recipes for festive spring meal

Spring is here and with it new life and rejuvenation.  It is time to start anew with a healthier diet.  Try eating more of the "rainbow of vegetables and fruit".  Use your plate as a canvas for placing colorful vegetables for each meal.  The pictures and recipes on this page show creative ways of displaying colorful vegetables and fruits for your meal.

On the left is Sliced Leg of Lamb marinated with Don's barbecue marinate, sweet potato with ginger and orange zest, and blanched asparagus. Also on this page is Feta Beet Salad, and Nell's Sponge cake with whipped topping and fruit.

Lamb is not popular in the United States because a great many times it is improperly cooked. There are three important factors for properly prepared lamb. They are: the age of the lamb, removal of all the fat, and searing the lamb prior to cooking it. The rule for buying lamb is: the younger the lamb, the milder the flavor of the lamb. A 6-pound lamb leg is younger than a 9-pound lamb leg. Removing lamb fat by your butcher will remove the strong flavor associated with lamb. And finally searing the lamb over high heat before lowering the heat for cooking is the most important part of cooking lamb. Searing will give the lamb a more beef-like taste.

The dinner plate in the above photo shows sliced barbecued lamb leg that has been marinated with 8 garlic cloves, rosemary, and other ingredients found in Terry Traub's book "Food to Some, Poison to Others; The Food Allergy Detection Program." The sweet potato is mixed with 1 teaspoon finely grated fresh ginger, 1/2 teaspoon orange zest, 1/2 to 1 tablespoon margarine, and topped with chopped chives. Other recipes from the book are listed below.

 

Feta Beet Salad AF (Dairy-free, Egg-free, Corn-free, Gluten-free)   1 package fresh beets, sliced, precooked (see note 1) 1 package of fresh mixed greens 1 package of feta cheese (see note 2) 1/2 cup toasted pistachio nuts, chopped Dressing: 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar 1/2 cup olive oil   Mix oil and vinegar in small mixing bowl.  On separate salad plates, arrange mix greens.  Place sliced beets on top of greens; pour salad dressing over each plate of greens.  Top with Feta cheese and pistachios. Serves 4-6   Note 1: If fresh precooked beets are unavailable try roasting two fresh beets for 1 hour at 350 degrees.  Cool then peel and slice.  Also I tried some canned organic beets, they were just okay. Note 2:  The Feta cheese to be dairy-free needs to be from sheep and/or goat.  Some manufacturers make it look like they are using authentic Feta cheese.  Read the label.  Anything with processed milk is cow’s milk.  I use Mt Vikos feta cheese, which is a mixture of sheep and goat.
If you have not read "Food to Some, Poison to Others," especially page 17, please be advised that all ingredients while testing should be "organic" and the meats should be "kosher and/or organic". Always read the labels of what you are buying!
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		Nell's Swedish Sponge Cake (Dairy-free, Gluten-free)   4 eggs, separated (room temperature) 1 cup sugar 1/2 cup potato starch 1 teaspoon baking powder (featherweight is gluten-free) 2 cups non-dairy whipped topping 1 cup sliced fruit (strawberries, raspberries, kiwi etc)   Beat egg whites in very cold copper bowl until stiff but not dry. Fold in 1/2 cup of sugar. In separate bowl beat egg yolks and remaining sugar together. Add potato starch and baking powder to egg yolk mixture. Gently fold egg white mixture into egg yolk mixture. Pour into two lightly greased 8 inch pans. Bake in pre-heated oven at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Let cool and remove from pans. Top the first cake with non-dairy topping and sliced fruit. Place second cake on top. Repeat with topping and fruit. Tip: To stabilize the whipped egg whites; add ½ cream of tartar just as the egg whites start to froth. Continue beating until the egg whites will just stand upright. Serves 8.
If you have not read "Food to Some, Poison to Others," especially page 17, please be advised that all ingredients while testing should be "organic" and the meats should be "kosher and/or organic". Always read the labels of what you are buying!
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Previous recipes featured on this site can be found here:

• Winter Baking Recipes
• Back-to-School Recipes
• Holiday Feast Recipes
• Safe and Sane Superbowl Recipes
• Spring Meal Recipes
• Gluten-free Summer Recipes

This information is not intended to replace the advice or consul of your physcian.
All information and recipes ©2008 - 2009 by Terry Traub, site designed by Computer Firemen.