Blueberry Smoothie

Recipe sent in by: D. Archer
Nice day starter.

- 1 c Blueberries * ( frozen berries don't need to be thawed )
- 1 c Plain Yogurt
- 1 c Milk
- 1 Tbs Wheat Germ
- 1-2 tsp Honey ( or to taste )

1) Blend together all ingredients. Pour into glasses and serve immediately.

Note:
by D. Archer
I haven't tried this yet, but it sounded good and probably a nice way to start off your morning. Different types or combinations of berries would work great.

Limeade Concentrate

Recipe sent in by: D. Archer
Nice to have on hand.

- 1 c Fresh, Strained Lime Juice
- 1 1/2 c Granulated Sugar
- 1 1/2 c Water

1) Combine sugar and water in a medium saucepan. Heat, stirring occasionally, until the sugar is completely dissolved. Cool.
2) Add lime juice, stir, then refrigerate or freeze.

To Make Limeade:
1 c Limeade Concentrate
2 c Water

This recipe was found on a truly wonderful site: One Perfect Bite . Please check it out, I find it just inspiring and wait 'til you see the photos of all the wonderful dishes! 

Watermelon Limeade

Recipe sent in by: D. Archer
A must for this heat!

- 8 c Cubed Watermelon or 1 qt Watermelon Juice
- 1/2 c Sugar ( or to taste )
- 1 c Lime juice ( fresh is better when possible )
- Lime slices for garnish ( optional )

1) Place half of the watermelon cubes in blender and process until smooth. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve set over a large bowl; discard solids. Repeat with remaining watermelon.
2) Add lime juice and sugar and stir until the sugar has dissolved. Taste and add sugar if needed.
3) Transfer limeade to a glass pitcher and refrigerate until chilled.
4) Serve over ice with lime slices as garnish.

This recipe was found on a truly wonderful site: One Perfect Bite . Please check it out, I find it just inspiring and wait 'til you see the photos of all the wonderful dishes! 

Watermelon Smoothie

Recipe sent in by: D. Archer
Sounds like a refreshing and new treat.


Modified slightly from the original recipe.
- 2 c Seeded Watermelon Chunks
- 1 c Cracked Ice
- 1/2 c Yogurt ( plain or vanilla would be best )
- 1 to 2 Tbs Sugar ( if sweetening is needed )
- 1/2 tsp Almond Extract
- A few Mint Leaves ( save a couple for optional garnish )
Optional:
 - 1/2 tsp Ground Ginger
    ~ or ~
 - A few mint leaves blended in


1) Combine all ingredients in blender and blend until smooth.
2) Garnish with mint. ( optional )

This recipe was found on a truly wonderful site: One Perfect Bite . Please check it out, I find it just inspiring and wait 'til you see the photos of all the wonderful dishes! 

Cantaloupe-Strawberry Blended Juice or Slush

Recipe & Photos sent in by:
N. Marion

Healthy, refreshing, and super easy.






Preparation time: 5 minutes. Makes: 2-3 servings.
- 1 whole cantaloupe, pref. organic and local (for juicy freshness!)
- 2 cup strawberries, cleaned and hulled (freeze for a "frozen" drink!)

Do Ahead If you want a cold drink, have your cantaloupe in the fridge. I like to freeze the strawberries also.
1) Clean and cut the melon in half. Scoop out the seeds and discard. Using a big spoon, scoop out the flesh and put it into your high-speed blender. Be sure to catch all the juice that comes out when you're scooping and add that to the blender.
2) Place strawberries in next. Place lid on blender and blend on high for about 1 minute, or until the cantaloupe and strawberry have turned to juice.
Note:
If you have a dryer melon, you might need to add a little water to get it moving. ~Also~ If your blender is not super powered, you might have to add a little water to help get things moving.

Enjoy!

Lemon-Berry Cheesecake

Makes: 8 Slices, Preparation time: 10 minutes, Cooking time: 1 hour and 10 minutes

Ingredients (use vegan versions):
- 1 graham cracker pie crust (store bought or home-made)
- 1 cup silken tofu
- 1 cup strawberries, fresh or thawed frozen
- 1/2 cup mixed berries (I used blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries)
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 teaspoons lemon extract
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. In a food processor, combine silken tofu, mixed berries and strawberries. Process until smooth. You’ll probably have to scrape down the sides a few times to make sure everything is combined.
2) Add constarch and lemon extract, then blend until smooth. Then pour in the sugar and (for the last time, I promise) combine until smooth.
3) Pour the tofu/berry mixture into the pie crust. Put the pie into the heated oven and bake for 1 hour and 10 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the middle. Chill for at least 5 hours, then slice and serve! Feel free to garnish with vegan whipped cream.

Source of recipe: VegWeb Lemon-Berry Cheesecake

More on this recipe, comments & photos can be found on the link above. I thought I'd post this because it sounds great for summertime heat!

Strawberry Jam

Recipe sent in by: D. Archer
I haven't tried this yet, but it was so easy, I figured I'd post it and give it a chance!

- 1/3 c Water
- 3 tbs Sugar
- 2 c Coarsely chopped strawberries ( divided )

1) In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine water and sugar. Cook until sugar is dissolved ( about 3 minutes ).
2) Add 1 cup chopped strawberries and bring mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer about 10 minutes, smashing the strawberries with a fork. Mixture should be syrupy.
3) Remove from heat, stir in the remaining strawberries.
4) Pour mixture into a bowl, cool completely.
5) When cooled, cover the bowl and chill.

Note: I bet this would be great served warm over nice hot waffles or pancakes!

Strawberry Topping

Photo by: N. Marion

Recipe sent in by: D. Archer
Old family treat, my mom made this for us for dessert, paired with vanilla ice cream, DEE-LISH!





The trouble here is, I have no measurements for you!

Here is what you need:
- 2 baskets of fresh strawberries* ( you can use frozen also, but the end result will be softer strawberries )
- 1/4 - 1/2C Granulated Sugar* ( amount depends on how many strawberries you have )

1) Slice strawberries into a bowl.
2) Pour in sugar and stir/toss around strawberries until they are coated, cover the bowl and place in the refrigerator. Allow to sit for about an hour or longer. Stir the berries after they have been chilling for a while.
3) Sugar should be completely dissolved. Stir the strawberries and syrup together, and taste. If it doesn't taste sweet, add a bit more sugar and let chill for about 20 minutes longer, stir and serve over your favorite dessert. ( Either pound cake or vanilla ice cream are a perfect match! )

Testimonials:
by N. Marion
"Vanilla Ice Cream with Strawberries ♥ Thank you again, Dawn! We all LOVED this. You guys should try this, it was so great! I used frozen strawberries (I'm sure fresh would be better, but I only had these) I defrosted them and then chopped them up and put them in a bowl. I sprinkled a little sugar on top and gave them a stir and then let them sit in the fridge while I made dinner. When it was time for dessert, I took the strawberries out and gave them another lil stir and then spooned them on top of our lil cups of ice cream and yummy!!!"