Fruit Lassi

There are some lassi recipe posted on this blog previously, but this is pretty much my go-to recipe now.  You can use just about any type of fruit that you want--I've done strawberries, blueberries, mixed berries, pineapple, and more.  This particular time I used a bag of mixed fruit that had strawberries, melon, peaches, and pineapple and it turned out great.  It is lightly sweetened with a slight tang from the yogurt and lime and a hint of aromatic spice from the cardamom.  It is a great cool-down drink for the summer, especially paired with a spicy Indian dish.

Fruit Lassi

Number of Servings: 2
Time to Prepare: 5 minutes

• 1 cup frozen fruit
• 1 cup plain Greek yogurt (I've used regular plain yogurt and it works fine, the lassi is just not quite as thick and creamy)
• 2-4 Tbsp sugar
• 2 Tbsp water
• 1/4 tsp vanilla
• 1 tsp lime juice
• 1-2 pinches cardamom

Combine all the ingredients in a blender and process until smooth.  Adjust sugar to taste (I prefer sweeter so I'm usually closer to the 4 Tbsp amount, but start with 2 and see how you like it).

Source: adapted from snack-girl.com
Produce Used: Fruit of choice, lime

Diane's Cherry Pie

Whoa!  Sorry about that unplanned hiatus there.  I found out in December that I'm pregnant with #3 and this boy has really thrown me for a loop.  We're still trying to find our new normal here (which I'm sure we will figure out just before the baby comes in August and changes everything again!) but I'm hoping to get back on the blog train.  I've tried so many new recipes lately, along with some old favorites that still haven't made their way on to the blog.  I definitely want to get back to sharing!  We'll start things off with my mother-in-law's cherry pie because you can never go wrong with pie.  This is my husband's favorite pie--the tart cherries combined with the sweet sauce and a little hint of almond flavor provide a great balance and when the buttery, flaky crust is surrounding it all, I think you'll find it hard to resist.  I know we do!

Diane's Cherry Pie

Number of Servings: 8-10
Time to Prepare: 1 hour 10 minutes

• 2 unbaked pie crusts (use your favorite recipe or just by the pre-made ones...no judgement)
• 4 cups tart red cherries, pitted (canned is fine)
• 8 tsp quick cooking tapioca
• 1 1/4 cups sugar
• 1 Tbsp lemon juice
• 1/4 tsp almond extract
• 1 1/2 Tbsp butter, cut into small pieces

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Line a baking sheet with foil and place in preheated oven.

Line a 9" pie plate with one of the pie crusts.  Place in fridge (along with the other crust) while preparing the filling.

In a medium bowl, toss cherries thoroughly with tapioca, sugar, lemon juice, and almond extract.  Let stand for10 minutes.

Pour into unbaked pie shell and dot with butter.  Cover with the other pie crust (or cut into strips for lattice top) and seal edges.  Make a few slits in the crust to allow steam to escape.

Place the prepared pie in the fridge for ten minutes.  Transfer the pie to the preheated baking sheet in the oven and bake for ten minutes.  Reduce heat to 350 degrees and continue baking for 40 more minutes. (Cover the edges of crust to keep from over-browning.)

Source: my mother-in-law, Diane
Produce Used: Cherries, lemon

8/11/12 Basket - Cherry Banana Smoothie

Cherry Banana Smoothie
Uses from this basket: Cherries, banana

Sorry for the weird looking-into-the-cup picture...we are currently moving so all of our clear glasses are packed.

• 2 large bananas
• 2-3 cups cherries, pitted and frozen
• 12 ounces Greek yogurt
• 1/4 tsp almond extract

Put all ingredients in the blender and blend until smooth.  Voila!  Delicious smoothie with no added sugar.

8/11/2012 - Sparkling Mango Cherry Drink

Sparkling Mango Cherry Drink
Uses from this basket: Mango, cherry

• 2 cups cherries, pitted and frozen
• 1 large mango, diced and frozen
• approx 50 ounces sparkling apple cider, chilled

Place frozen fruit in the bottom of a glass pitcher.   Pour sparkling cider over fruit.  Let sit for 30 minutes before serving.

8/4/2012 - Easy Batter Fruit Cobbler with Vanilla Bean Whipped Cream

Easy Batter Fruit Cobbler with Vanilla Bean Whipped Cream
Uses from this basket: Cherries, blueberries
Other produce: Strawberries, vanilla bean

• 1/2 pint whipping cream
• 1 vanilla bean
• 1/4 cup powdered sugar
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 1 pound strawberries, sliced
• 15 ounces blueberries
• 2-3 cups cherries, pitted
• 2 Tbsp sugar

Place whipping cream in small bowl.  Split vanilla bean and scrape seeds into whipping cream.  Put pod in cream.  Let sit in fridge overnight.  Remove bean pod.  Whip cream until it forms soft peaks.  Mix in powdered sugar, adjusting to taste.  Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Heat oven to 350 degrees.  Put butter in a 9x13 pan and set in oven to melt.  When butter has melted, remove pan from oven.

Whisk flour, 1 1/2 cups sugar, baking powder, and salt in a small bowl.  Add milk and whisk to form a smooth batter.  Pour batter into pan, then scatter fruit over batter.  Sprinkle with remaining 2 Tbsp sugar.

Bake until batter browns and fruit bubbles, 50 to 60 minutes.  Serve warm with a dollop of vanilla bean whipped cream.


Modified from: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/easy-batter-fruit-cobbler/detail.aspx?event8=1&prop24=SR_Title&e8=Quick%20Search&event10=1&e7=Home%20Page

6/30/2012 Basket - Mini Cherry Pies

Mini Cherry Pies
Uses from this basket: Cherries

First pit a pound of cherries. I don't have a cherry pitter, so I used a chopstick. To the pitted cherries, add 1/4 teaspoon almond extract, 1/2 C. white sugar, and 2 T. quick-cooking tapioca. Mix that in a bowl and set aside.

Make your favorite pastry crust. I used a box mix.

Lay the crust in the tart tins or pie plates you plan on using. Fill with cherries. Cover with a lattice top. Cook at 400 degrees for 30 minutes until crust browns and filling thickens.

6/30/2012 Basket - Cherry Cupcakes and Cherry Frosting

Cherry Cupcakes
Uses from this basket: Cherries

I will warn you right now, this is the lazy way to make cherry cupcakes.  But they turned out so delicious it doesn't even seem worth it to make them the hard way.

• 1 white cake mix
• 2 cup cherries, pureed
• 1/2 tsp almond extract
• 1/4 cup flour

Mix cake mix according to box directions, adding cherry puree, almond extract, and flour at the end.  Bake according to package directions.  I topped them with this chocolate buttercream frosting and it was awesome.


Cherry Frosting
Uses from this basket: Cherries

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 4 cups powdered sugar
• 3/4 cup cherries, pureed
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp almond extract

 Beat butter until light and fluffy.  Slowly beat in powdered sugar until well blended.  Add cherry puree, vanilla extract, and almond extract and mix.  Add additional powdered sugar as needed to achieve desired consistency.

We put this on lemon cupcakes (from a box mix...I rarely get up the energy to make cakes from scratch) and it was great.

6/23/2012 Basket - Cherry Frozen Yogurt

Cherry Frozen Yogurt
Uses from this basket: Cherries

• 1 cup cherries, pitted and chopped
• 3 cups Greek yogurt
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 tsp almond extract
• 1 cup whole milk

Mix all ingredients together, stirring until sugar is dissolved.  Chill in a metal bowl in the fridge for about 1 hour.  Freeze in ice cream maker according to manufacturer's directions.

*Note: If you don't like chunks in your ice cream/frozen yogurt, you can blend up the cherries in a food processor before mixing them with the rest of the ingredients.