Meal-In-One SPRING DINNERS

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Once spring arrives,

the local farmers’ market comes alive with fresh vegetables and even the vegetable section in the grocery store perks up. I love combining several seasonal vegetables with a protein to make simple, colorful meals-in-one.

In celebration of spring, I offer two favorites. The first recipe features small gold potatoes, mushrooms, asparagus and Black Forest ham. Toss it all together with brown butter and sprinkle with fresh dill to add the finishing spring touch. The second recipe for an Asian-inspired chicken and vegetable salad meal, calls for shredded chicken breasts, tender-crisp carrots and sugar snap peas. Add sliced celery and green onions then splash with a soy-ginger vinaigrette. Up the crunch by placing the chicken salad on a bed of romaine lettuce leaves and garnish with salty roasted peanuts.

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TASTY AS THESE MEALS ARE, both recipes are ripe for substitutions. For the potato recipe, the gold potatoes can be replaced with new red potatoes, while the asparagus can step aside for snow or sugar snap peas. Mild red onion works in place of the green onions, and if you are a lucky mushroom hunter, you can use morels instead of the baby bellas. Top with a poached egg for additional protein, or eliminate the ham and go meatless for a vegetarian meal.

The chicken salad recipe is equally good with snow peas or asparagus spears instead of sugar snaps, and thin strips of red bell pepper make a colorful addition. For a heartier meal, skip the lettuce and serve the chicken salad on a bed of warm jasmine rice.

Gold Potatoes, Mushrooms, Asparagus & Black Forest Ham with Brown-Butter Glaze

INGREDIENTS

1½ pounds petite gold potatoes

2 teaspoons kosher salt

8 ounces mini or baby bella mushrooms

2 tablespoons olive oil

12 ounces asparagus spears, cut into 1-inch pieces

3 green onions, thinly sliced on diagonal

3 ounces Black Forest ham (room temperature), cut or torn into bite-size pieces

1/3 cup unsalted butter

Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste 2 tablespoons fresh dill, chopped (or 1 teaspoon dried dill)

INSTRUCTIONS

Rinse potatoes and halve or quarter them, depending on size. Boil in a large pot of water with 2 teaspoons kosher salt until tender. Drain well; place in a large bowl. Clean mushrooms and halve or quarter them. Sauté in olive oil over medium heat in a non-stick skillet for about 5 minutes. Transfer mushrooms to the bowl of potatoes. Cook cut asparagus spears in boiling water until tendercrisp, about 2 minutes. Drain and add to bowl. Add the sliced green onions and Black Forest ham.

To make brown-butter glaze, melt the unsalted butter in a small skillet over medium heat until it begins to foam. Stir constantly until butter becomes golden-brown and gives off a nutty aroma, 2 to 4 minutes. Take care not to burn the butter. Immediately pour over the potato mixture. Toss gently and season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with chopped dill and toss again. Serve warm or room temperature. Makes 4 to 6 servings.

SUGGESTION: Top each serving with a poached or fried egg. CONTINUED

Chicken Salad with Asian Flavors

Ingredients

Soy-Ginger Vinaigrette

1/3 cup soy sauce

3 tablespoons seasoned rice vinegar

1 tablespoon ginger root, minced

1/3 cup roasted peanut oil

Chicken Salad

1½ pounds skinless, boneless chicken breasts

1 (14-ounce) can low-sodium chicken broth

2 medium carrots (1 cup), peeled and sliced into ¼-inch rounds

6 ounces sugar snap peas, strings removed

2 celery stalks (1 cup), thinly sliced

3 green onions, thinly sliced

Romaine lettuce leaves, torn or chopped

1/3 cup salted, dry roasted peanuts, coarsely chopped

Vinaigrette Instructions

Combine the soy sauce, seasoned rice vinegar, ginger root and roasted peanut oil in a small bowl and whisk to combine. Set aside.

Salad Instructions

Place chicken breasts in a pot, pour in chicken broth and enough water to cover. Bring to a boil over high heat, cover and reduce heat to low. Simmer chicken until tender and cooked through, about 20 minutes. Remove from pot and cool for about 5 minutes. Shred chicken while still warm and place in a large bowl.

Bring a small pot of water to a boil, add sliced carrots and cook for about 2 minutes, until tender-crisp. Remove from water with a slotted spoon and add to chicken. In the same pot of water, cook sugar snap peas for 1 to 2 minutes, drain and add to chicken. Add celery and green onions to bowl and toss to combine.

Just before serving, whisk vinaigrette and pour as much as desired over the chicken salad. Toss gently to combine. Place lettuce on four to six individual plates. Top with chicken mixture. Garnish with chopped peanuts. Best served immediately. Makes 4 to 6 servings. n

April is World Autism Awareness month.

It hits closer to home for our family this year, as we’ve recently discovered that our daughter is on the spectrum.

The diagnosis has felt overwhelming and life changing in many ways. And yet, Birdie has not changed. She is still the wonderful, smart, creative soul that she was before we knew she had autism.

I’ve been learning a lot and have realized that I held some false ideas about autism – which initially made it difficult to accept her diagnosis. Talking with other moms of autistic children, like Mellisa Hutchinson, of Lawrence, Kansas, has been eye-opening and comforting.

Hutchinson’s son, Wyatt, was diagnosed with autism at age seven. As a social worker, Hutchinson is no stranger to the work associated with advocating for a child’s needs. Their family embarked on a long and ongoing journey to support their son.

She quickly learned that many people have no idea what autism really looks like. Social media, movies and television often paint a vague and stereotypical picture. Those broad strokes leave room for misconceptions about what autistic individuals are capable of.