8 Healthy Dishes Perfect for Spring
Blue skies, warm weather and tasty comfort food — what more could you ask for? If you want to eat clean and healthy even during the springtime, you don't have to skip out on some of the best traditions. Take advantage of the season's fresh flavors to craft a healthy menu for spring.
1. Grilled Four-Onion Pizza
This recipe makes two tasty onion pizzas, each topped with great ingredients like fresh chives, sauteed leeks and shredded fontina cheese. Once you go green, you won't want to go back to the traditional tomato and mozzarella! If you buy pre-made dough, this recipe is a breeze to make and only takes around 45 minutes to cook on the grill.
2. Melon Salad
What better way to celebrate Spring than with in-season fruit exploding with flavor? This Spring salad is made with balls of honeydew, watermelon and cantaloupe. The fruit is then tossed with a mixture of vinegar, oil, honey, lime juice and red pepper and served on a plate of plain Greek yogurt. Pro tip: use a small scoop or melon baller to form perfectly round melon balls.
3. Grilled Shrimp Tacos
One bite of these tasty shrimp tacos and you'll instantly be transported to an island paradise. Before cooking the shrimp on the grill, you'll make an avocado slaw and mango salsa with fresh ingredients like guacamole, mangos, lime juice and cilantro. All the fixings can then be assembled on a grilled corn tortilla and served warm.
4. Grilled Greek Chicken
Nothing says "Spring" like shish kabobs. This Greek-inspired recipe starts with marinating cubes of chicken in a mixture including Greek yogurt, lemon juice, balsamic vinegar, oregano, thyme, red pepper and more. Once marinated, slide the chicken cubes onto skewers interspersed with fresh red bell pepper and red onions. You can even add your own kabob favorites like mushrooms, zucchini and asparagus.
5. Chili-Lime Corn
A cookout isn't complete without a grilled corn dish. While this recipe calls for a grill pan, you can easily substitute your outdoor grill. As the grill is heating up, combine chili powder, salt, sugar and pepper and rub over the ears of corn. Once on the flames, it only takes the corn 10 minutes to cook and get the perfect char. After removing it from the grill, don't forget to top with a little extra butter and salt!
6. Maine Lobster Roll
In Maine, which is home to a $533 million lobster industry, you're likely to come up against two schools of thought. The first is the purest way, where the fresh lobster is not obscured by flavors other than mayonnaise. But some recipes, like this one, have attempted to innovate on a timeless classic by mixing chunks of lobster with celery, lemon juice, cayenne and lettuce. You'll be wondering why you didn't try this Northern favorite before!
7. Mini Portobello Burgers
These burgers offer a classic taste of Spring without the grease and calories. The "meat" of this burger is a tasty portobello mushroom surrounded by eggplant, squash and zucchini, and topped off with melted swiss cheese. The whole ensemble is then encased in a brioche bun or dinner roll. What's even better is that these burgers are super easy to make and only take about 30 minutes.
8. Spicy Pasta Salad
No cookout is complete without pasta salad. Start with cooking the pasta according to directions and draining once cooked. Then, to create the sauce, mix mayonnaise, adobo sauce, vinegar, salt and pepper. Once combined, stir in the cooked pasta. Then, top it all off with diced tomatoes and cubed Gouda cheese. You can also add some extra salt and pepper to taste.
The Best Spring Cookout Dishes
Spring is the perfect time to move your meals outdoors and enjoy the sunny weather. If you're looking for the perfect recipes for your next cookout without all the added calories, then consider the healthy seasonal recipes above.
