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.

I've been in a bit of a rut lately. Spring veggies haven't quite spouted, I am sick of soups and in all honesty, I haven't been really feeling like eating or preparing food. when this happens, I wind up not eating as nutritiously as I would like to; surviving mostly on corn tortillas stuffed with avocados and cans of vegetable soup. It seems that a trip to the grocery store has the same old staring back at me and inspiration is missing.

Sometimes, all it takes to get your creative culinary juices flowing again is to prepare dinner for someone else. It had been a while since I had seen one of my closest friends, an absolutely amazing woman, mom, wife, and person who I am eternally grateful to have in my life. She is a wise and beautiful person and I would be lost without her and it just so happens that she is also going through a healthy food revival and has recently gone gluten free, making her the perfect candidate to try out a new recipe that I had been mulling over.

Gnocchi is sometimes so very satisfying, little pockets of potato covered in sauce as opposed to noodles which can become downright boring. Gnocchi is not very difficult to make although it does take some finesse in order to obtain that light and airy consistency. As these are made with chickpea flour they are a bit denser than I would have liked but still held the sauce well and tasted pretty darn good and the best part is that they are great for you, even if you eat the entire pan (oops)!

The secret to these little pillows of delight is to roast the sweet potatoes first before mashing, I cubed it and then roasted for time consideration but you could definitely roast them whole as well. I tossed them with the flavors of the Mediterranean but feel free to use any sauce that you would like. Enjoy!

Gluten Free Sweet Potato Gnocchi with Olives, Tomatoes, Garlic and Spinach

Gnocchi

2 large Sweet Potatoes, peeled and cubed (about 1 cup when mashed)

1 tbs Olive Oil

1 cup Chickpea Flour plus more for dusting (I ground up 3/4 cup of dried chickpeas as opposed to purchasing chickpea flour)

1 Egg

1 tbs Oregano

Pink Himalayan Sea Salt to Taste

Preheat the oven to 375. Toss the cubed sweet potatoes with 1 tbs of olive oil and salt, turning onto a baking sheet. Roast for 30 minutes or until the sweet potatoes are cooked through. Cool. Mash the sweet potatoes with a potato masher or the back of a fork. Stir in the egg, oregano and salt. Slowly stir in the flour until a dough forms that is firm and just slightly sticky. Put some chickpea flour onto your cutting board or counter as well as your hands and divide the dough, rolling into 1in. thick ropes. Cut the gnocchi into 1in. pieces, pressing your thumb into one side while using a fork the add striations to the other.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Place half of the gnocchi into the boiling water, swirling so it doesn't stick to the bottom. The gnocchi is cooked through when it rises to the top. Remove from water and set aside, reserving 1 cup of the cooking liquid for the sauce.

Sauce

2 tbs Olive Oil

1 Onion, Sliced

3 Garlic Cloves, chopped

1 cup Cherry or Grape Tomatoes, halved

1/2 cup Kalamata Olives, chopped

2 cups Spinach

1 tbs Oregano

1 tbs Sage

1 tsp Crushed Red Pepper

Reserved Gnocchi Cooking Water

In a large skillet, heat the 2 tbs of olive oil. Add the onions, cooking until softened. Add the garlic, oregano, sage, and crushed red pepper, cooking until fragrant. Add in the tomatoes, spinach and gnocchi as well as 1/2 cup of the reserved cooking liquid. Cook down until the spinach has wilted and the tomatoes burst adding more cooking liquid if necessary.

Divide into bowls and serve topped with parmigiano if desired. Enjoy and healthy eating!