Wherever you are in Australia, Spring is a great season to appreciate our beautiful country – wildflowers are in bloom, the temperature is moderate and there is an abundance of fresh fruit and vegetables.
Expect to find a colourful array of fruit and crunchy crispy greens on the shelves of your local supermarket as Spring rises her head after a long Winter of dealing with mortgage rates and cost of living rises.
The best way to beat the budget blues is to indulge the senses with all manner of new tastes to herald in the start of warmer days, longer nights and more optimism on the horizon.
There’s no excuse not to try in-season produce, whether fresh fruit for breakfast such as strawberries, melons, blueberries, mango and pineapple; or create a zesty salad with the likes of Asian greens, spinach, tomato, zucchini and broccoli.
Here’s a quick guide to what’s in season right now and three recipes to try at home:
VEGETABLES:
Artichoke, Asian greens, beans, beetroot, broccoli, cabbage, carrot, cauliflower, corn, eggplant, fennel, lettuce, mushroom, onion, peas, potato, spinach, sweet potato, turnip and zucchini.
FRUIT:
Apple, avocado, banana, cherry, grapefruit, honeydew, lychee, mango, mulberries, orange, papaya, pineapple, rhubarb, strawberries, starfruit, tomato and watermelon.
HERBS:
Chilli, garlic, ginger and parsley.
Here are three salad recipes to get creative with Spring produce and add a new hit of flavour to weeknight family dinners:
Spice up your life with this papaya salad from Mahsuri Thai - it's a true explosion of flavour and the perfect way to add some heat to any day. Combining shredded green papaya, coriander, mint, Thai basil, cherry tomatoes and green beans, it is a colourful addition to any meal.
Fresh pineapple, lime, ginger, chilli, garlic, fish sauce and palm sugar make a tangy, delicious dressing to balance the vegetables – dish this up to go with a perfectly grilled steak or chicken breast and watch it disappear as soon as it hits the table.
While most of us think of watermelon as a sweet dish, this salad recipe makes a sumptuous Spring combination of salty and sweet with the seedless melon paired with chopped mint, crumbled feta cheese, lime, black pepper and extra virgin olive oil.
From our go-to nutritionist,Alimentary's Alison Wright comes this dish of zoodles, feta, basil and spinach - a quick and delicious meal that will boost your vegetable intake for the day. Zoodles are a light, nutritious replacement for pasta and are very quick to prepare.
The green leafy spinach provides a rich source of energy, B vitamins and iron, along with fresh cherry tomatoes, zucchini, feta and black olives. Put a Spring in your dinner step and include this taste tempter with a simple char-grilled salmon fillet and enjoy!
