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

Berry Blue Salad

Have you ever been to Zupas?  It's a little soup/salad/sandwich chain mostly in the west and I adore it.  When I go back to Utah in the summers I always try to find a time to go, usually with my mom and sisters.  They have a ton of great menu items, but one of my favorites is the Nuts about Berries Salad.  When I came back from Utah a few weeks ago, my husband had stocked the fridge and pantry with all sorts of goodies, including a bunch of berries.  They inspired me to make my own version of Zupa's salad and it turned out delicious.  The sweet juiciness of the berries combined with the creamy tang of the blue cheese is all brought together by the homemade poppy seed dressing.

Berry Blue Salad

Number of Servings: 4
Time to Prepare: 10 minutes

• 1/3 cup slivered almonds
• 1 Tbsp sugar
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• pinch of kosher salt

• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp ground dry mustard
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 3 Tbsp red wine vinegar
• 6 Tbsp canola oil
• 1/2 tsp poppy seeds

• 1/2 cup blackberries
• 1/2 cup blueberries
• 1/2 cup raspberries
• 1/2 cup sliced strawberries
• 1-2 oz blue cheese
• 1 head romaine or leaf lettuce

Combine almonds, sugar, cinnamon, and kosher salt in small saute pan over medium low heat.  Cook and stir until the sugar is melted and almonds are lightly toasted.  Set aside to cool.

In a small bowl, whisk together sugar, salt, ground dry mustard, and onion powder.  Whisk in vinegar and oil until blended.  Stir in poppy seeds.

Place lettuce in a large bowl.  Top with berries, blue cheese, and cinnamon almonds.  Serve with poppy seed dressing.

Source: inspired by Cafe Zupas Nuts about Berries salad
Produce Used: Blackberries, blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, romaine, leaf lettuce

Blueberry Boy Bait

This "boy bait" is one of my all-time favorite things to eat for dessert (also breakfast, but don't tell anyone).  I do find it kind of weirdly embarrassing to tell people the name, but I still find it amusing enough that I haven't renamed it something more boring.  This is one of my go-to desserts for guests.  It is kind of a blueberry coffee cake--a rich, buttery cake studded with berries and topped with cinnamon sugar.  The flavors meld together so beautifully, I just want to keep eating it.  It is amazing when it is warm out of the oven, but that doesn't stop me from eating it cold straight out of the pan the next morning.  Also, I have made it with a three-berry mix (blackberries, blueberries, and raspberries) which was also divine....possibly even better than with just blueberries, so feel free to mix it up!

Blueberry Boy Bait

Number of Servings: 12
Time to Prepare: 1 hour 10 minutes

• 2 cups flour
• 1 Tbsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 cup butter, softened
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 1/2 to 2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries, divided (or other berries)
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 350.  Grease a 9x13" pan and set aside.

Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together in a medium bowl.  In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter, brown sugar, and 1/2 cup white sugar for about 3 minutes or until light and fluffy.  Add eggs one at a time, beating until just combined after each addition.  Add about 1/3 of the flour mixture, mixing until incorporated. Mix in 1/2 of the buttermilk.  Repeat with another addition of flour, the rest of the milk, and ending with the final addition of flour. Gently fold in about 1 cup of the blueberries and spread the batter into the prepared pan.

Scatter the rest of the berries over the top of the batter. Combine the 1/4 cup white sugar and the cinnamon and sprinkle over everything.  Bake for 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow to cool for about 10 minutes before serving.  It is great served with ice cream or whipped cream, but I usually just let it stand on its own!

Source: slightly adapted from Our Best Bites
Produce Used: Blueberries

Strawberry Poppy Seed Vinaigrette

Can I just tell you how much I love the look of this dressing?  When you fill a glass bottle with it and you get to see that beautiful pink color with little poppy seed specks everywhere, it almost looks like candy.  The taste is just lovely as well--a little sweet, a little tart, and laced with strawberry goodness.  This is especially good on a green salad that has some sweet and salty items playing off each other--they really bring out the balance of flavors in the dressing.  I like to do some feta and bacon, along with fresh fruit (whatever I have on hand--grapes, apples, berries, etc.)  You could also try making the dressing with blueberries, blackberries, or raspberries--I haven't done it, but I'm thinking it would be just as amazing and beautiful.  I'm planning to try blueberry next time I make this.  You can definitely use fresh berries, but I usually have frozen on hand so that's easier for me.

Strawberry Poppy Seed Vinaigrette

Number of Servings: about 1 1/2 cups of dressing
Time to Prepare: 5 minutes

• 1/4 cup white wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1-2 cloves garlic
• 1/2" thick chunk of onion
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 3/4 cup frozen strawberries, thawed (or other berries)
• 1/3 cup canola oil
• 3/4 tsp poppy seeds

Combine the vinegar, sugar, garlic, onion, salt, pepper, and strawberries (including any juices that accumulated while thawing) in a blender and blend until smooth.  (Alternately, you can use an immersion blender.)  With the blender running, drizzle in the oil and blend until it is well mixed.  Stir in the poppy seeds.  Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Source: slightly adapted from Our Best Bites
Produce Used: Garlic, onion, strawberry, blackberry, blueberry, raspberry

Vanilla Bean Custard Fruit Tart

Each separate part of this tart is finger-licking good so you can just imagine how incredible it is when it all comes together.  I may or may not have taken a few (large) tastes of the custard before putting it into the crust.  Speaking of the crust, it has this little bit of sweetness to it that complements the custard perfectly.  Use whatever fruits tickle your fancy or whatever is in season at the time.  And not only does it taste great, it looks really pretty too. 

Vanilla Bean Custard Fruit Tart

Number of Servings: 8
Time to Prepare: 2 hours 15 minutes

• 1 1/4 cups milk
• 1 vanilla bean
• 3 egg yolks
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 Tbsp flour
• 2 Tbsp cornstarch
• 1/4 cup half and half
• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• ice water
• 1/2 cup strawberry jam
• 1 Tbsp water
• 3 cups fruit (peaches, kiwi, strawberries, blackberries, blueberries, raspberries, etc.)

In a medium stainless steel bowl, mix the sugar and egg yolks together with a wooden spoon.  Sift the flour and cornstarch together and then add to the egg mixture, mixing until smooth.

Meanwhile, in a saucepan combine the milk and vanilla bean on medium heat until boiling.  Remove from heat take the vanilla bean out.  Pour the hot milk slowly into the egg mixture, whisking constantly to prevent curdling. Slice the vanilla bean lengthwise and scrape the seeds out into the egg mixture.

Place the egg mixture back into the saucepan and cook over medium heat until boiling, whisking constantly. When it boils, whisk constantly for another 30 – 60 seconds until it becomes thick like pudding.

Remove from heat and immediately whisk in the half and half. Pour into a clean bowl and immediately cover the surface with plastic wrap (touching the surface of the custard). Cool. If not using right away refrigerate until needed, up to 3 days.

Put the 1 1/2 cups flour in a medium bowl and cut in the butter until it resembles coarse meal.  Gradually add the beaten egg, beating just until incorporated.  Add ice water slowly, as needed, until the dough comes together.  Flatten the pastry into a disk, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 20 minutes or until firm.

Roll our the dough about an inch larger than your tart pan.  Gently lay in pan and lightly press pastry into bottom and up sides of pan.  Cut off any excess.  Cover and refrigerate for 20 minutes.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line unbaked pastry shell with parchment paper or aluminum foil. Fill tart pan with pie weights, rice, or beans, making sure the weights are to the top of the pan and evenly distributed over the entire surface. Bake crust for 20 to 25 minutes until crust is dry and lightly golden brown. Remove weights and bake 5 more minutes until the crust is completely cooked.  Cool crust on wire rack.

Stir the jam and 1 Tbsp water together in a small bowl.  Heat in the microwave until smooth, then let cool slightly.  Brush glaze on cooled crust and let dry for 20-30 minutes.  Spread the custard into the crust. 

Slice strawberries, kiwi, peaches, etc.  Arrange fruit on top of the custard in overlapping concentric circles, making sure to cover as much of the custard as possible.  Brush fruit with remaining glaze and serve.

Source: adapted from Karen in the Kitchen
Produce used: Peaches, kiwi, strawberries, blackberries, blueberries, raspberries

Raspberry Custard Puff Pancake

The soft, custardy texture of this puff pancake is a bit unexpected...it is really smooth and creamy with just a hint of sweetness, and it won me over pretty much immediately.  My husband didn't love it the first time we had it.  He is weird about texture...it took me about a year to teach him to like flan, which of course he loves now, but it only took try number two to get him singing a different tune on this baby.  I took this picture right out of the oven so it hasn't fallen yet (and I haven't put on the powdered sugar yet), but don't worry when yours falls--that is normal.  I would love to pretend that I make this (or anything that takes longer than 5 minutes) for breakfast, but mostly we eat it as breakfast-for-dinner.  The baking time is a little long, but the prep could not be easier.  Serve it up with some eggs and bacon, or just with some fruit if you're feeling lazy (I was) and you've got a winning breakfast/dinner.

Raspberry Custard Puff Pancake

Number of Servings: 6
Time to Prepare: 50 minutes

• 2 cups milk
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup flour
• 2 Tbsp granulated sugar
• 4 Tbsp butter, melted
• pinch of salt
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 3/4 cup fresh or frozen raspberries
• 1 Tbsp additional granulated sugar
• powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Heavily grease a 9" round baking dish.

Combine milk, eggs, flour, 2 Tablespoons sugar, butter, salt, and vanilla in a blender and blend on low for about 10 seconds or until smooth.

Pour into prepared dish, then scatter the raspberries across the top, and sprinkle with the 1 Tablespoon of sugar.

Bake for 45 minutes, until the edges are very puffy, the top is golden-brown, and the center is set (it will still be somewhat jiggly, but should not be liquidy).

Let cool for a few minutes, dust with powdered sugar, and serve. (It is really not overly sweet so feel free to be generous with the powdered sugar.)

Source: slightly adapted from Everyday Reading
Produce Used: Raspberries

Raspberry Cantaloupe Milkshake

This is a great refreshing milkshake for those hot days of summer.  I tend to like my frozen drinks really sweet (much to my husband's chagrin) so feel free to start small on the sugar and add as needed.  Also, the more ripe your cantaloupe, the better the milkshake will taste (and the less sugar you will need).

Raspberry Cantaloupe Milkshake

Number of Servings: 2 to 4
Time to Prepare: 10 Minutes

• 1/2 cup milk
• 2 cups cubed cantaloupe
• 4 Tbsp brown sugar
• 1 1/2 cups crushed ice
• 1/2 cup frozen raspberries 

Put all ingredients in your blender in the order listed and blend until smooth.

Source: Adapted from food.com
Produce Used: Cantaloupe, raspberries

4/21/2012 Basket - Baked Oatmeal

Baked Oatmeal
Uses from this basket: Banana
Other produce: Strawberry

• 2 1/2 cup quick oats
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 eggs
• 1 ripe banana, mashed
• 1/2 cup applesauce
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 1/4 cup melted butter
• milk
• fresh strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, or blackberries

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease a 9x9 baking pan with cooking spray. In a large bowl, mix oats, brown sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. In a separate bowl, stir together eggs, banana, applesauce, 1 1/2 cups milk, and butter. Pour wet ingredients into bowl with dry ingredients and stir until well blended. Bake for about 35 minutes, until oatmeal is set. Serve with milk and fresh berries.

1/28/2012 Basket - Coconut Water Smoothie

Coconut Water Smoothie

Uses: Coconut water, pear

My philosophy on fruits and vegetables is basically this: If you don't know what to do with a vegetable, blend it up, heat it up, and call it soup. If you don't know what to do with a fruit, freeze it, blend it, and call it a smoothie.

Smoothies can be made with basically anything. For this one I used coconut water, frozen raspberries, frozen strawberries, frozen mangoes, a pear, and pina colada mix. Blend it up and enjoy!

1/21/2012 Basket - Southwestern Turkey Salad and Fruit Pizza

Southwestern Turkey Salad
Uses: Lettuce, Tomato

Can you tell we're on a turkey kick? :)

Coat cooked turkey (or chicken) with barbecue sauce. Toss lettuce with tomato, red onion, black beans, and cheese. You can also put in avocado and corn. Top with barbecue turkey and serve with barbecue ranch dressing (just mix your favorite barbecue sauce with some ranch).


Fruit Pizza
Uses: Kiwi, banana, orange, pear, pomegranate


1-1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 cup butter or margarine
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
2-1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cream of tartar

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

sliced fruit - strawberries, kiwis, oranges, bananas, pears, etc.

1/2 cup sugar
1 pinch salt
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/2 cup orange juice
2 T lemon juice
1/4 cup water
1/2 tsp orange zest

Mix sugar and butter. Add egg, vanilla, and almond extract; mix thoroughly. Stir dry ingredients together, then blend in to butter mixture. Refrigerate 2 to 3 hours.

Press cookie dough onto a cookie sheet or pizza pan (I only used about 2/3 to 3/4 of the amount of dough made in the recipe above). Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes, then cool completely.

In a small mixing bowl, beat cream cheese, 1/3 cup sugar, and vanilla until smooth. Spread over crust.

In a saucepan, combine 1/2 cup sugar, salt, cornstarch. Stir in orange juice (I used fresh squeezed from the oranges in the basket), lemon juice, and water. Cook and stir over medium heat. Bring to a boil and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, until thickened. Remove from heat and add orange zest. Allow to cool but not set up.

Arrange sliced fruit over cream cheese mixture (coat bananas in lemon or lime juice to keep from browning).

Spoon orange sauce over fruit and chill for 1-2 hours.

7/23/2011 Basket - Freezer Jam

I've watched my mom and sissy'n'law do this a thousand times, but I've never made my own freezer jam til now. It's so easy and such a money saver that I'm kicking myself for not having done it before!

Freezer Jam
Uses: any berry, mangoes, peaches, plums, etc.

4 c chopped fruit or berries (peeled if necessary)
1 1/2 c sugar
3 T lemon juice (only for peaches)
1 packet pectin

Mix the fruit, sugar, and lemon juice (only for peaches), and let sit for 10 minutes.  Whisk in pectin.  Put in tupperware and freeze.


I made peach, strawberry-peach, mango-peach, and peach-plum.  Can you tell we had a lot of peaches (and other fruit) that I was trying to get rid of!?

7/23/2011 Basket - Milk Shakes

This is my go-to plan for left-over fruits of almost any variety. Freeze em and make shakes.

Frozen Milkshake Fruit
Uses: any berry, mangoes, peaches, etc.

Freeze them, then throw a whole bag (sans the plastic) in the blender with some milk.  If you want to be healthy, drink it like that.  If you want to be fatty (like me), add a scoop of vanilla ice cream and some sugar.

Random Baskets - Italian Wedding Soup, Apple Pork Chops with Stuffing, Carrot Souffle, Four Berry Sherbet

I'm sure you've all experienced that thing where you get to the end of the week and know you have a new basket coming but you still have SO much left from the last basket. Or maybe that's just us....either way, we came up with a fun three course meal to use up a bunch of remaining ingredients from past baskets.

Italian Wedding Soup
Uses: Spinach, carrots


12-15 frozen, pre-cooked meatballs (or you can make your own if you want)
6 cups chicken broth
1 cup spinach - rinsed, packed, and thinly sliced
1 1/2 cups pasta (we used mini fusilli)
1/3 cup diced carrots (we omitted these because we used all the carrots on the souffle)

Cook the meatballs according to the package directions. Cut into quarters.
Heat chicken broth to boiling. Stir in the spinach, pasta, carrots, and meatball quarters. Cook, stirring frequently, at a slow boil for 10 minutes or until pasta is cooked. Serve with cheese sprinkled on top (we did provolone but Parmesan or Romano would be good as well).


Apple Pork Chops with Stuffing
Uses: Apples, celery, onion

4 apples
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup water
1 T cinnamon
1/2 t nutmeg

Peel, core, and slice apples. Place in crock pot with brown sugar, water, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Just know that the amounts above are approximations--we just put some in there and didn't really measure. Cook on low heat for a couple hours. (You can also use canned apple pie filling instead.) Place cooked apples in the bottom of a rectangular baking dish.

Prepare and cook stuffing. We used this stuffing recipe, but did a slight modification--reduce butter to 1/2 cup and add 1/2 cup chicken broth in with the butter. You may want to cook for a little less than the recipe says since the stuffing will go back in the oven with the pork chops.

Sear 4-6 pork chops in a hot pan. Place pork chops over cooked apples, then cover pork chops with stuffing. Cover with foil and bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake another 10 minutes.


Carrot Souffle
Uses: Carrots

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/carrot-souffle-2/detail.aspx


Four Berry Sherbet
Uses: Strawberries, blackberries, raspberries, blueberries


~3 1/2 cups fresh or frozen berries
4 T lemon juice
1/2 cup plus 3 T sugar
2 3/4 cup milk

You can use a combination of fresh and frozen berries--just whatever you have. Blend berries and lemon juice in a blender until smooth (you may want to thaw frozen berries first). Strain through a fine-mesh sieve to remove seeds. Stir in sugar and let sit for 1 to 2 hours. Stir in milk. Freeze in ice cream maker according to manufacturer's directions.