Seven Delicious Strawberry Recipes

In recent post about my EduCulture adventure, I showed photos of delicious Bainbridge Island-grown strawberries. At the end of my visit with the EduCulture students, they all shared their favorite ways to use strawberries. I loved the ideas so much that I just have to share them with you.

There are endless amazing strawberry recipes out there, but here are seven creative ideas…

Important note: choosing organic is always best, but especially regarding strawberries. According to the Environmental Working Group, strawberries have the second highest amount of pesticides (after apples). See the full list by clicking here.

The first five are EduCulture student favorites and they make my mouth water just thinking about them!

1. Dip strawberries in chocolate, let harden in fridge, then dip in whipped cream.

2. Dip damp strawberries in powdered sugar.

3. Mash strawberries and pour over vanilla icecream.

4. Make strawberry pie and eat warm with vanilla icecream on top.

5. Dip strawberries in whipped cream, then in mini chocolate chips.

6. Spring’s Summer Smoothie – I’ve been making this every morning for a couple weeks now and I drink it with my morning cup of fresh mint tea. If you’ve check out my fb page lately, you’ll see I’ve had the most INCREDIBLE two weeks…just sayin’…

• fresh strawberries
• frozen or fresh raspberries
• frozen blueberries
• protein powder and/or nuts
• squeeze of lemon
• fresh ginger
• dollop of honey
• frozen kale (see this post to see how and why to use cooked, frozen kale rather than fresh)
• almond or other milk alternative – add enough to make it smooth and drinkable
• a few pieces of ice or other frozen fruit
• extra tasty, healthy treats: avocado, coconut, vanilla, cinnamon, drizzle of olive oil.

7. Vegan Chocolate Strawberry Cups – I’m a wannabe vegan, so this recipe from Molly Pearson jumped out at me when she posted it on one of my favorite blogs, MindBodyGreen.com. I haven’t tried it yet but it’s on my list of to-do’s.

Ingredients for chocolate coating:

• 2 Tbsp. cocoa powder
• 1.5 Tbsp. melted coconut oil
• 1.5 Tbsp. raw creamy peanut butter
• 1 Tbsp. agave

Ingredients for filling:

• 3 mashed strawberries
• 1 Tbsp. melted coconut oil

Directions

• Mix first 4 ingredients together. Place tsp. of chocolate mixture in the bottom of a muffin cup and freeze 15 minutes.
• While waiting, mix strawberries and coconut oil.
• Layer strawberry filling on top of frozen chocolate mixture. Freeze 15 minutes.
• Add the rest of the chocolate to the top. Freeze for 15 minutes.
• Do away with processed peanut butter cups forever.

Strawberries as Vitamins

Since I’m a berry-holic, I was thrilled to learn that not only are strawberries tastier than candy, they pack a nutritional punch. The vitamin C and antioxidant content alone is worth eating them every day, but they’re also high in manganese, folate, potassium and fiber. Check out this list for more on their nutritional value.

According to WebMD.com, strawberries are “among the top 20 fruits in antioxidant capacity,” and “Just one serving — about eight strawberries — provides more vitamin C than an orange.”

Where to get berries:

• Pick your own – here is a list of U-pick farms in Kitsap, King, Island and Snohomish counties: PickYourOwn.org. 
• Farmer’s Markets – here is a list of Washington Farmer’s Markets. Just about every community has one and berries are in abundance right now! PugetSoundFresh.org.

I’d love to hear about your favorite strawberry recipes!

Happy Berry Eating,

~Spring

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