Spring has finally appeared in Dayton! After an exhaustively long winter, with cold temperatures and snow persisting even into April, balmy temperatures have finally peaked their head around the corner tentatively and flowers are beginning to peep their heads shyly above the ground.
Never before have I felt such a sense of emergence in springtime - a sense of having endured something Long and Exhaustive and finally coming out into the sunshine, literally. My standard, chronic state of fatigue has been replaced by giddiness at the sunshine and warm breeze. I want to open all the windows, play music, and bounce about with childlike enthusiasm, unable to stand still.
And we have had such wonderful spring meals!!
Spring salad with fresh herbs... |
Spinach salad with fresh tomatoes, bell pepper, celery, and avocado! |
Some nights it's still cold, though! No matter, I have stubbornly decided that spring IS here, and I am leaving the windows open, even if Ruby and I still have to curl up under blankets while studying...
And we are still counting on wonderful dried beans for a quick and hearty supper, filled with fiber and lean protein!
For example...
- Toss a pound of dried legumes into a slow cooker! I used a mixture of pinto beans, kidney beans, and lentils.
- Add...
- 28oz canned tomatoes
- 4-6 cups vegetable broth
- 4oz andouille sausage OR vegetarian "sausage," chopped
- 1 T Italian seasoning
- Cook in the slow cooker for 8 hours, until the beans are tender. Enjoy with some fresh shaved parm on top!
And especially exciting, my first time fixing an avocado tuna salad!
So simple, healthful, light, and fresh! Perfect with chickpeas for a vegan mock tuna salad as well...
- Mash together:
- 1 can tuna or 1 can chickpeas, drained
- 1 avocado
- 2 stalks celery, minced
- Juice of half a lemon
- Salt and pepper and paprika to taste!
Happy Spring,
ReplyDeleteLovign the last message in the picture. The weather in the U.K is teasing us, it is spring - we have daffodils, but then there are predictions of snow, please no :(
Enjoy the warmth.