Summer in My Mouth: Strawberry Pineapple Quick Bread

Quick Breads: More matter with less art.--Anonymous

Fun fact: Quick breads originated in the 1850's.

Summer in a bread.....sweet, moist, simply wonderful! This recipe is amazing--I found it on allrecipes.com, read all the lengthy reviews, and deemed it capable of handling healthy changes. The reviews proved that to be true. Here is the original recipe--it uses frozen strawberries and canned pineapple (that is not acceptable to me when it's cheaper to buy the fresh during this season). This quick bread is intensely flavorful!

My version is below--I wanted less sugar, less cinnamon taste (so the fruit flavors would be more discernible), some whole grain flour, and half the fat. The only thing I would do differently next time is to use even less sugar! It was a little too sweet to me--but still very good. This recipe makes TWO loaves--so keep in mind that if you don't freeze one, you will probably have to share with your coworkers, friends, and/or neighbors--and then you will probably have to share the recipe too (or so say the reviewers). (Each loaf has about 10 slices-give or take--more like take!)

I found it super easy and was surprised by how fast it came together. I might be making this again at the holidays--can't imagine it would compete with any fruitcake I've had. 

STRAWBERRY PINEAPPLE QUICK BREAD

Adapted from www.allrecipes.com

Makes 2 loaves

• 1 2/3 cups sugar (definitely decreasing this further next time by another 1/3 cup)
• 4 eggs, beaten
• 1/2 cup applesauce (heaping)
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
• 1.5 cups all-purpose flour
• 1.5 cups white whole wheat flour (good, but will use whole wheat pastry flour next time)
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1 cup chopped pineapple--packed and drained
• 1 cup sliced strawberries--packed
• 1 cup chopped walnuts (optional--but I liked the crunch)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees (F). Lightly grease two 5x9 inch loaf pans.

In a medium-large bowl, mix the eggs, applesauce, oil, vanilla extract, and sugar. Then mix in the strawberries and pineapple.

In a separate (smaller) bowl, sift together the flour(s), baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. (In all honestly, I'm not a big 'sifter' and therefore skipped this step. I don't think we suffered too much because of it. Or at all.) 

Mix the flour mixture into the bowl with the fruit until evenly moist. Fold in walnuts. Divide the batter between the prepared loaf pans.

Bake 1 hour in the preheated oven, until a toothpick inserted in the center of a loaf comes out clean. Cool on wire racks.

A dreamy treat with coffee or tea...

Strawberry Yogurt Whole Grain Muffins

Well, you knew it was coming, didn't you? Muffins + Strawberries + Yogurt + Whole Grain Flour= Awesome breakfast or snack. My friend, Nancy, first posted about this recipe a while back (here's the post). I've worked with it a bit & must say it's my second favorite muffin recipe. Here's my first. And the perfect recipe to have on hand when your strawberries are about to go bad--but not quite there, yet not worthy to be put out to be eaten either. The muffins are even better with freshly picked strawberries!

I first made these last year and then again a couple months ago when we went strawberry picking. But I'm getting ready to make them again and figured I'd share the recipe for anyone else that finds themselves with a bumper crop of strawberries--they are still cheap at the grocery store in June! Here are a few pictures from our picking in April:

I've included two of my trials below as notes after the recipe--you may want to read through them before trying out the recipe to see what might sound good in your own efforts. I don't know that I prefer one over the other. The original is wonderful, but I would encourage you to play around with the recipe if you wish too--it's a forgiving one. Thanks again for the inspiration, Nancy! These are really melt-in-your-mouth good!

STRAWBERRY YOGURT MUFFINS 
Adapted from Stonyfield Farm

  

"these muffins are a great brunch item. for extra sweetness, dust with cinnamon sugar while still hot."

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup sugar (I've only made them with raw sugar so far b/c I adore raw sugar)
• 1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup lowfat plain yogurt
• 1/4 cup butter, room temperature (used light butter before with success)
• 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup chopped strawberries, fresh or frozen (I've only used fresh)

Preheat oven to 375°F. Grease a 12 muffin tin or line it with paper baking cups. In a large bowl, sift together flour, sugar and baking soda. (I skipped the sifting and it was fine) In another bowl, stir together eggs, yogurt, melted butter and vanilla until blended. Toss the strawberries with the flour mixture.

Pour the egg mixture into the flour mixture and stir until the flour is just moistened. The batter will be lumpy. Spoon the batter into the muffin cups. (Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar, if desired) Bake for 20 – 25 minutes, or until the tops are golden brown.

Yields 12 muffins.

  

TRIAL I

1) I used regular strawberry yogurt and must say this made a big difference in the 'pop' of the strawberry flavor 2) Used 3 egg whites in place of 2 regular eggs 3) Substituted whole wheat pastry flour instead of whole wheat flour (I tend to prefer it for baking) 4) Added about 1/4 cup of wheat germ + ~2 Tbsp. of ground flax seeds 5) Used brown sugar instead of regular sugar 6) When my dough seemed too dry, I added a splash of skim milk. Came out spectacular and HEALTHY!

 
TRIAL II

1) Used Smart Balance buttery spread (stick form) instead of butter 2) Used 1/3 (raw) sugar in muffin batter and then mixed 1/4 cup of (raw) sugar with a couple teaspoons of ground cinnamon cinnamon and sprinkled this cinnamon-sugar mixture on top of the muffins before baking 3) Had to add ~1/2 cup of buttermilk b/c dough was dry 4) Used fat-free strawberry Greek yogurt. Still a smashing success!!!!

Strawberry Cheesecake Ice-Cream

Summer is almost here and if you've been (or planning to go) strawberry picking, you may be wondering what else you can do with strawberries besides making jam. Well if you like cheesecake, then you will find this ice-cream to your liking. This ice-cream is creamy, fresh-tasting, not too sweet, and makes the most of summer's very best fruit. It tastes just like strawberry cheesecake! I like to add a handful of coarsely crushed graham crackers and a handful of chopped strawberries 15 minutes before turning off the ice cream machine.

Best part? No eggs to mess with! And this dessert will taste better than your store bought ice-cream.

STRAWBERRY CHEESECAKE ICE CREAM

Serves 4-6

• 6 ounces reduced-fat cream cheese
• 1/2 cup sugar 
• 1 Tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup fresh pureed strawberries (if using sugar or syrup packed frozen berries, omit the sugar in the recipe)
• 1 cup half-and-half

Add ins:

• ~1/2 cup chopped strawberries
• 1 handful of coarsely broken graham cracker crumbs (optional—but defintely good for cheesecake crust factor)

Either in food processor or blender, blend all ingredients until smooth. Chill mixture for about 1 hour, or until cold.

Turn on ice cream machine and set it to chill the freezing/mixing bowl for 5 minutes.

Spoon the cooled mixture into the freezing/mixing bowl of machine. Set the freezing timer to the 30 minute maximum setting. Push start button. If adding the chopped strawberries and graham crackers (I highly recommend!), drop them into the ice cream maker about 15-20 minutes into the freezing and let the machine incorporate the ingredients.

When timer rings, spoon ice cream into dishes and enjoy. (Sometimes, you may need to stick the ice-cream in the freezer for 10-15 minutes if the texture is not hard enough once the machine has finished its cycle--depends on the machine and how hard you like your ice-cream.)

YUM!!

**Can also make this ice-cream with cherries OR you can fill a pie shell with the ice-cream and make an ice-cream pie.

Simple Strawberry-Mint Sorbet

Ice-cream, eat your heart out and make room for something lighter: strawberry mint sorbet!!

Thanks to Brooke at http://www.bakingwithbasil.com/ for the inspiration on making sorbet. It's as if she was reading my mind...I have clipped about 5 sorbet recipes and when I saw her post on mango sorbet, I had to jump on the bandwagon. So, I threw away all my other versions with sugar and decided to try the sorbet with agave nectar--brillliant idea!

This dessert will make use of the strawberries that are almost in season. It's fat free, smooth, icy, and wonderfully delicious! The mint also adds a superb cooling element (VERY essential to us since our air conditioning went out and we are having 80+ degree weather in March--I know, can't really complain...yet...). I'll have to try Brooke's mango-lime version sometime--right after pineapple-mint. And maybe even try it in the ice-cream maker to compare texture.

Either way, try this sorbet--it's so EASY! You won't even feel guilty giving it to your kids...I think.

STRAWBERRY-MINT SORBET

• 4 cups strawberries, rinsed, hulled, and chopped (or 32 oz. frozen strawberries)
• 1/4-1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon or lime juice (I used 1/3 cup lemon juice)
• 1/2 cup agave nectar
• 1 small handful of fresh mint, rinsed (about 1/4 cup)

If using frozen strawberries, let them thaw for a few minutes. If using fresh strawberries, freeze them for a couple hours.

In a blender, add the agave nectar, citrus juice, strawberries, and mint; puree until smooth. You can add more lemon/lime juice or water if you need to thin it down enough for the food processor to do its job.

Place the strawberry-mint puree in a shallow pan or bowl (I used an 11 X 8 inch glass pan).

Freeze for about 45-60 minutes and try to stir the strawberry mint puree every 15 minutes or until you are ready to serve it.

Makes about 5-6 portions (possibly 4, if you're restrained).

Sweets for my Sweeties

Valentine's Day sort of caught me by surprise. But, I had some cupcake liners that were waiting to be tried out...

So, what did I make with them? These:

Here's the recipe if anyone wants to try them--thanks http://www.ezrapoundcake.com/!!

http://www.ezrapoundcake.com/archives/2403

Reverse Strawberry Shortcake

Or.... creamy pudding mousse with macerated berries. To macerate berries means to let them sit [in a little liquid] and develop a bright and delicious softened flavor. You'd be hard-pressed to find many easier desserts.

The summer heat continues....and who wants to bake in this weather if you don't have to? In my quest to find a quick, but delicious, dessert to bring to dinner with the neighbors, I was inspired by a lemon-raspberry version of this in a Rachel Ray book I had perused some days before. The dessert turned out really good--a perfect ending to grilled shish kebabs with the neighbors.

I know the words "dessert" and "healthy" don't usually go hand in hand--and when they do, the result is usually unimpressive. But, at least this one is fat-free!



REVERSE STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE

Base:
1 (5.1 oz) pkg. instant vanilla pudding
3 cups skim milk
1 carton fat-free whipped topping (like Cool Whip), thawed

Topping:
1 lb. strawberries (or a little more is even better!), sliced
2-3 Tbsp. honey
1 tsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice (or orange liquer like Cointreau/Grand Marnier)

In addition:
*Shortbread-type cookies, preferably thin and with crunch
Mint, for garnish (optional)
In a medium bowl, make the pudding according to the package directions by whisking together the pudding mix with the milk until it thickens (about 2-3 minutes). Fold in the whipped topping and pour into prepared dishes--you can get 6 big servings, or 8 smaller servings out of this recipe. I think martini glasses (as pictured) make for a nice presentation; however, clear plastic cups work out just as great for casual entertaining as they make transport easier, require less clean-up, and there's no fear of breakage.

Chill the puddings for several hours (or overnight).

Gently mix together the strawberries, honey, and lemon juice. Let the berries macerate for at least two hours before assembly.


Right before serving, divide the berries evenly over the pudding cups. Add a couple cookies to each cup or on the side, and garnish with mint (optional).

Makes 6-8 servings.

*Cookies shown are Pepperidge Farm brand "Bordeaux."

Baked Oatmeal (Vegan & Non-Vegan)

I've always had a pretty negative attitude towards vegan eating...(it's just weird, right?), but then I tasted some really good vegan recipes & started thinking differently about vegan food (haven't really thought much about the reasons to eat vegan, but I plan to since I just purchased "Skinny Bitch in the Kitch").

Baked Oatmeal can be turned into a vegan recipe (as I've done below). You can make it with milk or soymilk. Also, my good friend, Betsy, taught me that a good egg replacer is 1 Tbsp. of flax meal mixed with 3 Tbsp. of water--let sit for a few minutes. It was awesome in this recipe!

This is a really good breakfast--healthy, relatively quick, and can be prepared the night before.

There are many variations to be tried with this recipe. You can try apple-pear, banana-walnut, cranberry-orange zest-ginger, any mixed berry, or strawberry-banana-nut as I've tried below.

BAKED OATMEAL

Serves ~ 5-6

1 1/2 cups to 1 3/4 cups of oats (did not use quick oats)
2 cups skim milk (or for vegan version: soymilk)
1 egg (or for vegan version: 1 Tbsp. flax seed+3 Tbsp. water--mix & let sit a few minutes)
2-3 Tbsp. agave nectar or maple syrup (depending on how sweet you like your oatmeal)

1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce (4 oz)

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 cup chopped nuts

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

1/2 tsp. baking powder (I used aluminum-free baking powder)

1/4 tsp. salt

1 banana, thinly sliced

6-8 strawberries, diced

Spray an 8X8 inch pan with some non-stick cooking spray (canola oil spray)

Mix all ingredients in a bowl (with the exception of the strawberries) & pour into the baking dish. Sprinkle the strawberries over the top.

Dish can be prepared ahead ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator overnight before baking in the morning. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

Serve with a light pouring of maple syrup. Especially good with sliced oranges and some breakfast meat.