Strawberries..10 healthy ways 10 ways, besides putting them on your cereal, to pack your diet with healthful fresh strawberries. St. Pete Times 1. Freeze and use to make smoothies or float in Champagne or lemonade. Freeze berries in a single layer on a baking sheet. When they are solid, put them in a freezer bag or airtight container. 2. Splash with Gran Marnier (or orange juice), let sit for an hour, then serve, juice and all, over shortcake, pound cake or angel food cake. Top with whipped cream. (Pick your level of decadence: homemade, fat-free from a can or the many variations of Cool Whip.) Or make an old-fashioned trifle by layering pound cake chunks soaked with sherry with sliced strawberries and whipped cream. 3. Drops of balsamic vinegar on sweet berries will make your taste buds dance with that sweet-and-sour thing. 4. Make a parfait by layering sliced strawberries, granola (or nuts) and vanilla ice cream (or pudding or yogurt) in a tall glass. Make even taller with whipped cream. 6. Put together an easy version of strawberry ice cream by letting vanilla ice cream soften and then mixing strawberry pieces into it. Return to the freezer to harden. 5. Strawberry vinaigrette is delicious over baby spinach leaves and sliced, toasted almonds. To make the dressing, combine 1 cup strawberry slices, 3 tablespoons vegetable oil, 2 tablespoons lime juice, 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar and 1 teaspoon sugar in a blender until smooth. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve to eliminate seeds. Chill. 7. Drape warm strawberry sauce over pancakes, waffles or ice cream. To make the sauce, heat ½ cup sugar, ¼ cup water and 1 tablespoon lemon juice in medium skillet until sugar is dissolved and mixture comes just to a boil. Add 3 tablespoons butter; stir until melted. Mix in 1 pint halved strawberries; just heat through. Serve warm. 8. An old-school milkshake is a great after-school snack. Blend 1 pint cleaned strawberries, ¼ cup sugar, 1½ cups cold milk and ½ pint vanilla ice cream until smooth. Get a straw and slurp. 9. As a sophisticated appetizer, serve cleaned, hulled strawberries with a soft cheese such as lush St. Andre and water crackers. 10. Put together quick Napoleons by first cutting frozen puff pastry sheets into eight equal rectangles. Bake according to package directions. Layer one baked rectangle with instant vanilla pudding, sliced strawberries and whipped cream, top with another rectangle and sprinkle with powdered sugar. Makes four. Sources: California Strawberry Commission
'The Lord is good to those who depend on him, to those who search for him.' ~ Lamentations 3:25 *Be Blessed, Sugar _______________________________________________ Cookinginthedark mailing list [email protected] http://acbradio.org/mailman/listinfo/cookinginthedark
