Spring has finally made its appearance just in time for Easter and Passover celebrations. The warmer weather inspired many to head outdoors with family and friends in order to brush off that oppressive cabin fever! Spring is unpredictable, its cold and rainy and then bright and sunny but the best part of spring comes from the produce aisle. Asparagus, peas, artichokes, spinach, all kinds of fresh and delicious vegetables are in season bringing a welcome change to my taste buds after months of root vegetables.

The abundance of freshness in my grocery store prompted the creation of this easy and flavorful dish which I made for Easter Sunday with my family. Grilled asparagus is an all time favorite and is especially delicious when paired with a Mediterranean influenced bruschetta.

Tomatoes are still not the best at this time of year so in order to sweeten them up, I charred them in a pan before tossing them with kalamata olives, artichoke hearts, basil, olive oil, and lemon.

The best part of this dish is that you can eat as much as you want without feeling sluggish like other traditional holiday foods such as mashed potatoes, stuffing, and creamed everything. This touch of spring livens up any dinner menu and provides a healthy punch. Enjoy and healthy eating!

Grilled Asparagus with Charred Tomato, Olive, and Artichoke Bruschetta

1 bunch of Asparagus, woody ends removed

3 tbs Olive Oil

Pink Himalayan Sea Salt

4 Plum Tomatoes

6 Garlic cloves, chopped

1/2 cup Kalamata Olives, loosely chopped

1 8oz jar of Artichoke Hearts, loosely chopped

1 handful of Basil leaves

1/2 lemon, juiced

Place 1 tbs of olive oil into a saute pan and heat over medium high until glossy. Cut the plum tomatoes in half width wise and place into the hot oil, cooking on each side until browned but still solid. Remove from heat and cool slightly to handle. Loosely chop and add to a bowl with the chopped olives, artichokes, garlic and basil. Drizzle 1 tbs of olive oil over top with a dash of salt and juice of half of a lemon. Stir to combine.

Meanwhile, preheat the grill. Toss the asparagus with 1 tbs of olive oil and a dash of sea salt. Grill over medium heat until bright green and slightly charred.

Place the asparagus on a platter and top with the bruschetta, Enjoy warm or at room temperature.

Today arrived with early morning fog, clouds galore, and rain pouring down. It would have been a perfect day to stay in bed with a cup of tea and watch Netflix but alas, off to work I went. As the rain continued to pound on the window outside of my classroom I had a craving for comfort food, mostly for sauce or as Italians call it, gravy. No, I am not Italian and in all actuality I hardly ever eat pasta but I really wanted that warm feeling that a good tomato sauce causes in your stomach. Now I know I just caused a bit of an uproar by stating that I hardly ever eat pasta but the truth is that it causes me to have insomnia. If i eat carbs for dinner I won't sleep the whole night. As an alkaline practitioner I like to focus on whole foods, especially vegetables. They make me feel good and they never make me lose precious hours of sleep! So instead of pasta I choose the amazing substitute, spaghetti squash!

I love spaghetti squash! It is so versatile, its flavor subtle, earthy with a hint of sweetness. I can bake it, nuke it, cube it, fry it, roast it, and more! I can use it as a base for any flavor combination from Asian to Latin and tonight I was headed into the Italian realm.

This recipe is quite simple but I did cheat - I bought a jar of tomato sauce! I was feeling so lazy and really just wanted to eat not cook sauce, although an arrabbiata sauce is not difficult to make (I have included a recipe at the end of the post). Now, I am not a person who goes for processed foods, I do not like jars and especially cans but if I am purchasing something processed, such as tomato sauce, I make sure to read the label. I have a rule, if I don't know what an ingredient is on a label then I don't buy it. The fewer the ingredients the better. So when buying sauce, I avoid anything with sugar, vinegar, or artificial flavorings or dyes. The arrabbiata I found was made with tomatoes, tomato puree, onions, salt, extra virgin olive oil, dried garlic, and crushed red pepper - perfect for the spaghetti squash. I also think that it is important for all of you who are trying to go alkaline to realize that you don't have to make every thing from scratch but you do have to be conscious of what you are buying and eating. Of course, I could have just thrown the sauce onto the squash and called it a night but I wanted to increase the alkalinity and the flavor by tossing in some roasted garlic, artichoke hearts and olives. Topped with some parmigianno or the equally delightful vegan version of ground almonds, garlic, and salt.

This is a great weeknight meal that is comforting and delicious!

Spaghetti Squash Arrabbiata with Artichokes, Olives, and Roasted Broccoli

1 Spaghetti Sqaush

1 Jar of good quality Tomato Sauce

1 head of Broccoli

1/2cup Artichoke Hearts in Olive Oil

1/2 cup Olives in Olive Oil

2 tbs Olive Oil

1 tbs Pink Himalayan Sea Salt

Vegan Parmigiano

1/2 cup raw Almonds

1 clove of Garlic

1 tsp Pink Himalayan Sea Salt

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Cut the ends off of the Spaghetti Squash and then halve long ways. Scoop out the seeds. I personally save the seeds and roast them for a snack for later. Oil the insides of the squash with 1 tbs of olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Place onto a cookie sheet or into a shallow pan cut side down and roast in the oven for about 40 minutes or until flesh is easily pierced with a fork.

Meanwhile, cut the broccoli into bite sized pieces. Toss the broccoli with the remainder of the olive oil and salt. Place into a separate pan and roast along with the squash (i divided my pan and placed the seeds in half and the broccoli in the other half in order to get two jobs done at once).

Remove the squash from the oven and let cool enough to handle. Scrape out the squash insides into a large saute pan. Place over medium low heat adding the sauce, broccoli, artichokes, and olives tossing to coat. Continue to heat until warmed through.

Divide the squash between 2 plates and toss with parmigiano or vegan parmigiano. To make the vegan parmigiano add the almonds, garlic, and salt to a small food processor or blender. Process until the mixture is broken down and looks like parmigiano. It can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2 weeks.

Enjoy and healthy eating!

If you, unlike me this evening, are feeling like making a fresh arrabbiata sauce do not fret, it is rather simple and I have a great recipe for one. Of course it is best when fresh tomatoes are used but the ones in the store right now are a little less than lovely so canned whole tomatoes can also be used. Arrabbaita actually mean angry in Italian, it is a spicy sauce and thus derives its fiery name.

Arrabbaita Sauce

1 28oz can Plum Tomatoes or 4 fresh tomatoes

2 tbs Olive Oil

1 chili pepper or jalapeno, diced very small (you can used 1 -2 tsp crushed red pepper instead)

1 Onion, chopped

2 cloves Garlic, chopped

1 tbs dried Basil

1 tbs Dried Oregano

1 tsp Pink Himalayan Sea Salt

Heat oil in a saute pan over medium high heat, once it is glistening add the hot pepper and turn down the heat to low, cooking for about 5 minutes. You want the pepper to infuse the olive oil so that the sauce has a nice even heat throughout. Turn the heat up to medium and add the chopped onion. Cook until softened, stirring occasionally. Add the garlic and saute for 1 minute more before adding the tomatoes to the pan, crushing them slightly to release their juices. Add the basil, oregano, and salt. Once the liquid has begun to boil, reduce the temperature to medium low and simmer for 10-15 minutes. add more salt to taste and enjoy!