Simple and in Season March Round Up and Winner

March was a very busy month for me and I fear April, with the Easter holidays now upon us will be even busier! So, without further ado, here’s the Simple and in Season round up for March. There were stacks of things I hadn’t come across before in this round – Carrot Ice Cream, Dragon Fruit Smoothie, Flower Sprouts and a Parsnip Chocolate Cake, to mention a few!

Thank you to everyone for joining in!

1. First past the post, Janet from The Taste Space launched us into spring with this wonderful Pineapple and Cucumber Guacamole. With the sun shining brightly over here, this would make a wonderful addition to any party or barbecue. Thanks Janet.

2. Mel from Sharky Oven Gloves has a new flat (in New Zealand!) and started off as she means to go on with with some lovely Mango and Chocolate Muffins – a totally new flavour combination for me, but they look amazing! Thank you Mel and good luck with your adventures. Thank you for still remembering us all over here!

3. Next, The Botanical Baker, Urvashi made these delicate little Beetroot Bites – again, perfect for a party or a picnic. Urvashi says that she loves ‘little food’ and I agree, these are too cute. Lovely pastry, baby beetroot, mascarpone and dill, in my book, make the perfect mouthful!

4. Laura from How to Cook Good Food, a very well-seasoned Simple and in Seasoner, sent across her Tagliatelle with Flower Sprouts and Chorizo. I love how Laura always comes up with really tasty flavour combinations. Flower Sprouts are a cross between Brussels Sprouts and Kale – apparently without the smell. They look like a fab ingredient and I will definitely be looking out for them!

5. A really vibrant and seasonal entry came along next from Working London Mummy, who made a Rhubarb Meringue Tart. I am also hoping to join in with Nazima’s One Ingredient Challenge, as this month, the ingredient is Rhubarb, which I love.

6. Resh from The Daily Cuppa sent across a Dragon Fruit Smoothie, with fresh dragon fruit being sold at her local farm. This was an entirely new seasonal ingredient for me.  Dragon Fruit has a mild sweetness, in contrast to its vibrant colour! Stunning.

7. Shaheen, another very keen Simple and in Seasoner who blogs at Allotment 2 Kitchen, sent across her Primrose and Lemon Slice, that she had baked for Mothering Sunday. Shaheen also explains in her post how to crystallise primrose petals, but I think they looked just beautiful on this lemon cake.

8. I spotted a lovely cake on Choclette’s Chocolate Log Blog that really intrigued me, so I am so pleased Chcolette linked it up. She made a Parsnip and Walnut Chocolate Chip Cake, which I’ve been meaning to try ever since. It might not have been the best looking parsnip, but it turned into the best looking cake!

9. Janet at The Taste Tea, came back to is with this gorgeous creation, a Roasted Vegetable and Kale Chip Pizza with a White Bean and Quinoa Crust. Janet must be the healthiest blogger I know!

10. The More than Occasional Baker got fruity with this Tropical Cake  having found a very cool banana bread tin on her travels in America! Thanks Ros, so glad you had a great time. Her cake was packed with fruit and looks very moist too, I will be trying the recipe soon (but not in such a top tin!)

11. Resh, from A Daily Cuppa, again came back with this Asparagus and Shitaki Mushroom Stir Fry. As asparagus is in season here now in the UK, I’m going to bookmark this to try it soon!

12. Shaheen from Allotment 2 Kitchen also came back with a stunning entry – this time a Carrot Ice Cream flavoured with milk, maple syrup or honey and cinnamon…mmmn

13. Anuja from Simple Baking used some lovely strawberries to create her lovely Strawberry Tart with fresh pastry cream. Thank you for joining in Anuja!

 14. Mel from Sharky Oven Gloves came back for World Whisky Day with a great recipe for Poached Stone Fruit with Cinnamon Honey Syrup. I love the fact that Mel bought a food magazine as soon as she got to New Zealand to find out what was in season in her new part of the world! Can’t wait to see what else Mel comes up with on her travels and I am honored that she still found the time to join in with Simple and in Season from across the globe!

15. Meanwhile, Dancing Veggies sent across her BBQ Tofu with Dill Potatoes. Again, new potatoes are coming into season here, too and I love fresh dill so this is lovely.

 

16. After a trip to Vancouver, Janet joined in again, this time with a Millet Bowl with Rosemary Mushroom Gravy and Kale. I love how earthy and rich the mushrooms looked in this sauce and Janet also posted a lovely proud picture of kale growing in her garden!

 

17. Finally, I made some Home Made Lemon Curd with Amalfi Lemons, which, whilst not local to me, are harvested and imported directly from the Amalfi coast under fairly strict conditions. They do actually have a very strong flavour and aroma and did make the perfect lemon curd, but any unwaxed local lemons would work well, too!

And the winner is…Janet from The Taste Space! Janet has sent some really wonderful recipes across since the very beginning of Simple and in Season, but I was really taken by the lightness and simplicity of her wheat-free pizza, topped with seasonal veg.

 

 Thank you to everyone for entering another delightful round! Have a very Happy Easter!