Summer Bounty Berry Cool Salad
You can easily create your own "berry cool" salad. Select your salad greens, cheese, and nuts. Toss in fresh blueberries and cherry or plum tomatoes. Then add your own "fruity" salad dressing. Here's my version.
Prepare one or more of the following salad greens:
- green leaf lettuce, torn into bit-sized pieces
- dandelion greens, chopped
- arugula greens, chopped
Add cubes of mild, firm cheese, such as fresh Asiago cheese
Sprinkle toasted broken pieces of walnuts or pecans
Toss in fresh blueberries and cherry or plum tomatoes
Prepare a salad dressing made from equal parts of extra virgin olive oil and Trader Joe's Orange Muscat Champagne Vinegar. Add a little sea salt and black pepper to taste. Pour on generously!
(c) 2011 by Joan Shumaker
Frozen Berry Delight
Again, use your imagination and create your own variation! Chop frozen berries in a food processor until broken into medium size pieces. Add yogurt or whipped cream, lemon juice, sugar and mix well. Pour into desired individual containers. Freeze for 1 to 2 hours. Then serve!
Approximately 6 servings.
Put 3 cups of mixed frozen berries (such as Cascadian Farms Blueberry, Blackberry, and Raspberry Mixed Berries) in a food processor. Pulse several times until berries are broken into pieces.
Add to food processor:
- 3/4 cup of yogurt (such as Greek-style yogurt, whole, lowfat, or no-fat cow's milk yogurt, soy yogurt, goat's milk yogurt, or heavy whip cream).
- 2 tsp fresh lemon juice
- 2 tsp of turbinado sugar
Pulse food processor just until ingredients are mixed.
Pour into ramkins, individual silicon cups, or silicon muffin pan. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the freezer 1 to 2 hours. If using ramkins, dip bottoms briefly in a pan of warm water to loose. If using silicon, just push the bottom of each section (you may need to leave it on the counter for about 5 minutes first).
On an attractive dessert plate, put a spoonful of yogurt or cream in the middle of the plate. Put the frozen berry block on top of the yogurt. Add a few fresh or frozen berries on the side.
(c) 2011 by Joan Shumaker