More Spring, Please
(and more spring peas)
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Over the past week, I’ve been trying to embrace the good happening around me. It’s staying lighter later, we’re working on exciting things at Baked by Melissa, and I have incredible friends who show up when I need them most. And we’re so close to warm weather in New York, even though today I’m wearing my coziest hoodie.
Between all my kids’ activities over the weekend, I made chickpea cake with an incredible cinnamon swirl topping. I finished the pan before Monday. It’s included as a bonus recipe in today’s PDF as my gift to you. Make it!!
Fresh peas, asparagus, and even ramps (!) are starting to make their way into stores. Grab some spring greens the next time you’re shopping and whip up one of the meals below. Sunny days are coming soon.
Here’s what’s on the menu this week:
Sugar Snap Pea Salad & Sheet Pan Salmon
Green Goddess Pasta Salad & Marinated Chicken
Asparagus Salad & Ribeye
PS - The Sugar Snap Pea Salad and Asparagus Salad would be great for your Seder table. Find more vegetarian Passover inspo here!
Sugar Snap Pea Salad & Sheet Pan Salmon
I would be thrilled to eat a big bowl of this salad by itself. Here, it’s such a great spring dinner—light and refreshing, perfect with easy salmon. If you’re at the market, I love to pick up steelhead trout as a salmon alternative. Both are great.
Leftovers? Make a half batch of Green Goddess and use it to dress the salad. Serve it with cottage cheese on garlicky toast for lunch the next day. YUM.
Green Goddess Pasta Salad & Marinated Chicken
This is the perfect way to use all the peas you splurged on at the market (or the bag of frozen peas you have hidden in the back of your freezer). The peas add body to the dressing, and if you’re really into it, you can throw some in the pasta salad for extra veg. Serve with marinated chicken for an easy dinner and take the leftovers to work. They pack so easily.
Asparagus Salad & Ribeye
As soon as asparagus starts to perk up I want to add it to every salad. It’s great raw, blanched, or roasted. This salad is packed with crunchy, delicious ingredients and saves easily—just keep the dressing and labneh separate if you make in advance. (You can skip the cottage cheese base when serving with steak if you prefer.)
