Strawberries, Strawberries, Strawberries!
June equals the start of the strawberry season – and that’s great news for sweet tooth addicts and health nuts alike. Strawberries are sweet, to be sure, but they are also low in calories (1 cup has just 49). Strawberries are also high in vitamins and minerals, including those that help fight cancer, neurological disorders, and inflammation. They are packed with vitamin C, and rich in B vitamins, vitamins A and E, folic acid, niacin, riboflavin, potassium, copper, manganese, iron, and iodine.
Naturally, the healthiest way to eat strawberries is raw, preferably just after picking. But there are plenty of other ways to add the berries to your diet.
Strawberry Muffins or a Strawberry Omelet are a great way to begin the day.
Chicken Fruit Salad includes lots of berries, including strawberries. (Feel free to subtract some berries that you can’t find locally, or add additional berries that are readily available.)
Strawberry Soup is a cool, refreshing dessert on a hot day.
Cream cheese gratin with strawberries and vanilla ice-cream is a scrumptious dessert featuring not only cream cheese and strawberries, but also rum, lemon peel, vanilla, pistachios, and white chocolate.
Strawberry-Lemon Salad is a sweet treat served over lemon sorbet.
Caramelized puff pastry with strawberries is almost as simple as adding strawberries, almond, and sugar to store bought puff pastry dough.
Chocolate Dipped Strawberries are a super-easy way to “dress up” plain strawberries, and are ideal for both formal and casual events.
Roasted Strawberries with Grand Marnier is worthy of your most picky eaters.
A Strawberry Milkshake or a Pink Sunrise Summer Smoothie are perfect for kids or adults, or try the all-adult drinks of Strawberry Cordial and Strawberry Wine.
It doesn’t get more simple than Strawberries with Basil; this treat takes 10 minutes or less to prepare and has just two ingredients.
Or prepare a simple dessert this way: Hull some strawberries and cut into quarters. Using a potato masher, slightly crush the berries. The juices should be running, but there should still be plenty of large berry chunks. Add sugar to taste and refrigerate the strawberry-sugar mixture for 1 hour. Serve over vanilla ice cream.
