How to make 6 simple recipes for a taste of spring

Springtime is here, and to celebrate we've rounded up a handful of delicious dishes made with fresh ingredients that pair perfectly with a sunny spring day.

Nicole Keshishian Modic came up with her online food persona and blog Kalejunkie nearly five years ago as a hobby while on maternity leave and continues to share new, inventive recipes that go beyond green juice and smoothies to make healthy, seasonal eating a breeze.

The California-based blogger told "Good Morning America" that "nothing tastes better than springtime meals," because "farmers markets are bursting with fresh, seasonal produce -- it’s also my favorite time of year to spend in the kitchen experimenting [with] citrus, carrots, fresh kale, peas and more."

"This spring, I think we can all agree that it's so important to celebrate life," she continued. "One of the ways I love to do that is by sharing healthy recipes, all of which been created to bring joy and happiness into peoples’ lives and to make them feel good."

The soon-to-be cookbook author said she noticed a shift in her relationship with food when she redefined what healthy eating meant to her.

"I began to heal from a 15-year plus eating disorder that I successfully hid from everyone -- I was miserable, and my definition of 'healthy' was a diet consisting solely of plain salads, green juice, foods with few carbs," she said. "There is room for all foods -- and so my love affair with recipe development began."

Check out her namesake dish with a lemon tahini dressing you'll want to keep around all spring long, as well as a chickpea salad that is great as a side, on it's own or in a sandwich.

The ultimate kale salad with tahini lemon dressing

Mediterranean mashed chickpea salad

Nothing says spring like asparagus, and for Rosalynn Daniels -- the self-proclaimed hybrid of Martha Stewart and Oprah -- it's the perfect main ingredient for this simple savory recipe.

Daniels told "Good Morning America" that her asparagus pockets "are so darn good and really easy to make."

Easy asparagus puff pastry pockets

Food bloggers Holly Erickson and Natalie Mortimer are two peas in The Modern Proper pod, and these spring recipes have all the seasonal ingredients you could hope for in each bite. Check out this snap pea salad below on their Instagram, plus a radish salad with crispy chickpeas and yogurt dressing.

Shaved snap pea salad with goat cheese and dates

Radish salad with yogurt dill dressing

Serves: 6

Ingredients
1 head butter lettuce
6 radishes, thinly sliced
1 English cucumber, thinly sliced
1 large avocado, cut into wedges
1 can chickpeas
2 teaspoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
Yogurt Dill Dressing
3/4 cup plain greek yogurt
1/2 lemon, juiced
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon fresh dill, minced
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon coarse ground pepper

Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Drain and rinse chickpeas. We popped the peels of the chickpeas in the oven, but you could skip this step if you want to save time. Place the chickpeas onto a parchment paper lined rimmed baking sheet, and toss with olive oil, sea salt and paprika. Roast chickpeas in oven for 40 minutes. After 40 minutes, take them out of the oven and let them rest for 10 minutes. Place them back into the oven for 10-15 minutes longer, until crunchy.Combine all ingredients for the dressing in a small bowl. Refrigerate until ready to use.
Place lettuce on a platter, spread radishes, cucumber and avocado evenly over lettuce. Pour desired amount of dressing over entire salad. Sprinkle with roasted chickpeas.

Recipe reprinted courtesy of The Modern Proper.

Spring salad with barley and lemon chive vinaigrette

This grain salad brings in the bright lemon and herbaceous flavors of spring to mix up a twist on a traditional bowl of just greens.

Check out the full recipe here.

This story was originally published on March 19, 2021.