Fresh Strawberry Yogurt Cake

It is the season of strawberries and I love it. Bundt cakes are just so pretty and I love the slices they create. With a slight hint of lemon and the creamy texture of yogurt, this cake is fresh, moist, and it screams summer. You have to be careful with this cake, though. Similar to the white chocolate raspberry bread pudding, it makes a great breakfast!

From A Spicy Perspective

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened

2 cups sugar

3 eggs

3 Tablespoons lemon juice, divided

Zest of 1 lemon (optional)

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, divided

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

8 oz. plain or vanilla yogurt

12 oz. (about 2 cups), fresh, diced strawberries

1 cup powdered sugar

DIRECTIONS:

Pre-heat oven to 325 degrees. Grease and flour a 10-inch bundt pan. 

Sift together 2 1/4 cups flour, baking soda and salt. Mix in the lemon zest and set aside.

Using an electric mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, then add 1 Tablespoon lemon juice. Alternate beating in the flour mixture and the yogurt, blending until just incorporated. 

Toss the strawberries with the remaining 1/4 cup flour. Gently fold them into the batter. 

Pour the batter evenly into the bundt pan. Bake in pre-heated oven for 60 minutes, or until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean.  

Allow to cool 10 minutes, then turn onto a wire rack and cool completely. Mix together the remaining 2 Tablespoons lemon juice with 1 cup powdered sugar. Drizzle over the top of the cake.

Grilled Salmon with Lime Butter Sauce

Brad has this thing against purchasing farm-raised fish. He doesn't like it. And our local Ralph's usually only carries farm-raised salmon. Every time I beg for it, he jokes, 'Just wait 'til we move to Alaska. You can have all the wild-caught salmon you like.' Truly, I am jealous of the salmon abundance there. But back to the grocery store. Last week, Brad spotted wild-caught salmon at our local California Ralphs and we jumped on it, so excited to get our healthy fill of Omega-3s.  

Ah, the simplicity of cooking it with this recipe. Being healthy and tasting mouth-watering goodness never felt so easy.

*from Gourmet Magazine, July 2006 (Ian Knauer)

INGREDIENTS:

3 (6 oz.) salmon fillets

3/4 teaspoon finely grated fresh lime zest 

(for lime butter sauce):

1 garlic clove, chopped

1/8 cup fresh lime juice

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter, melted

DIRECTIONS:

Make lime butter sauce. In a blender or food processor, purée garlic with lime juice, salt, and pepper until smooth. With motor running, add melted butter and blend until emulsified, about 30 seconds. 

Grill salmon. Season salmon all over with salt and pepper. Place fillets on a lightly olive-oiled grill. (I used a George Foreman grill and left it in there for about 8 minutes.) Sprinkle fillets with zest and top each fillet with one tablespoon lime butter sauce.

SERVING SUGGESTION: 

Serve with Yukon Gold Mashed Potatoes (seen in picture) and a summer salad of fresh greens, tomato, avocado, goat cheese and Brianna's Blush Wine Vinaigrette dressing.

Mango Slaw with Cashews and Mint (or Cilantro)

I do not like coleslaw. There is too much mayonnaise, in my opinion. But I do like mango slaw. This salad is perfect as a summer accompaniment to any grilled meal, including burgers, steaks, or chicken.

*adapted from Smitten Kitchen

INGREDIENTS:

2 mangoes, peeled, pitted, and julienned

1 half head cabbage

1/2-1 red pepper, julienned

1/2 red onion, thinly sliced

6 Tablespoons fresh lime juice, from about two limes

1/4 cup rice wine vinegar

2 Tablespoons oil of your choice

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1/4 cup thinly slices fresh mint leaves (I accidentally bought cilantro at the store, instead of mint so I used that instead--still great and maybe even better if you're making this to accompany a Mexican dish)

1/4 cup toasted cashews, coarsely chopped

DIRECTIONS:

Toss mangoes, cabbage, red pepper and onion in a medium-size serving bowl. In a small bowl or measuring cup, whisk together lime juice, vinegar, oil, salt, and red pepper flakes. Drizzle over mango mixture and serve immediately or cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge to let flavors meddle for about an hour. When ready to serve, mix in mint (or cilantro) and cashews.

Enjoy!

Blueberry Vinaigrette Salad Dressing

We are big fans of blueberries in this household. We've recently discovered dried blueberries, and they are the perfect pre-dinner snack. As Brad says, it's a party in your mouth. We also have a habit of stocking up on fresh blueberries when they're on special at the grocery store. So, I figured it would be a good idea to develop a cache of recipes that use this fine, fine fruit.

*adapted from twinberryfarms.com

INGREDIENTS:

1 6 oz. package fresh blueberries

1/4 cup canola oil

3 Tablespoons sugar

2 Tablespoons rice vinegar

Pinch of sea salt

DIRECTIONS:

Blend all ingredients in a food processor or blender. Pour into a creamer or gravy boat and toss with fresh mixed greens, cucumber, feta cheese, red onion, and dried blueberries.*

*Some other good salad choices are: fresh spinach, pine nuts, pecans, walnuts, goat cheese, sliced grapes, celery, red pepper, and snap peas.