Six spring recipes to make you forget about winter

Salads are a wonderful way to eat just about everything young and fresh, from fragile pea shoots, green garlic and baby kale leaves to sweet strawberries and crunchy carrots, but you can also lightly saute, stir fry and roast the more hearty spring produce, including broccoli, asparagus, Brussels sprouts and bok choy, in order to bring out their flavors while leaving them with just a little toothsome bite.

Rummy Strawberry-Rhubarb Punch

When rhubarb is in season, you can’t miss it. You could just make a pie or galette with this tart produce, or you could get creative, pairing it with its best friend, the strawberry, and turning it into a bubbly cocktail.

2 cups sliced strawberries

1/2 cup honey

1/3 cup fresh orange juice

3 1/2 cups coarsely chopped rhubarb

1 cup rum

1 (750 mL) bottle Prosecco

Combine the first four ingredients and 1/4 cup water in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, and simmer 6 minutes. Pour mixture through a wire-mesh strainer into a bowl, but do not press the solids. Cool completely (about 1 hour). Cover and store in the refrigerator.

Combine syrup, rum and Processo in a large punch bowl. Serves 11.

— From "Southern Living: Southern Made Fresh" by Tasia Malakasis (Oxmoor House, $26)

Pesto-Roasted Broccoli

Herbs such as parsley and cilantro can be used instead of basil to make pesto. Nutritional yeast is a little harder to find in the store than pre-made pesto, but not by much. Both help turn this roasted broccoli into a dish that could be the star of your dinner.

1 heaping Tbsp. pesto, store bought or homemade

juice of 1/2 lemon

2 Tbsp. olive oil

1 large head of broccoli (about 1 lb.), cut into medium florets

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Nutritional yeast or toasted pine nuts, to serve

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Whisk the pesto, lemon juice and oil together in a small bowl. Place the broccoli florets in a roasting pan. Lightly season with salt and pepper, then pour in the pesto dressing and toss until the broccoli is thoroughly coated. Roast in the oven for 20 to 25 minutes or until tender, shaking the pan occasionally,

Serve warm with a sprinkling of nutritional yeast or a smattering of toasted pine nuts. Serves 2 to 4.

— From "Keep It Vegan" by Áine Carlin (Kyle, $19.95)

Quinoa Spätzle with Lamb’s Quarters

Quinoa, a delicately nutty grain, is related to lamb’s quarters, a wild herb that has a spinach-like flavor. So, it was not too far a leap to combine them here. Harvested young, lamb’s quarters is quite tender. Baby spinach can be substituted.

2 cups cooked quinoa

4 cups all-purpose flour

2 cups whole milk

3 large eggs

1/4 cup minced roasted garlic (or 1 Tbsp. fresh minced garlic)

Sea salt

2 medium onions, peeled and quartered

1 Tbsp. sunflower oil

3 Tbsp. unsalted butter

1 cup red grapes, halved

1/4 cup hazelnuts, toasted

2 cups chopped fresh lamb’s quarters

Heat the oven to 450 degrees.

In a medium bowl, combine the quinoa, flour, milk, eggs, garlic and a pinch of salt.

In a large pot over high heat, bring 1 gallon of salted water to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Set a large-holed colander over, but not touching, the water. Working in small batches, push the quinoa dough through the holes of the colander with a rubber spatula. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes, until the spätzle floats to the surface, stirring gently to prevent sticking. Transfer to a second colander and rinse with cool water. Repeat until the batter is used up. Set aside.

In a small bowl, mix the onions with 2 teaspoons salt and dress in the oil. Roast the onions in the oven until they begin to brown, about 10 minutes. Julienne and set aside.

In a large pan over high heat, sauté the spätzle in the butter until golden, about 3 minutes.

Stir in the onions, grapes, hazelnuts and lamb’s quarters and sauté for 3 minutes. Season to taste and serve immediately. Serves 4.

— From "Farm, Fork, Food: A Year of Spectacular Recipes Inspired by Black Cat Farm" by Eric Skokan (Kyle, $29.95)

Roasted Asparagus with Double Apple Dressing

Roasting might feel like a winter cooking technique, but it brings out the best in many vegetables, both in flavor and texture. Instead of drizzling roasted asparagus with a little balsamic vinegar or lemon juice, try this apple cider vinegar-based dressing whose leftovers will jazz up your spring salads all week.

1 1/2 lb. asparagus

2 Tbsp. coconut or avocado oil

2 shallots, peeled and thinly sliced

1/2 tsp. salt

For the dressing:

1 1/2 cups chopped, peeled and cored sweet apples

1/2 cup olive oil

3 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar

2 Tbsp. lemon juice

2 Tbsp. shallot, minced

Pinch of salt

Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Break off the woody ends of the asparagus with your hands. The stalks will naturally snap at the point where they are soft and edible — discard the thicker, woody stems.

Toss the asparagus with the oil, shallots and salt on a rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Spread the asparagus out on the baking sheet and roast until the asparagus is tender with a touch of color and the shallots are crispy, about 10 to 12 minutes.

While the asparagus is cooking, add all the dressing ingredients to a high-power blender and blend on high until smooth.

Divide the roasted asparagus between plates or pile on a serving platter. Drizzle generously with the double apple dressing and serve. (You’ll use about half the amount of dressing that this recipe makes. Reserve the rest for other uses.) Serves 4.

—From "Nourish: The Paleo Healing Cookbook: Easy Yet Flavorful Recipes that Fight Autoimmune Illnesses" by Rachael Bryant (Page Street Publishing, $28)

Honey Soy-Glazed Salmon with Sesame Noodles and Stir-Fried Bok Choy

You could use just about any hearty green in this stir fry, but bok choy is best. Feel free to substitute trout fillets for the salmon.

7 oz. bok choy

1 bunch green onions

3/4-inch piece of fresh ginger

Sesame oil

4 (4 oz.) sustainably caught salmon fillets, skin on

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

3 squeezes or dabs of honey

1/2 cup light soy sauce

Pinch of chili flakes or powder

1 lime

11 oz. straight-to-wok noodles

1 Tbsp. sesame seeds

Small handful of fresh cilantro leaves

Trim the bok choy to release the leaves, then rinse and pat them dry with paper towels. Trim and roughly chop the green onions (both the green and the white bits) and peel and grate the ginger.

Put a large frying pan and a wok or sauté pan on medium heat with a small glug of sesame oil in each. Season the salmon fillets well with salt and pepper, and fry them skin side up in the frying pan for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, stir-fry the bok choy, green onions and ginger in the wok or sauté pan for about 3 minutes until the leaves are wilted.

While these are frying, quickly put the honey, soy sauce and chili flakes or powder into a mug or small bowl and whisk everything together with a fork. Quarter the lime and set both aside.

Next, carefully flip the fish fillets to cook on the other side for about 4 minutes. Add the noodles and sesame seeds to the vegetables and toss together well, then continue to cook for a few more minutes, keeping everything moving around regularly.

Turn the heat up on the salmon and pour half the honey sauce over. Allow to simmer for a couple of minutes, spooning the sauce over the salmon as the mixture thickens and becomes syrupy.

Pour the remaining sauce over the noodles, tossing them well, and then season with salt and pepper to taste. The salmon is cooked when it is no longer translucent but an even, pale pink through to the center.

Divide the noodles among four serving plates. Set a salmon fillet on top of each, drizzle some of the syrupy sauce from the pan over and serve with a wedge of lime and a scattering of cilantro leaves. Serves 4.

— From "Everyday Easy" by Lorraine Pascale (Ecco, $29.99)

Key Lime Shortbread Cookies

These shortbread cookies are loaded with enough lime flavor to make you pucker up. They have a delicate, buttery, melt-in-your-mouth texture and are topped with a glaze made with both lime juice and zest.

1/2 lb. (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

1/4 tsp. fine sea salt

Grated zest of 2 limes

1 1/4 cups confectioners’ sugar

2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

For the glaze:

3/4 cup confectioners’ sugar

Grated zest of 1 lime

2 Tbsp. fresh lime juice

Line two cookie sheets with parchment.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or in a large mixing bowl, using a handheld mixer), cream together the butter, vanilla, salt and lime zest on medium speed until combined. Turn the mixer speed down to low and add the confectioners’ sugar, then mix on medium-high speed for 3 to 5 minutes, until very light and fluffy.

Add the flour in thirds, beating until just combined, no more than 2 minutes.

Use a small ice cream scoop to form the cookies, about 1 rounded tablespoon each, and place on the prepared cookie sheets, leaving 1 inch between them to allow for spreading. Lightly spray the bottom of a flat-bottomed measuring cup with nonstick spray and flatten the top of each cookie slightly. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, and up to 1 hour, before baking.

Position the racks in the middle and lower third of the oven and heat the oven to 350 degrees.

Bake the cookies for 8 to 10 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through the baking time, until the edges are lightly golden. Let cool completely on a wire rack.

To make the glaze: Mix the confectioners’ sugar, lime zest and lime juice in a small bowl until smooth. Add water 1 teaspoon at a time, if necessary, to reach a nice spreading consistency.

Drop a dollop of glaze on each cookie and let set. The cookies can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Makes 24.

— From "Back in the Day Bakery Made with Love" by Cheryl Day and Griffith Day (Artisan Books, $24.95)