/4 cup)
• 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon honey
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 tsp herbs de Provence
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/3 – 1/2 cup olive oil

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 375
• Toss asparagus with olive oil and salt and pepper. Roast until crisp tender, about 10-15 minutes depending in the diameter of the asparagus
• For the dressing, combine all ingredients in a jar and shake until well mixed
• When asparagus has cooled, chop into bite size pieces (about 1-2 inches)and add to a large bowl with remaining salad ingredients
• Drizzle salad dressing over the top of salad ingredients

Strawberry Quinoa Salad

recipe from Imperial Sugar.com

Ingredients:

• 6 cups baby spinach
• 2 cup strawberries, halved
• 1 avocado, halved, seeded, peeled and diced
• 1/2 cup cooked quinoa
• 1/4 cup pecan halves
• 1/4 cup crumbled goat cheese

Balsamic Vinaigrette

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/8 cup balsamic vinegar
• 2 cloves garlic, pressed
• 2 teaspoons of sugar to taste or honey could be substituted

Directions:

• To make vinaigrette, whisk together olive oil, balsamic vinegar, garlic and sugar in a small bowl or use a blender
• To assemble salad, place spinach in a large bowl; top with strawberries, avocado, quinoa, pecans and goat cheese
• Pour dressing on top of salad and gently toss to combine.
• Serve immediately

that quinoa is a quick and flavorful way to get in a serving of whole grain and fiber and is a 

good gluten-free source of protein and iron. Quinoa is about the size of pellets of couscous and cooks in about 20 minutes. The only special handling required with quinoa is to give it a good rinse before cooking; otherwise, the grains can be bitter.

High in the Andes, the quinoa harvest starts in late March, when farmers gather together for celebrations like the two-day Harvest Festival near the salt flats of Uyuni – a gathering of representatives from over 4,000 family farms.

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The World According to Bella

paw prints in the sand

Mrs. S said my paw prints in the sand reminded her of this poem. 

Love, Bella

Footprints in the Sand

One night I dreamed a dream.
As I was walking along the beach with my Lord.
Across the dark sky flashed scenes from my life.
For each scene, I noticed two sets of footprints in the sand,
One belonging to me and one to my Lord.

After the last scene of my life flashed before me,
I looked back at the footprints in the sand.
I noticed that at many times along the path of my life,
especially at the very lowest and saddest times,
there was only one set of footprints.

This really troubled me, so I asked the Lord about it.
"Lord, you said once I decided to follow you,
You'd walk with me all the way.
But I noticed that during the saddest and most troublesome times of my life,
there was only one set of footprints.
I don't understand why, when I needed You the most, You would leave me."

He whispered, "My precious child, I love you and will never leave you
Never, ever, during your trials and testings.
When you saw only one set of footprints,
It was then that I carried you."

- by Margaret Fishback Powers