Strawberry Spinach Salad

Love this time of the year, when you no longer have to cook everything you eat. This salad is really easy and delicious. I didn't follow the amounts exactly - but I had enough servings for 4 or 5 meals (obviously supplemented with other snacks).

½ cup dry wheat berries
1½ cups water
1 teaspoon Herbs de Provence
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 Tablespoon olive oil

¼ cup olive oil
3 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 Tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon Herbs de Provence
½ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper

6 cups baby spinach leaves
1 cup fresh strawberries, sliced
¼ cup crumbled goat cheese (or more....)

In a small pot combine the wheat berries, water, herbs, olive oil, and salt. Bring to a boil and then cover with a lid and reduce to a simmer. Cook over low heat for 25-35 minutes or until all of the liquid has been absorbed and the wheat berries are tender. Remove the lid and allow the wheat berries to steam for 5 -10 minutes. Cool and set aside.

In a small bowl whisk together the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, honey, herbs and salt and pepper for the vinaigrette.

Toss together the cooled wheat berries, spinach, strawberries, and goat cheese. Serve with vinaigrette to taste.

Original recipe here

Strawberry Frozen Yogurt

I've put off using my roomie's ice cream maker since I made avocado frozen yogurt, since that was quite the endeavor. Last weekend I decided it was time to pull it out again, since it has been unbelievably hot over the past two weeks or so. I decided to make strawberry frozen yogurt - mostly because it was one of the first recipes I found for frozen yogurt. I generally don't enjoy eating strawberries alone, but do enjoy strawberry flavored things, like gum and candy. I prefer blueberries and raspberries...and supposedly strawberries carry the most pesticides of any fruit, so I tend to steer clear. The recipe I found says that you can strain out the seeds, but why on earth would you want to do that?? When I make homemade ice cream/frozen yogurt, I want it to taste natural. Leave the seeds in. Also - the only whole milk yogurt I can ever find in the grocery store is Fage Total. I guess everyone in America is on a diet. I don't blame them.
(P.S. - this is incredible. Or maybe I'm delusional due to the heat. Try to get organic strawberries, if possible.)


1 pound strawberries, rinsed and hulled
2/3 cup sugar (you could probably use less than this...mine came out pretty sweet)
optional: 2 teaspoons vodka or kirsch (I left this out, but sounds interesting!!)
1 cup plain whole milk yogurt (Greek works well)
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

Slice the strawberries into small pieces. Toss in a bowl with the sugar and vodka or kirsch (if using) until the sugar begins to dissolve. Cover with plastic wrap and let stand at room temperature for 2 hours, stirring every so often.

Transfer the strawberries and their juice to a blender or food processor. Add the yogurt and fresh lemon juice. Pulse the machine until the mixture is smooth. If you wish, press mixture through a mesh strainer to remove any seeds (....don't!).

Chill for 1 hour, then freeze in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions. (For me, this required about 20 minutes in the ice cream maker.)

Original recipe here

Birthday!

So, I turned 23 on Saturday. Was suffering a sinus infection (not diagnosed until yesterday), but was not about to cancel the party planned at my apartment for such nonsense. Unfortunately, I forgot to take any photos, but we had a great spread and I tried a few new recipes.

Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp: simple and delicious.

Black Bean Hummus: a must-try; I left out the cilantro because the store was out of it, but it was great regardless. This recipe also makes a TON, so it was perfect for the party.

Creamy Dill Potato Salad: This was my first time making potato salad, and this recipe had a nice twist on a traditional potato salad. Note: this is spicy.

Moist Chocolate Cake: This was the cake that turned out to be an absolute disaster the first time I made it (see baking fail post). This time it still stuck to the pan a little bit, but the layers still turned out OK. I got a lot of compliments on it, though it wasn't as moist as the first time....