Spring Fresh: 4 Easy to Prepare Spring Dishes

With blooming fields and colorful bowers, it’s time to bid goodbye to somber winter and rejoice in the fun-filled world of spring. From redesigning your interiors to improving your yard, spring is the perfect time for working around the home and revitalizing your mind. Spring is also a perfect time to socialize; to get back outdoors with family and friends.

If you’re inviting some family over to enjoy your new patio space, it’s important to have the right dishes to keep them fed and happy. Springtime cooking, made simple with fresh ingredients, is a perfect way to treat your guests to good food while celebrating your love for nature.

Fava Bean & Asparagus Salad

Springtime is the season of blooming; so why not bring the outdoors to your dinner table with a bowl of glorious green salad? Here’s a delicious option made of seasonal ingredients.

Steps to Prepare:

Peel 1½ cup of fava beans, then boil for 4 minutes.
Prepare The Vinaigrette: Mix a finely chopped shallot and 2 Tbsp of vinegar together in a small bowl. Season the mixture with salt, pepper, and some olive oil.
Toss beans, chopped asparagus, 2 cups of trimmed watercress, ½ cup mint, and 2 Tbsp tarragon in a large bowl.
Dress with your vinaigrette.
To enhance the nutrition and add some crunchy flavor, try adding some roasted pistachios.

One-Hour Apricot and Almond Galette

With spring comes the apricot season! A scrumptious dessert is a perfect addition to any alfresco experience under the outdoor umbrella. If you want a perfect treat for sitting under your pergola cover, try this Apricot and Almond Galette:

Steps to Prepare:

Preheat the oven to 425°.
Cut up 12 apricots into small slices. 8ths work best for this.
Whisk together your glaze: Mix ½ cup almonds, ⅓ cup sugar, and an egg.
Prepare the cream. Add 4 Tbsp of unsalted butter, ½ tsp of Almond Extract, ½ tbsp of Vanilla Extract, Salt, and 1 Tbsp of flour. Mix well.
Roll out one package of frozen puff pastry dough on a lightly floured pan.
Fold over the edges of the pastry dough to make a ½” border around all sides.
Prick the surface of the pastry repeatedly with a fork to keep the dough from rising too high. Spread almond cream over the pastry, staying inside the borders.
Place dollops of cream in the middle of each section and spread. After this is complete, add the apricot slices.
Cut the sides of each pastry up and sprinkle some sugar for the final touches.
Bake the pastries for 15-20 minutes or until they turn golden brown. Serve this delicious treat with ice cream and you have the perfect spring dessert.

Serve your spring recipe outside in the comfort of your outdoor living area. This al fresco approach to dining is best for late afternoon into early evening. Protect your seating arrangements from any spills or crumbs with ottoman covers.

One-Skillet Chicken with Buttery Orzo

Perfect your busy weeknights by treating yourself to a palatable spring dinner recipe. You cannot resist this one-skillet pasta delicacy spiced up with chicken thighs seared in butter, fragrant fennel, Greek Kalamata olives, and flavorful orzo.

Steps to Prepare:

Preheat the oven to 400°F.
Season 6 chicken breasts with butter, salt, and pepper.
Nestle the breasts into a skillet. Don’t overlap the breasts.
Bake the breasts for 6–8 minutes or until the meat appears to turn opaque around the edges and the skin becomes deep golden brown.
Once done, put the chicken in a bowl. Add chopped fennel bulb and Kalamata olives.
Bake for 5 minutes, or until the veggies start to look golden around the edges. Toss occasionally.
Add 8 oz of orzo and cook until it turns brown.
Pour in 1/3 cup of dry white wine. Stir for 1 minute.
Once the wine evaporates, gradually add 2 ½ cups of chicken broth. Stir the broth until orzo gets tender and soft.
Once the broth is absorbed, turn off the heat. Squeeze some lemon juice, add butter, and serve.

Lemony Tortellini Soup With Spinach

When the weather starts to transition from winter to spring, nothing defines a more scrumptious and comforting dish than this Greek-inspired tortellini and spinach soup. Springy and light, this flavor-packed recipe is best to enjoy while relaxing under the outdoor umbrella with your furry pal on their dog bed cover.

Steps to Prepare:

Bring 8 cups of water to a boil
Add 1 Tbsp of vegetable bouillon paste or 4 cubes of bouillon to the boiling water. Whisk to dissolve.
Once completely dissolved, add 10 oz of cheese, a cup of coarsely chopped spinach, and tortellini and cook for 3 minutes.
Use a slotted spoon to sieve out the spinach and tortellini in a different bowl.
While the broth is being put to simmer, whisk some lemon juice, 4 large eggs, and 1 tbsp of freshly ground black pepper in a medium bowl.
Scoop out about 1 cup of broth and gradually drizzle it into the egg mixture.
As you whisk constantly, gradually pour the warm egg mixture into the broth and cook for about 5–7 minutes or until it starts to thicken.
Once cooked, add spinach, chopped dill, and tortellini. Finally, season with salt and pepper. Don’t forget to drizzle some extra-virgin olive oil and add some finely grated cheese to enhance the flavor.