Your ultimate spring produce guide: What's in season plus recipe suggestions
Green beans
Peak season: May-October
Although these lean, green fighting machines might be in season more toward the end of spring, that just means you still have something to look forward to. Nothing beats the taste and texture of fresh green beans (admit it, you buy canned whenever you're pressed for time), plus they're low in calories so you can eat a lot of them without gaining weight. They're great sources of vitamins A and C and iron, which aids oxygen circulation in the body. Make sure to choose ones that aren't wilted and generally similar in size. Store in the fridge in an airtight container or plastic bag for up to 5 days.
What to do with them: Green beans are extremely versatile for cooking. You can steam, boil or saute them or bake them into casseroles (green bean casserole in the springtime, anyone?). Fresh blanched green beans also add a nice crunch factor to salads. And because they're not flimsy like the canned varieties, you can try our recipe suggestion of a quick vegetable stir fry with Chinese noodles, thinly sliced pork, mushrooms, multi-colored bell peppers, red onion and scallions. Coat them in a quick stir-fry sauce made of soy sauce, corn starch, honey, chicken broth, rice vinegar, sesame oil, minced ginger and garlic. Garnish with sesame seeds to serve.
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Chef Tips and Tricks
These fun Tropical Salmon Sushi Cups make the perfect warm-weather appetizer!
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup rice vinegar
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 2 cups cooked sushi rice
- 1 cup soy sauce
- 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
- 2 tbsp seasame oil
- 1 tsp chili paste
- Salt
- 1 mango, diced
- 1 avocado, diced
- 1 lb salmon, diced
Method
- Combine the rice vinegar and sugar.
- Stir though the cooked sushi rice, and with wet hands, shape into balls.
- Press the balls into ramekins lined with parchment paper, and press the rice up the sides of the ramekins into cup shapes.
- Refrigerate for 15 minutes.
- In the meantime, combine the soy sauce, cilantro, sesame oil, chili paste and salt in a bowl.
- Combine the mango, avocado and salmon.
- Pour the soy mixture over the salmon mixture, and stir through until evenly coated.
- Remove the rice cups from the refrigerator, and peel off the parchment paper.
- Distribute the salmon mixture between the rice cups.
- Garnish, serve and enjoy!