Elements » strawberries

Strawberry Bulgar Salad

Sheila — Tue, 05 Jul 2011 21:55:08 +0000

Tabbouleh and other salads made with bulgar wheat are perfect during the summer for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. It’s a meal that’s light, flavorful, and satisfying.

Last week while craving a bulgar salad, I found myself with no tomatoes, cucumbers, or peppers in my fridge. Luckily I had fresh mint and parsley. So I tried something different. Since I love the sweetness of tomatoes in my salad but didn’t have any, I thought maybe strawberries would be a good substitute. Turns out I was right. It was fabulous!

I also added some ajvar and pomegranate molasses.

This salad was the perfect way to begin my morning. It gave me a lot of energy, and the fresh parsley and mint revitalized me.

Is there a food or a meal (other than coffee) that seems to revitalize you in the morning?

Strawberry Bulgar Salad

Adapted from: “The Complete Book of Turkish Cooking by Ghillie Basan”, (page 77 Bulgar Salad); published by Hermes House, an imprint of Anness Publishing Ltd.

Spinach Fruit Salad with Hummus, Chicken, and Cheese

Sheila — Wed, 22 Sep 2010 18:19:00 +0000

This salad came about as a result of me needing use to use up some leftovers in the fridge. I had some leftover baked chicken breast, as well as some fresh spinach, fruit, feta cheese, and olives that also needed to be used.

Hummus makes a wonderful and nutritious salad dressing that’s low in fat and high in protein. You can make it yourself or buy it already prepared…whichever you prefer. If you’ve never tried it on your salads instead of dressing, give it a try at least once. It’s totally awesome!!

Don’t worry about measuring anything when you’re making this salad. There’s no need to. Just quickly throw it together and enjoy eating it. I know I did!!!

Spinach Fruit Salad with Hummus, Chicken, and Cheese

Ingredients:

fresh baby spinach leaves
red grapes
strawberries
sunflower seeds
jalepeno hummus (or you can substitute it with any other kind of hummus)
baked chicken
feta cheese
olives

Instructions:

Wash the spinach and fruit.
Place spinach leaves on a plate.
Add fruit and then sprinkle with sunflower seeds.
Then add some leftover roasted (or fried) chicken.
Top with hummus (homemade or store-bought) and a few olives.
Enjoy every yummy bite!!!

Strawberry and Raspberry Pavlova…Made Two Ways…As a Roulade Cake or a Parfait

Sheila — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 17:06:41 +0000

I want to start off by telling you that I’ve made pavlova three times in the past month. Kemal and I both adore it!!! You can make it with whatever kind of berries you want…strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, blueberries…or a mixture of two or more. Kemal and I love it with any kind of berry or berry mixture, but raspberry pavlova is our personal favorite.

Anyway, before I tell you how to make it, I want to tell you a little story about my adventures in making pavlova this summer.

The first time I made it, I made two mistakes. First, I used the wrong sized pan. This was a critical mistake because it made my roulade cake too thick so it didn’t bake properly. The second mistake I made the first time I made this was I set my oven at the wrong temperature. It was set way too low because I was using Celsius instead of Fahrenheit. Oops!

I ended up being able to salvage the cake by cooking it longer and turning the oven temperature up. It tasted great, but I wasn’t able to roll the cake nor did it look very pretty. No matter…we all enjoyed it nonetheless.

The second time I made pavlova, I baked it too long so it broke apart as I was rolling it. Oopsie! But again, I salvaged it by crumbling the meringue cake and putting the pieces in the bottom of a parfait glass. Then I layered the parfait with raspberries, whipped cream, strawberry puree, and a strawberry on top. It all worked out fine and tasted great!!! (See the very last picture of this post.)

But the thing is, I wanted to make a roulade cake, and I still hadn’t succeeded. I figured the third time’s the charm, and I was determined to succeed. And I did!! YAY!!! Here’s a picture so you can see my pavlova roulade cake.

Anyway, after making pavlova three times this summer, I can tell you that I still haven’t had enough. It’s become my favorite dessert of all time!!! It’s absolutely divine!!! Try making a pavlova roulade cake or pavlova parfait and see for yourself.

Strawberry and Raspberry Pavlova…Made Two Ways…As a Roulade Cake or a Parfait

Adapted from: Antony Worrall Thompson and Achtung Baby!

Equipment needed: blender, electric mixer, large stainless steel bowl, and a 11 x 17 inch jelly roll pan

Here’s some pictures of Kemal rolling the roulade, and you’ll start rolling on the widest side of the cake, using the paper to help you. Here’s a picture of Kemal demonstrating this step.

Now that your roulade cake is partially rolled, let the parchment paper rest on the counter while you press down the top edge of the roulade cake like this:

Now you need to roll the roulade cake a little more, so grab the parchment paper and roll some more:

Then take the part of the parchment paper that’s covering the cake and pull it back on the counter. At this point, Kemal removed the tape that was connecting both pieces of parchment paper on the counter, and then he started rolling the cake some more

until it’s completely rolled.

When you’re done rolling, take the part of the parchment paper that’s covering the cake and pull it back. And now you’re done rolling! You can see our roulade cake had a few holes, but we put that side on the bottom so they didn’t show.

The next step is to transfer the roulade cake from the parchment paper on your counter to your serving dish. To do this, you need to hold the parchment paper on both sides, lift it up, and then slide the cake right off the paper onto the serving dish. Sorry I didn’t get a picture of Kemal doing this step, but Chef Antony Worrall Thompson demonstrates it in his video toward the end at the 7:45 mark.

Once the cake is on the serving dish, sprinkle it generously with powdered sugar. Here’s how mine looked:

Then decorate the top with some fresh fruit.

Then chill it. When you get ready to serve it, slice it, placing an individual slice on a serving plate. Then take a spoon and place some of the berry puree sauce onto the plate around the pavlova.

Or, you can drizzle some on top if you prefer.

How to make a pavlova parfait instead of a roulade cake:

Follow all the steps for baking the roulade cake except instead of baking it for 15 minutes, bake it for 25 minutes. This will make the meringue crunchier on the outside, and this is actually how I prefer my meringue…crunchy on the outside yet soft on the inside. But baking it this long makes it impossible to roll. That’s okay though because if you want to make a parfait instead of a roloude cake, you don’t need to roll it.
After the meringue is done baking, let it cool.
Then remove the crunchy meringue from the parchment paper. It’s going to crumble off and be in a lot of small pieces. That’s okay…that’s what you want.
Then press some of the meringue pieces of the cake in the bottom of a parfait glass.
Next, spread some jam on top of the crumbled meringue cake.
Now add whipped cream on top of that.
Then place some berries on top of the cream.
Use a spoon to drizzle some berry puree on top of the cream.
If you like, add a sliced berry on top.
Chill and enjoy!

Here’s a picture of my mixed raspberry/strawberry parfait. The raspberries are on the bottom, and it’s drizzled with a strawberry puree:

Doesn’t that look scrumptious!! It’s also easier to make than a roulade cake.

Whichever way you make your pavlova, enjoy every bite!

Hummingbird Cake with Fruit and Cream

Sheila — Thu, 27 May 2010 00:26:06 +0000

The best part about getting back from vacation, besides sleeping in our own bed, is not having to eat in restaurants. We enjoy our own cookin’ more than restaurant food, and it was wonderful to have a home cooked meal after two weeks of eating in hotels and restaurants.

The first meal we had when we got back was Kemal’s famous spinach soup, which he thoroughly enjoyed making. Then I made a quick and easy dessert. We were having a friend over for dinner and I was very tired after unpacking, doing loads of laundry, going through mail, etc., that I didn’t want to make anything time-consuming for dessert.

This hummingbird cake fit the bill and went well with the fresh fruit I purchased.

It’s a very dense cake which is what I wanted, so if you prefer your cakes to be light and fluffy then this cake won’t fulfill your expectations. I prefer heavier, more dense cakes so it was perfect for me. It’s also not very sweet. The fruity, nutty flavor and texture of the cake compliments the fruit and cream. It’s a satisfying dessert that isn’t loaded with too much sugar. You can indulge without feeling guilty.

Hummingbird Cake with Fruit and Cream (Adapted from: Edna Lewis and Scott Peacock from “The Gift of Southern Cooking.”

Limoncello Milkshake with Fresh Fruit and Limoncello Semifreddo

Sheila — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 20:17:49 +0000

I’ve never made ice cream before, but that didn’t stop me from trying last week. I found a recipe for how to make ice cream without an ice cream maker, and while it got icy and thickened, it never got to the consistency of a hard ice cream. I’m not sure if I didn’t whisk it enough or what. The consistency is more like a milkshake.

Anyway, despite my failure to make a hard ice cream, I’m happy because this creamy shake tastes absolutely divine and has a strong kick because of the high alcohol content. I added some fruit and that just put it over-the-top!

I later added crushed ladyfingers to the cream and Limoncello and made a semifreddo, which was awesome! Those crushed cookies are fantastic soaked in the cream and vodka! Talk about total yumminess!!! Here’s a picture of my eggless semifreddo:

Limoncello Milkshake with Fresh Fruit (Adapted from: www.nigella.com)

I used homemade Limoncello. See how it make it here. (Of course you can buy it at the liquor store if you don’t feel like making it yourself)

Chocolate Dipped Strawberries

Sheila — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 18:49:34 +0000

Is there anything better than chocolate covered strawberries? I think they’re just heavenly, and I got a big surprise at work the other day when I received some homemade chocolate dipped strawberries as a Valentine gift from Gaby, who’s a really sweet and lovely young woman I work with.

She attached a note to the package with a pretty red ribbon, and the note said, “Sheila, Hope you and Kemal enjoy these. It’s my first time making them. I heard they were your fave. Happy Early Valentine’s Day, Gaby.”

She did a wonderful job on dipping the strawberries. They turned out beautifully, and the taste was just exquisite!! Here’s a close-up of one of berries she dipped:

Awwwwww…isn’t she so sweet!!!! I’m not sure who told her they were my favorite…if it was Kemal or Tina (another sweetie I work with who made some for me for my birthday several years ago), but it made me feel great that she made some for me! Aren’t they gorgeous!! She really did a great job! Look at these beauties she made!

It reminds me that it’s been awhile since I made some for myself. Hmmmm…I will have to remedy that!

If you’ve never made chocolate dipped strawberries before they’re really easy to make. Wanna try it? Ready to get started?

Try this recipe: www.bettycrocker.com)

Here’s another photo of some of Gaby’s chocolate dipped strawberries that she made. Do you believe I ate this whole plate? Yep…I sure did. Kemal ate five of them too. They were so incredibly delicious! And I was dreamin’ of strawberry fields all night long!

Spinach Fruit Salad

Sheila — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 14:48:42 +0000

Spinach is one of our favorite foods, and there are so many ways to enjoy it. On a hot summer day, a spinach salad topped with berries, apples, and some almonds slivers is refreshing and light. Other fruit, such as oranges, peaches, mangoes, and blueberries can be substituted or added.

Use your favorite salad dressing. I think it goes well with balsamic or raspberry vinaigrette, oil and vinegar, or a poppy seed dressing. If you like to mix sweet and spicy, try it with a jalepeno ranch dressing.

Enjoy your salad as a meal or as an accompaniment to one.

Spinach Fruit Salad

Ingredients:

spinach
sliced fruit of your choice (strawberries and apples are pictured, but you can try other combos such as strawberries and kiwis, blueberries and oranges, mangoes and blackberries…whatever you like)
slivered almonds (or use pine nuts, pumpkin seeds, or pecans if you prefer)
Optional: red onion slices

Instructions:

Wash fruits and vegetables; draining off the water when finished.
Place spinach on bowl or plate and then top it with fruit and nuts.
When ready to serve, drizzle dressing of your choice.

Dressing ideas:

Use a pre-made dressing or experiment with making your own.

To make poppy seed dressing, use 6 oz. of yogurt (that’s the size of the small containers you buy in the store), and then add 2 tbsp. of fruit juice, such as orange or pineapple. Add a tbsp. of poppy seeds and a little honey. After you mix it, taste it, adding more juice or honey if you want it sweeter.

To make jalepeno ranch dressing, use 6 oz. of yogurt, and mixed in diced jalepenos with a dry ranch mix that you buy in the store.

This salad is not only extremely healthy, but it’s also quite delicious!