Strawberries, Sweet Strawberries

Strawberries started showing up at my local farmer's market in early March. I just can't get enough. Here are two of my favorite ways to enjoy them these days:

Strawberry Mango Sorbet

*I used my Blendtec 3HP blender. If using a regular blender, strawberries may need to be thawed longer before blending.

1 heaping cup frozen strawberries
1 large piece dried mango
1/2 cup non-dairy milk (I used unsweetened hemp milk) + up to 1/2 cup more

The night before preparing, soak the dried mango in 1/2 cup of the non-dairy milk, covered, in the fridge. The next day you will have "mango cream" and the dried mango will be rehydrated. Just before blending, thaw strawberries for a minute or two. Place mango and mango cream in your blender, add strawberries on top, and blend on high (or the ice cream cycle if your blender has one), adding additional non-dairy milk as needed to reach desired consistency. How much additional non-dairy milk will determine what kind you are using and how much has been soaked up by the mango.

Serves one nutritarian.

Strawberries on Baby Greens with Tahini and Lime
Don't ask me why, but I can't get enough of these flavor combinations! If you're feeling adventurous, try making your own tahini from Bestrixed (click here).

1 pint strawberries
3-5 ounces baby greens salad mix with arugala
1 Tbs tahini
wedge of lime

Toss strawberries with baby greens and drizzle with tahini and lime juice. Serves one nutritarian.

Of Eggplant and Oranges

Roasted Eggplant Tofu Sandwiches with Spinach and Mushrooms

This recipe is an adaption of both an eggplant casserole recipe I have and Eggplant Rolatini from Veganomicon. It is Eat to Live friendly and comes together easily, of course! A favorite when I'm craving Italian food.

1 large eggplant, stem and navel ends trimmed
3 cups no/low-sodium pasta sauce
1 pound low fat, firm or extra firm tofu
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 pound bag frozen, chopped, organic spinach, thawed and drained
1 pint mushrooms, washed and sliced, sauteed until tender in a small amount of water

Optional: pine nuts or faux parmesan (ground toasted sesame seeds+nutritional yeast)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Wash eggplant and slice it stem to navel into slices about 1/4" thick. Place the 6 middle slices (which should be the full length of the eggplant) on silicone baking mats on cookie sheets or jelly roll pans. Bake until tender, about 20 minutes. While the eggplant slices are baking, mash tofu with a potato masher then mash in lemon juice, garlic, nutritional yeast, and basil until it reaches the consistency of ricotta cheese. Set aside. In the bottom of a 9 X 13 glass casserole dish pour half of the pasta sauce. When the egglpant slices are done, remove three of them from the baking sheets and place side by side on top of the sauce in the casserole dish. Place 1/3 of tofu mixture on top of each slice and then layer on 1/3 of the spinach on top of that, followed by half of the mushroom slices. Cover each "sandwich" with the remaining eggplant slices. If you have any remaining eggplant slices that you baked, you can wrap up a spoonful of the tofu mixture and spinach and bake it in a small casserole along with the large casserole dish (see second photo below). Pour on remaining pasta sauce and top with the remaining mushrooms. Bake for about 20 minutes. Serve topped with toasted pine nuts or faux parmesan when done.


Orange & Goji Berry Salad with Broccoli Slaw and Sunflower Seeds

This has become my favorite winter salad. It's crunchy and tangy- a favorite combination for me.

1 navel orange, peeled and cut into chunks
1/2 cup broccoli slaw
1 Tbs Goji berries*
1/2 ounce (2 Tbs) raw, hulled sunflower seeds
1/2 ounce raw unhulled sesame seeds

Toss together and enjoy.

*For added flavor sensation, soak goji berries in orange juice the night before.

Citrus Salads

Citrus fruit is an everyday staple for me during the winter. Living in Florida, it's easy to get delicious, fresh citrus very inexpensively, or even for free if you have a citrus tree in your yard. With citrus season coming to an end, I thought I would post two of my favorite citrus salad combinations along with my quick method of "chunking" oranges and grapefruit.

Chunking Citrus

If you are like me and don't like to take the time to "section" your citrus, here is a safe, fool proof method for chunking oranges and grapefruit. I usually "chunk" about a dozen oranges or grapefruit at a time, using an assembly line method. It makes it easier to pack citrus with my lunch for work. (Nothing is grosser than trying to peel and eat an orange at one's desk. No more sticky keyboards!)

Cut the fruit in half, across the center, not navel to stem. Remove any seeds.

Cut each half in half to make 4 quarters.

Using a grapefruit knife, make a U-shaped cut to remove the white center.

Make one more cut to remove the rind and create two chunks.

Orange and Fig Spinach Salad with Walnuts

This salad is a nutritional powerhouse. Vitamin C, iron, potassium, and essential fatty acids are all featured in this tasty combination.

2 oranges

3-4 dried organic Turkish figs
3-4 ounces organic baby spinach
handful of walnut halves/pieces

Chunk oranges. Chop dried figs. Serve on a bed of spinach with walnut pieces. Dress with my balsamic flax dressing, (the saltiness of the dressing will bring out the sweetness of the fruit), or simply dress with a fig or blood orange vinegar if you're watching your fat intake. Serves 2.

Alessi and Cuisine Perel are two of my favorite brands of flavored vinegars.

Grapefruit Salad with Goji Berries and Toasted Coconut

The tartness of the grapefruit is complemented by the sweetness of the goji berries and toasted coconut. Goji berries, also known as wolfberries, are believed to have many health benefits in Traditional Chinese Medicine, which include boosting of the immune system, improved eyesight, and improved circulation.

1 grapefruit, cut into chunks

handful of dried goji berries

2 TBS dried, shredded, unsweetened coconut (I used Bob's Red Mill brand)

Rehydrate goji berries in water or grapefruit juice while chunking grapefruit. Sprinkle grapefruit chunks with rehydrated goji berries. Toast coconut in a toaster oven or oven in a pan at 350 degrees for 1-3 minutes until golden then sprinkle on fruit. Serves 2.

Banana Koffee Cooler

This is my staple, weekend, mid-afternoon snack in the warm weather months. So quick and easy to make and a great way to use up bananas that turn too ripe before you have a chance to eat them. Simply peel them and place them whole inside a ziploc freezer bag or container, in your freezer for later use in this recipe.

Banana Koffee Cooler

1 frozen banana
2 heaping spoonfuls of Pero - or your favorite instant grain beverage
non-dairy milk - I prefer Edensoy's Edenblend Rice Soy beverage

Slice banana into 1/4" thick coins and place in a blender jar or a tall cup if using an immersion blender. Add Pero. Add milk until bananas and Pero are just covered. Blend until smooth. Garnish with chopped dark chocolate.