I hope you have been able to get outside and enjoy the fabulous Spring weather. Mother Nature had some mood swings for a few weeks but I think (fingers crossed) she has finally sorted herself out and Spring is here to stay. 

One of my favorite Spring vegetables is asparagus. It's packed with vitamins and minerals and can be added to almost any dish. It's excellent as a standalone side but so versatile that it's delicious in soup, salad, and casseroles. 

I recently featured asparagus in a bright and flavorful quinoa salad slightly adapted from Two Peas & Their Pod that will have you licking your plate. The salad will take you about 20 minutes to make and shouldn't cost more than $10 to buy all of the ingredients. It's perfect to make during the week and will give you plenty of leftovers for lunch. 

What you will need: 

Salad:

• 1 cup quinoa 
• 1 1/2 cup vegetable broth
• 1 cup frozen peas
• 1 bunch asparagus, chopped into 1" pieces
• 1 avocado
• 1/2 fresh squeezed lemon 
• 1/4 cup freshly chopped basil
• 1/8 cup finely chopped pine nuts
• salt and pepper to taste

Dressing:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 fresh squeezed lemon
• 1 teaspoon agave
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon freshly chopped basil
• salt and pepper to taste

How to make it: 

1. In a medium pot add vegetable broth and quinoa and bring to a boil. Cook over medium heat for 5 minutes, then turn down heat to a simmer and cook for another 15 minutes, constantly stirring. 
2. While the quinoa is cooking, add asparagus to a large boiling pot of water and cook for 5  minutes. Add the peas and cook for another 2 minutes. Drain the asparagus and peas and return to large pot. 
3. In a small bowl, combine all of the dressing ingredients together until well blended. 
4. Combine the quinoa, asparagus and peas in the large pot. Add the avocado, lemon juice, basil, and pine nuts. Pour dressing over the salad and mix until well combined. 

Enjoy!

Are you looking to cut back on meat but don't like soy or tofu? Try jackfruit as a juicy and delicious meat alternative. 

For the most recent Taco Tuesday, I made vegan tacos filled with the Jackfruit Company's tex-mex jackfruit, garnished with vegetables, fresh herbs, an avocado cream and fresh lime. Hole cow! They were lip smacking good. 

The best news is that jackfruit, also known as "pulled pork for vegetarians," only has 50 calories and 1g of fat per serving! Can't beat that. Jackfruit's meaty texture has become a common meat replacement that is low in calories and free from soy, gluten, and cholesterol. You will fool any meat lover with the taste!

Jackfruit is native to south and southeast Asia and is the world's largest tree-borne fruit with some weighing up to 100 pounds! It has often been hailed as the miracle crop because of its size and resistance to drought that could save millions from starvation. If that is the case, I really hope to see this fruit rise in popularity. It is a cross between a pineapple, apple, mango, and banana, but when it's seasoned you don't taste those fruity flavors at all. 

Here is a very simple, quick (no more than 30 minutes), and flavorful recipe that you can try any night of the week. It also shouldn't cost you more than $10 - $15, which is definitely a bonus! 

Ingredients:
2-4 white, whole wheat, or corn tortillas
Olive oil or coconut oil cooking spray
1 package Jackfruit (can be bought in many grocery stores)
1 tomato, diced
1/2 onion, diced
1 green pepper, julienned
5 leaves of basil, chopped
Handful of chopped cilantro
1 tablespoon vegan sour cream (optional) 
1 fresh lime, squeezed
salt and pepper to taste

Avocado Cilantro Cream
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1 ripe avocado
1 freshly squeezed lime
1 teaspoon Follow Your Heart Vegenaise 
Salt and pepper to taste


Instructions:
1.To make the avocado cilantro cream, simply place all of the ingredients in a food processor or even a small ninja will do (which is what I currently have) and blend until creamy. You may need to add 2 tablespoons cold water to the mixture.
2. In a large deep frying pan or a griddle, generously cover with cooking spray. Over medium heat, lightly cook the green pepper for 3 - 5 minutes, until some sides brown.
3. In same pan or griddle,  cook entire package of jackfruit for just a few minutes until warm. Set aside.
3. Respray the frying pan or griddle with cooking spray and cook 1 tortilla at a time to gently brown and crisp.
4. Spoon jackfruit with cooked green pepper slices, tomato, basil, and onion to your desired amounts on to warm tortilla. Add a dollop of the avocado cilantro cream and a dollop of vegan sour cream and squeeze 1/2 fresh lime over tortilla.  
​Enjoy!



Nutrition Facts (based off of white tortilla and no vegan sour cream)
Servings 2
Amount Per Serving
Calories 239
Total Fat 12 g
Saturated Fat 1 g
Cholesterol 0 mg
Sodium 664 mg
Total Carbohydrate 30 g
Dietary Fiber 15 g
Sugars 7 g
Protein 6 g