Seasonal Sundays (Week 13) Late March

Well, hello, spring! Your arrival is most welcome! To celebrate, this week's recipe collection focuses on spring flavors, no, not asparagus and strawberries quite yet, it's a little early. But still, lighter, brighter, simpler ... just for spring.

~ Skip Straight to the Good Stuff ~

Welcome to Seasonal Sundays ...

What a shock, albeit welcome, this weeks-early, early-early spring. We opened the summer porch this week, just in time to celebrate a miracle of medical news from my husband's daughter: scans free of cancer!

The entire neighborhood filled with the brutal noise calls of two pairs of Canada geese in full head-bobbing courtship. The new bluebird houses already have occupants. The daffodils down by the creek have popped open.

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But throughout the week, we also observed one sign after another of a planet out of control. The first fly. The first mosquito. The first "drone" bumble bees. Even, in freaking March, the first black swallowtail butterfly.

About the Photo By Popular Request, a Little Insight into the Top Image: The back-ordered Ukrainian flags arrived and the twin grandsons helped raise fresh flags on the flagpole. They took home a second flag, it flies proudly at their house too.

Ukraine On My Mind

• HOW TO HELP I first read The Road to Unfreedom: Russia, Europe, America (affiliate link) by Timothy Snyder when it was published four years ago but oh, it is timely today as never before. He's writing on Substack now too. He's shared a multitude of vetted ways to help financially via different methods, with different aims. See How to Help Ukraine Now and Some New Ways to Help Ukrainians and Helping Ukrainians Directly.


• DEEP DIVE #1 The history of Ukraine, dating back to the Mongols and the Cossacks in the NPR podcast Throughline. Takeaway: Ukrainian identity dates wayyyyy back.


• DEEP DIVE #2 What is an oligarch, really? Listen to What Is an Oligarch? from the podcast HistoryHit by British historian and TV presenter Dan Snow. Takeaway: Oligarchs aren't just rich Russians.


• RAISE A FLAG? These 3x5 Ukrainian flags (affiliate link) were backordered awhile but as of yesterday, were back in stock.

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PICK ONE

Pick One is for those of us overwhelmed by life's unending choices. If that resonates, then check out this one recipe and then call it a day. It's one that I think could make the most difference, the one I hope will become a regular in your kitchen, as it is in mine.

• THE RECIPE Carrot & Chickpea Salad with Tahini-Lemon Dressing
• WHY THIS, WHY NOW Spring salads are just special, you know? Seasonal produce hasn't yet begun to appear but the tastes are lighter, more vibrant. This one's a winner!

What's New?!

Wondering about a recipe from the last while? Check Recent Recipes from Kitchen Parade and Recent Vegetable Recipes from A Veggie Venture.

• THE RECIPE Corned Beef with Red Potatoes, Carrot Chunks, Cabbage Wedges & Cheese Sauce Traditional for St. Patrick's Day.
• PLAN FOR LEFTOVERS Reuben Casserole Just five ingredients, wonderful homemade Thousand Island dressing.

Compliments!

• "The salad was and still is delicious! It's the way I like to eat. I gave my neighbor a big container, she's a fan too. I even had some with a scrambled egg yesterday, great for brunch." ~ Christy
• THE RECIPE Detox Chopped Salad

Flavors That Shout "Spring"!

Watch the food blogger world as long as I have (going on 17 years!) and it's fun to watch a sort of communal sense of seasonality. Before the holidays, it's not just cookies and cranberry, it's "peppermint" and "eggnog" and "molasses" flavors.

I have my own ideas about seasons and seasonal flavors, you'll see them listed in Kitchen Parade's Recipe Box.

For Spring & Early Summer (which to me is a food season), these are the flavors which appeal. Have I missed a favorite of yours? Let me know!

Spring & Early Summer

lemons limes mangoes rhubarb strawberries

artichokes arugula (rocket) asparagus broccoli rabe (raab) kale mushrooms onions radishes spinach

Spring Recipe Ideas – Suppers

• THE RECIPE Slow-Cooked Greens & Smoked Turkey So good, you'll want to eat the pot.
• ANOTHER TAKE Red Beans & Rice Slow-cooked Creole comfort food.

• THE RECIPE Baked Chicken with Herb-Roasted Potatoes Simple, satisfying supper.
• ANOTHER TAKE Spiced Chicken Tagine with Roasted Cauliflower A one-pot supper with warm spices.

• THE RECIPE Falafel Burgers (Lentil Burgers) A Middle-Eastern favorite shaped in American-style burgers.
• ANOTHER TAKE Chickpea Cakes with Cucumber-Yogurt Sauce A vegetarian meal in 30 minutes.

Spring Recipes Ideas – Breakfast

• THE RECIPE Simple French Eggs Simpler than omelettes, light, airy, delicious.
• ANOTHER TAKE French Scrambled Eggs Eggs cooked slowly with a few vegetables, creamy and soft.

• THE RECIPE Crustless Quiche with Roasted Peppers Cottage cheese adds body, protein and richness.
• ANOTHER TAKE Crustless Quiche with Greens & Garden Vegetables Another Master Recipe.

• THE RECIPE Spinach Brownies
• ANOTHER TAKE On-the-Run Breakfast Bars

Spring Recipes Ideas – Sweet

• THE RECIPE Rhubarb Muffins Whole grain, less sweet.
• ANOTHER TAKE Sunshine Orange Muffins From the Canadian favorite, The Best of Bridge.

• THE RECIPE Lemon Crinkle Cookies with Poppy Seeds Bright and lemony, really charged with lemon flavor.
• ANOTHER TAKE Easy Lemon Poppy Seed Cake How easy? It starts with a cake mix.

• THE RECIPE Lemon Meringue Pie Sunny slivers of the lemony classic.
• ANOTHER TAKE Brown Sugar Lemon Curd My Canadian family's signature recipe.

One Last Pot of Chili

• THE RECIPE White Chicken Chili An old favorite, a little lighter.
• ANOTHER TAKE My Chicken Noodle Soup The way I make it, meaty and noodle-y with just a few noodles.

• THE RECIPE Chocolate Chili My long-time recipe, meaty and full of spices and a touch of chocolate.
• ANOTHER TAKE Crockpot Chili with Spicy Sausage Brown the meat, dump and go.

• THE RECIPE Vegetable Chili with Sweet Potatoes & Chipotle
• ANOTHER TAKE
• THE RECIPE Beefy Tomatillo Chili

Lunch at the Kitchen Table

• THE RECIPE My Everyday Creamy Herb Salad Dressing Never the same twice.
• ANOTHER TAKE Buttermilk Garlic Salad Dressing A homemade ranch dressing.

Good to Know

• THE TRADITION How to Plant Lenten Grass (Easter Grass) An old Finnish tradition, good to mark the season of Lent with children.
• AND ANOTHER A Birthday Cake for Jesus: A Story My sister's gentle way of keeping the spirit of Christmas.

Put an Egg on Top aka "How About Eggs for Dinner?"

Why should breakfast get all the eggs?! If eggs for dinner were a club, I'd be president, chief marketing officer, resident evangelist, public advocate and ... hey, wanna join my club? Start here!

• THE RECIPE Creamy Oatmeal Three tricks for the very best oatmeal, all easy!
• ANOTHER TAKE Microwave Creamy Oatmeal with Peanut Butter Try it with half a banana and a few blueberries, morning heaven!

Something New to You? A Challenge!

It's one thing to know what we like. It's another to get caught in a rut of repetition. Every so often, I may offer a challenge to try something that just might be new. The challenge is yours to accept – or y'know, not – but I hope to pique your palate!

• THE RECIPE Lazy Man's Ciopinno A simple but celebration-worthy stew.
• ANOTHER TAKE Oyster Stew Fresh oysters in a milky broth.

Savoring Sweet Potatoes: A Challenge

So usually my "challenges" are, well, a challenge, an undertaking, an endeavor, a project. But here? For a few weeks, I hope you'll throw a few sweet potatoes onto your grocery list, knowing there'll be a simple recipe to tackle. Who's game?!

• THE RECIPE Simple Sweet Potato "Potato" Salad with Hardly Any Mayonnaise Great crunch with a touch of cranberry sweetness.
• ANOTHER TAKE Sweet Potato Salad with Roasted Poblano, Roasted Corn & Chipotle A sweet potato salad for summer, a colorful and mouth-watering blend.

Meal Prep

• THE RECIPE Our Daily Bread: My Easy Everyday Bread Recipe An easy, European-style bread I make every few days.
• ANOTHER TAKE Soft Rolls for Sandwiches (NOLA-Style French Rolls) Especially for extra-good sandwiches, crispy crusts, soft interiors.

This Week's Soup

• THE RECIPE Easy Turkey Chili Zero points for Weight Watchers!
• ANOTHER TAKE Beefy Tomatillo Chili Because tomatillos make a mean, mean chili.

Finnish Food

• THE RECIPE Homemade Finnish Mustard How to make mustard at home, Finnish-style.
• ANOTHER TAKE Famous Mustard Sauce (Carolina BBQ Mustard Sauce) A tiny-bit spicy and a tiny-bit sweet and totally addictive.

Lookin' for Love

We're all proud of our best recipes that family and friends (and the Internet!) just love. But what about the recipes we love but are, ahem, so far under-appreciated? This recipe is just that, it could use a little extra love!

• THE RECIPE Simple Chickpea Salad
• ANOTHER TAKE Chipotle Chickpea Salad

Recipes That Stand the Test of Time

To mark A Veggie Venture's 15th anniversary in 2020, I took a hard look at the first 365 vegetable recipes from the first year to select just 15 which, all these many years and recipes later, remain ever so useful. The result is a fascinating collection of recipes, 15 Favorite Vegetable Recipes, Still Useful After 15 Years. Here's just one.

• THE RECIPE Asparagus Tapenade
• ANOTHER TAKE Beet Pesto

PS Who's noticed? I'm big on "usefulness". See? Best-Ever “Most Useful” Recipes 2002 – Present, just one recipe per year from Kitchen Parade.

Soups & Salads Especially for March

March is such a funny month for cooking, some wintry days (yo, soups!), some spring-like days (hey, salads!) and so many days neither one nor the other, just smack in the middle. So what grabs us depends on the day, yes? That's why I spent a year gathering all of A Veggie Venture's best soup and salad recipes into easy-to-scan month-by-month collections.

Dig into Seasonal Soup & Salad Recipes for March, tons of ideas!

Here's a sample!

• THE RECIPE Weight Watchers Spinach & Tortellini Soup
• ANOTHER TAKE Weight Watchers Zero Points Garden Vegetable Soup Famous for taste, famous for results.

Feeding a Sugar-Conscious Sweet Tooth

You too? We're cutting back on sweets without demonizing dessert, usually with smaller batches, smaller servings, shareable desserts or fruit desserts in addition to limiting frequency. But some times?

• THE RECIPE Carrot Cake Cupcakes Made in the food processor!
• ANOTHER TAKE Old-Fashioned Black Walnut Chocolate Cake A true classic, moist and earthy, studded with black walnuts.

Timehop

Who else loves seeing old photos pop up, quick memories from years past? Welcome to a recipe timehop ...

• THE RECIPE Mexican Gas House Eggs The new game in town, an egg fried in a tortilla.
• ANOTHER TAKE Gashouse Eggs The old-time comfort food, just an egg and bread fried together, with so many names.

• THE RECIPE Homemade Thousand Island Dressing
• ANOTHER TAKE German Salad Dressing

Trending

My Top 10 Recipes are predictable, hello Should Cooked Pork Be Pink? and (Sloooow) Baked Potatoes (How Long to Bake a Baked Potato). But every week, seasonal recipes catch the internet's attention and start to trend.

• THE RECIPE DIY Substitute for Baker's Joy Just three ingredients and works like a charm.
• ANOTHER HOMEMADE SUBSTITUTE DIY Homemade Foot Lotion Take care of your feet, three easy-to-find ingredients.

• THE RECIPE Potato, Cabbage & Rapini Colcannon The classic Irish combination, low-carb and creamy-good.
• ANOTHER TAKE Pride of Erin Soup A simple soup, just cabbage, potato and kale perfect for St. Patrick's Day.

Just Updated!

• THE RECIPE Rustic Mashed Sweet Potatoes & Carrots A happy marriage of sweet potatoes and carrots.
• ANOTHER TAKE Mashed Potatoes & Carrots Why haven't we done this forever?

Don't Be a Stranger ...

I'd love to hear from you. Comment, send me a quick e-mail via recipes@kitchen-parade.com, dot-dash in Morse code, build a fire for smoke signals, launch a message in a bottle, send a Christmas letter, get the dog to yip, toss me a note wrapped in a rubberband, write a message in the sky, scratch a note in the sand, listen to a seashell, tuck a question into a plastic Easter egg, whatever.

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Kitchen Parade is written by second-generation food columnist Alanna Kellogg and features fresh, seasonal dishes for every-day healthful eating and occasional indulgences. Quick Suppers are Kitchen Parade favorites and feature recipes easy on the budget, the clock, the waistline and the dishwasher. Do you have a favorite recipe that other Kitchen Parade readers might like? Just send me a quick e-mail via recipes@kitchen-parade.com. How to print a Kitchen Parade recipe. Never miss a recipe! If you like this recipe, sign up for a free e-mail subscription. If you like Kitchen Parade, you're sure to like my food blog about vegetable recipes, too, A Veggie Venture. If you make this recipe, I'd love to know your results! Just leave a comment below.

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