Strawberry Vinaigrette Salad Dressing

Its strawberry season here in Michigan.  So that means we are eating strawberries quite a bit.  I'm always looking for new ways to use them.  With all the lettuce and spinach we're getting from the garden, we're also eating a lot of salads.  It dawned on me over the weekend that I should try making a strawberry vinaigrette dressing to eat on our salads.  So I just through a few things together in the blender tonight as I was processing an entire flat of strawberries... yes I got through them all last night... several trays of fruit leather, some frozen topping, some frozen puree, some frozen whole berries, and this dressing.  Not bad for about an hour and a half's work.  ;) 

So anyway, I didn't even look up a recipe.  I just pureed up some berries, added some vinegar, oil, and sea salt.  Then I tasted it.  It tasted great!  So here's what I did.

Strawberry Vinaigrette Salad Dressing

1 cup strawberries, hulled and chopped
3 Tablespoons vinegar - I used white wine vinegar
1/2 cup cold-pressed extra virgin olive oil
sea salt, to taste

Place all ingredients in a blender and puree.  Transfer to a mason jar or dressing bottle and serve or refrigerate.  Enjoy!


This post is linked to:
Monday Mania at The Healthy Home Economist
Weekend Gourmet Blog Carnival at Hartke is Online
Fight Back Friday at Food Renegade
Pennywise Platter Thursday at The Nourishing Gourmet

Rhubarb Banana Rosemary Muffins

I tried a new muffin recipe from Simply Fresh over the weekend. I had ordered some organic rhubarb from my online CSA and wanted to try some new things with it. So I thought these sounded great. And they were so good! They're pretty dense, but they are very good and filling.. a wonderful breakfast muffin! I made 12 rhubarb banana rosemary regular muffins, 24 strawberry rhubarb banana rosemary mini muffins, and 6 strawberry rhubarb banana rosemary regular muffins with this recipe.

Rhubarb Banana Rosemary Muffin

7 - 8 stalks of Rhubarb
1 cup sugar
2 TBSP maple syrup
2 ripe bananas peeled and mashed
1 egg
1 TBSP baking powder
1 TSP baking soda
1/4 TSP salt
1 TBSP dried rosemary
3 cups whole grain flour
1 cup water

Wash and cut rhubarb into 1/2 inch pieces. Add to a small pot with sugar and 1/2 cup water. Boil until rhubarb has broken down into almost a jam like texture. Let cool.

In a large mixing bowl add the cooled rhubarb mixture to all other ingredients. Add the cup of water slowly until you reach your desired muffin batter consistency. Depending on the moisture level of the rhubarb mixture you may need to add more or less water at this stage.

Bake in a lined or oiled muffin tin at 350 for 25 minutes or until a fork inserted into the centre of the muffin comes out clean.

Strawberry Bread

I made a batch of strawberry bread this morning. The recipe comes from Heavenly Homemakers and my SIL also made a variation of this bread recipe with peaches. This was simple and fairly fast to mix together. I made 3 mini loaves and two small loaves from this. We'll keep one out for breakfasts and snacks this week and I'll freeze the rest. I love having sweet bread in the freezer. It makes for a fast and easy breakfast and its great to have on hand if you head over to a party or something and have no time to make something. We couldn't resist and had to try the bread after just cooling a bit. It is so moist and delicious! Yum!

Strawberry Bread

2 cups fresh (or frozen) strawberries
3 cups whole wheat flour
1 1/2 cups rapadura or sucanat or cane sugar
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup melted butter
3 eggs

First, you can do one of two things with your strawberries. If they're fresh, you can slice them and stir them into your dry ingredients. Or, if you don't think your family will like chunks of strawberries in their bread. Blend them all up in the blender, then mix in. If you're using frozen strawberries, thaw, then blend in blender. Mix dry ingredients together. Stir in butter, eggs and strawberries. Pour into two buttered loaf pans. Bake in a 350° oven for 45-50 minutes.

Raw Strawberry Pie

I've been wanting to expand on our raw food experiments for a few weeks, but I just haven't had the time, energy, or reason to really get into making some new things. I figured our family party for Mother's Day provided me the perfect opportunity to try out a raw dessert. So I decided to make a raw strawberry pie from Gone Raw. My friend, Lina, made this a few weeks ago and brought some into work, so I knew it was good. It ended up being so easy to make, too! Yes, there is some pre-planning (soaking the cashews) and down time (letting the crust and pie set up in the freezer), but aside from that, this was super quick and easy to make! It went over very well at my family party, too! This is definitely a keeper recipe! I can't wait to try out some other raw desserts!

Picture to come later... I'll warn you its not the best picture b/c I took it when it was still frozen, but you will at least be able to get the idea.

Raw Strawberry Pie

Crust:
2 cups almonds or pecans (I used 1 cup of each)
1/2-1 tablespoon coconut oil
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract or half of a vanilla bean
4-5 medjool dates, pitted
pinch of sea salt

Filling:
2 cups cashews soaked 1-2 hours
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4-1/2 cup agave or honey (depending on how sweet you want it)
3/4 cup fresh strawberries
3/4 cup coconut oil, melted
1/4 cup water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract or 1 vanilla bean
1/4 teaspoon sea salt

Topping:
1-2 cups sliced strawberries

To make the crust, place almonds or pecans in food processor and process with the S blade until crumbled. Add coconut oil, sea salt and vanilla and pulse a couple of times. Add the dates last, one at a time and pulse until the crust holds together when you squeeze it between your fingertips. If the crust does not hold, add more dates (again one at a time). Press into oiled (with coconut oil) tart or pie pan. Chill in Freezer for 30 minutes before adding filling.

To make the filling, blend all ingredients well in a Vitamix blender if you have one (I used my food processor). Pour part of the filling into the pie crust, just enough to cover the bottom. Take some of the strawberries you cut up for the topping and scatter them on top of the filling. Pour the rest of the filling on top and place in freezer for 1-2 hours until firm. Decorate with the rest of your cut up strawberries.

This pie needs to stay refrigerated to keep its firmness so make sure you keep in cold up until serving. I put mine in the freezer overnight and the just kept it in the fridge (or in the cooler when we were on the road) in the morning.

Strawberry Cake

Carson and I made a strawberry cake for Nana's birthday tomorrow. I got this recipe/method from my coworker, Brenda. It uses a boxed cake mix, but it is so good. You could definitely make a homemade cake and use the same method, too, though. I just decided to use the mix for ease and convenience today. I forgot how easy a boxed cake mix is to make - wow! If I wasn't so turned off by the ingredients, I'd totally still buy them all the time. Anyway, I hope this cake goes over well tomorrow. I'm sure it will, though, because it is absolutely delicious!

I'll try to remember to take some pictures when we cut into it tomorrow and will update.

Strawberry Cake

Strawberry cake mix, made and baked according to ingredients and directions on box
Frozen strawberries, thawed (organic)
4-serving instant vanilla pudding (Trader Joes brand)
3 cups milk (organic)
1 8oz tub Cool Whip (I used Whole Foods Mkt brand)

Bake the cake as directed on the box. Let cool slightly. Using the end of a round tool (end of a spoon), poke holes evenly throughout top of cake.

Thaw strawberries and lightly puree in a blender or food processor. Pour strawberries into holes.
Mix together milk and pudding. Let thicken in the fridge for a few minutes. Then fold in whipped topping. Spread over cooled cake. Keep cake in refrigerator until ready to serve.

Strawberry Rhubarb Preserves

I decided to make some strawberry rhubarb preserves after my visit to the Grand Blanc Farmers Market this morning (we were in GB, so just went there). I had marked this recipe last year in my Preserving Summer's Bounty book, but was reminded of it when I saw it on A Good Appetite a few weeks ago. So I was very happy to pick up some organic rhubarb and organically grown (but not certified) strawberries at the market this morning. I bought six quarts of berries and I'm already wishing I'd bought more as they've almost all been used up! I sliced up two quarts and threw them in the dehydrator. I sliced up another quart and have it flash-freezing on a cookie sheet right now. Two quarts were used in this recipe and we've just been munching on the remaining quart. I also picked up two pints of snow peas that have been blanched and frozen, and a large bag of spinach that I plan to dehydrate tomorrow once the strawberries are done. I must say it's been a very productive nap-time (Carson's nap-time, not mine :)). I don't remember when I've felt like I'd accomplished so much in such a short amount of time... I've even gone through a couple loads of laundry - washed, dried, folded/hung, and put away. Not bad!

Strawberry Rhubarb Preserves

1 1/3 c honey (local, pretty much organic, pure)
4 c strawberries, washed, stemmed & thickly sliced (organically grown, but not certified)
4 c rhubarb, washed and sliced (organic)
3 T lemon juice

Place the strawberries in a medium enamel or stainless steel saucepan. Drizzle 1/3 cup of the honey over them & let sit at room temperature for 3 - 4 hours.

Add the rhubarb, remaining 1 cup of honey & lemon juice to the saucepan. Slowly bring to a boil stirring from time to time. Cook at a rapid boil for 15 - 20 minutes or until berries are clear & the sauce has thickened. Stir frequently to prevent sticking. Remove from heat & skim off the foam.

Ladle into four hot sterilized half-pint jars leaving about 1/4-inch headroom. Clean off the tops of the jars & cover with a lid. Close with a neckband & finger-tighten. Process in boiling water for 10 minutes. Turn off heat & let sit for 5 minutes. Remove jars from the water to a heat-proof surface & let cool for 12 - 24 hours (do not dry jars). Check to make sure the top of the jar has been drawn downwards, creating a seal. If it hasn't either reprocess that jar or store it in the fridge to be eaten within 3 weeks. Remove the neckbands & store jam in a cool dark place.

Makes 4 half-pints (I just about doubled the recipe and ended up with 7 1/2 half-pints.)

Strawberry Syrup

This morning I made and canned a batch of strawberry syrup using a recipe that I found on one of the canning boards I visit. I had been looking for a strawberry syrup recipe for some time before finding this one - notice it contains no corn syrup? All of the strawberry syrup recipes I kept finding contained corn syrup and I've recently found out that light corn syrup now contains high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) (I guess it didn't used to have HFCS in it), which I did not want to use in my preservation efforts since that is something I'm really trying to limit and get away from. I tasted this syrup as I was filling the jars and it is yummy! Can't wait to have it on pancakes or waffles or some homemade vanilla ice cream! It was very easy to make and went very quickly once I got all the berries hulled and chopped.

Strawberry Syrup

Juice:
3 quarts strawberries
1 cup water

Syrup:
4 cups strawberry juice
4 cups sugar
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

Juice: Mash berries and crush them one layer at a time. In 8 quart pan, mix berries with water and put on med-high heat. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and cover and simmer gently for 10 minutes. Remove pan from heat and take cover off and skim foam. Let it cool for 15 minutes.

Sieve over a bowl or pan to strain out the pulp. Discard the pulp and rinse the sieve. (I did not discard the pulp, but froze it in cubes to throw into fruit smoothies.) Measure 4 cups of juice.

To make syrup: In medium saucepan, mix juice, sugar and lemon juice. Over med-low heat, stir it constantly and heat till sugar is ALL dissolved. Increase heat to med-hi and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer syrup for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and skim off any foam.

Ladle hot syrup into hot jars, leave 1/4 inch space. Wipe jar rims and threads with damp clean cloth, apply lids and rings. Process half pints in boiling water bath (BWB) for 10 minutes, pints for 15 minutes.

Makes 6 half-pints or 3 pints

(I used about three and a three-quarters quarts berries and got five cups of juice and 7 half-pints of syrup.)

Double Berry Scones

I came across a recipe for double berry scones on the Eggs on Sunday blog and thought they looked and sounded so tasty. When I saw they had buttermilk in them, I figured I'd go ahead and try them out now to use up the rest of my buttermilk. I figured I can take one for my breakfast on a couple of mornings this week and I'll freeze a few, too. So I made up a batch of them tonight and snuck a taste of one a little bit ago. Yum! These are very, very good! Definitely something I'll make again!!

Double Berry Scones

1 cup all-purpose flour (organic)
1 cup white whole wheat flour (organic)
1/3 cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
7 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
zest of 1 lemon
1/2 cup dried blueberries (home-dried)
1/2 cup dried strawberries, chopped (organic, home-dried)
3/4 cup well-shaken buttermilk (organic)
1 egg yolk (local, organic, free-range)

To brush the scones with: 1 egg white and some granulated sugar to sprinkle on top

Preheat the oven to 425 F.

Combine the flours, baking powder, sugar, baking soda, salt and zest in a large bowl. Whisk or toss with your fingers to combine. Drop in the chunks of butter, toss them briefly to coat them with flour, then use your fingers to rub the butter into the flour until you have pieces resembling coarse meal, oatmeal flakes, and peas.

Whisk together the buttermilk and egg yolk, and all at once, add to the flour and butter mixture. Stir gently and quickly with a fork until it comes together into a loose dough. Add the dried fruit. Use your hands to gather the pieces of dough into a ball and knead it a few times against the edge of the bowl, just to gather any loose pieces - the dough will be fairly moist, so you can sprinkle a little more flour on your hands if it helps.

Pat the dough out on a floured surface into a round disk, about 1 inch high. Use a sharp knife to cut the disk into 8 wedges, and place the wedges on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Brush the tops of the scones with the egg white and sprinkle with granulated sugar.

Bake for about 15-18 minutes, until the tops are golden brown.

Makes 8 scones.

Strawberry Pretzel Delight

We're taking a trip out to Grand Rapids tomorrow afternoon to visit Kevin's grandparents, then we'll head over to my SIL/BIL's house for dinner and playtime with the little ones. So tonight, I made up a jello salad/dessert dish to take to Mary's and Justin's tomorrow. This is a recipe that my cousin Becky N. makes quite often. Its so good! This was the first time I've made it, so I hope it tastes as good as Becky's always does tomorrow! I used organic whole grain spelt pretzels and organic cream cheese. The rest of the ingredients are conventional - who would have thought it'd be so hard to find organic frozen strawberries, whipped cream, and strawberry gelatin?? I looked in three different stores (2 of which were health food stores) and never came across any of them.


Strawberry Pretzel Delight

CRUST:
2 cups crushed pretzels (not only were they organic whole grain spelt, but they had no salt on them either)
3 Tablespoons sugar
3/4 cup melted butter (I used about 3 Tablespoons and few squirts of butter spray)

CREAM CHEESE LAYER:
8 ounces cream cheese (I used the neuchatel 1/3 less fat cheese)
small container cool whip (I used fat free)
1 cup sugar

GELATIN LAYER:
6 ounces strawberry gelatin (I used sugar free)
2 cups boiling water
2 10-ounce containers frozen strawberries

Mix crust ingredients. Press into a 9x13 pan. Bake for 8 minutes at 350 degrees. Cool completely.

Beat together the ingredients for the cream cheese layer. Spread over cooled pretzel crust.

Dissolve gelatin into boiling water. Add strawberries. Let stand for 10 minutes. Then pour over cream cheese layer. Refrigerate overnight.

Top with cool whip and chopped nuts if desired. (I left this layer off)

Strawberry Jam

I went to the new farmer's market here in Mundy Township (the township in which we live) this morning. It was the first week, as the resolution was just adopted in the last month or so. I'm excited to have another market so close, this one is only about a mile and a half away from our house. It was quite small, only about six vendors I think, but I'm sure it will grow as time goes on and the word gets out. I picked up some local strawberries, believe it or not, from a farmer that lives down the road from us. They put in a new hydroponic system this year and are able to grow strawberries even now! I couldn't believe it. And they are quite tasty, very sweet, too. So I picked up 4 quarts to can a batch of strawberry jam this morning. I tasted it as I was filling the jars and it is quite good. I'm excited to have this on hand. I got 7 half-pints out of this.

Strawberry Jam with No Added Pectin
(Page 23 of the Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving)

8 cups crushed, hulled strawberries (this was about 4 quarts of berries for me)
6 cups granulated sugar

Prepare canner, jars, and lids.

In a large stainless steel saucepan, combine the berries and sugar. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring constantly to dissolve sugar. Boil, stirring frequently, until mixture thickens. Remove from heat and test gel. If gel stage has been reached, skim off foam. (You can test the gel stage with a spoon, but the easiest way is to just boil the berries to reach 220 degrees, which ensures a gel stage once it cools - and it worked, too)

Ladle hot jam into hot jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Remove air bubbles and adjust headspace. Wipe rim, center lid, screw band on to fingertip tight.

Place jars in canner, ensuring they are completely covered with water. Bring to a boil and process for 10 minutes. Remove lid. Wait 5 minutes, then remove jars, cool, and store.

Makes about 8 half-pints.