FRUIT FORWARD
Two delicious ways to celebrate strawberries
This feel-good dessert is bursting with fresh strawberry flavor.
This vibrant salad is equal parts refreshing and elegant.
Strawberry caprese salad
This strawberry caprese salad is a fruity twist on the classic Italian dish, with juicy, ripe strawberries standing in for tomatoes. The sweet-tart flavor of strawberries goes beautifully with fresh mozzarella, basil and a drizzle of balsamic vinegar. This colorful salad is perfect as an appetizer, side dish or light lunch. To make it a main dish, top it with roasted chicken or add white beans.
Servings: 4 |Active time: 10 minutes |Total time: 10 minutes
Ingredients
■ 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
■ 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
■ ¼ teaspoon salt
■ ¹⁄8 teaspoon ground pepper
■ 2 cups strawberries, hulled and quartered
■ ²⁄³ cup fresh small mozzarella cheese pearls
■ ¼ cup loosely packed basil leaves
Directions
Whisk oil, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper together in a small bowl until fully combined. Arrange strawberries and mozzarella pearls on a large platter; top with basil. Drizzle evenly with the oil mixture and serve immediately.
Nutrition per serving: 184 calories, 14 g total fat, 5 g saturated fat, 24 mg cholesterol, 8 g carbohydrates, 2 g fiber, 5 g total sugars, 0 g added sugars, 8 g protein, 328 mg sodium, 166 mg potassium, 132 mg phosphorus, 1 mg iron, 24 mcg folate, 174 mg calcium, 298 IU vitamin A, 51 mg vitamin C, 5 IU vitamin D.
— Giovanna Vazquez, EatingWell
Strawberry shortcake with honey-yogurt cream
These light and fresh strawberry shortcakes lean on nonfat Greekstyle yogurt instead of butter or cream in the shortcakes. Just a small amount of sugar and a pinch of lemon zest is all you need to bring out the flavor of fresh strawberries in this easy dessert.
Servings: 6
Active time: 20 minutes
Total time: 45 minutes
For the yogurt shortcakes
■ ½ cup all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
■ ½ cup whole-wheat pastry flour
■ 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
■ 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
■ ¼ teaspoon salt
■ ½ cup nonfat plain Greek-style yogurt
■ ¼ cup nonfat milk, plus more for brushing
For the strawberry filling
■ 8 ounces fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced (about 1 ½ cups)
■ 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
■ 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
For the honey-yogurt cream:
■ ¾ cup nonfat plain Greek-style yogurt
■ 1 teaspoon honey
■ ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions
To prepare shortcakes: Preheat oven to 400 F. Whisk all-purpose flour, pastry flour, sugar, baking powder and salt together in a medium bowl. Stir in yogurt and milk, using a flexible spatula to incorporate the milk into the flour mixture until a shaggy dough forms.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and gently bring it together with your hands until it holds together and there are no more floury bits. Pat into a ¾-inch-thick rectangle; cut evenly into six rectangles (about 2 by 1 ½ inches each). Transfer the rectangles to a parchment-paperlined baking sheet. Lightly brush with milk.
Bake until golden brown, 15 to 17 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool slightly, about 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, prepare strawberries: Stir sliced strawberries, sugar and lemon zest together in a medium bowl. Let stand at room temperature, stirring occasionally, until the berries release their juices, about 20 minutes.
To prepare honey-yogurt cream, whisk yogurt, honey and vanilla together in a small bowl until very smooth and creamy.
To serve, slice the cooled shortcakes in half. Spread 2 tablespoons honey-yogurt cream on the bottom half of each shortcake. Top each with 3 tablespoons strawberries and drizzle evenly with accumulated juices. Top each with the top half of the shortcake. Serve immediately.
Nutrition per serving: 134 calories, 1 g total fat, 0 g saturated fat, 3 mg cholesterol, 25 g carbohydrates, 2 g fiber, 8 g total sugars, 4 g added sugars, 8 g protein, 242 mg sodium, 192 mg potassium, 1 mg iron, 34 mcg folate, 144 mg calcium, 27 IU vitamin A, 23 mg vitamin C.
— Nicole Hopper, EatingWell
EatingWell is a magazine and website devoted to healthy eating as a way of life. Online at www.eatingwell.com.
