AUTHOR

MARNIE

NITSCHKE Marnie Nitschke is an Accredited Practising Dietitian who specialises in gastrointestinal nutrition . Find out more at forkthatnutrition . com and follow her on Instagram @ forkthatnutrition .

Marnie brings us her seasonal dose of cooking inspiration this spring .

Hello spring ! It has seemed like an extra cold winter this year , and we ’ re all more than ready for some mild days and a bit more sunshine . With the days getting a little longer , you might want to dust off the barbeque and shake up your menu for outdoor cooking options . With all the delicious seasonal recipes in this edition , we can help you get enthused and do just that !

First , let ’ s look at what ’ s in season for spring in Victoria :

Let ’ s give a warm welcome to berries , which you ’ ll start to see come down a little in price in stores , as well as capsicum ( see Spread # 3 ). Bananas are in season all year round , as are grapefruit . In spring , we ’ ve still got lots of lovely lemons , limes and mandarins ( Imperial ) carrying through and a few wonderful apple varieties too .

All year round veggies we love include beetroot , carrots , leek , lettuce , onions , parsley , potatoes , rhubarb , silverbeet and spring onion . And during spring , we still have beans , broccoli , cauliflower , parsnip and spinach . Spring newcomers we haven ’ t seen in a while include asparagus , artichoke , beans , broad beans , broccoli , chillies , cucumber , peas , rhubarb , snow peas , squash and zucchini .

Salad

} Most people don ’ t get too excited about salads over winter , and that ’ s fair enough . But spring is a great season to get back into fresh , crunchy , vibrant sides and even hearty salads that are a meal in themselves .

} You ’ ll find two delicious and easy salad ideas on page 9 to get you started .

} Also , think about rice noodle salads and pasta salads , using seasonal herbs and vegetables and flavourful dressings .

Stir fry

} Stir fries are quick , simple and a great way of getting your family to try new vegetables . You can make your own simple sauces , or find plenty of ready-to-go stir fry sauces in the supermarket for even quicker meals .

} There ’ s so much new produce to throw in the wok – like snow peas , capsicum and beans . You might also like to try these in a veggie-rich fried rice or curry .

Barbeque

} Firstly , barbecuing is not just for meat and sausages ! Think about simple grilled fish fillets or whole fish . What about veggie burgers , marinated chicken or Desi ’ s tandoori chicken kebabs on page 16 ?

} Barbequing is a great option for roasting seasonal produce like capsicum , broccoli and asparagus for your salads or cooking baked potatoes in foil .

Look out for these recipes using the above seasonal produce in this edition :

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4 YMCA HEALTHY LIVING MAGAZINE