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Summer Salad With Berries & Macadamia Vinaigrette
Berry Bits A berry is a fleshy fruit that doesn't split open, has many seeds (but no stone, like a cherry), and develops from one large ovary. Berries are any juicy fruit with seeds in the endocarp or mesocarp; "endo" meaning inner and “meso” meaning middle. Typical berries are blueberries, currants, gooseberries, grapes and tomatoes (yes, you read that correctly!) Also berries~but not so typical~are melons, bananas, and oranges. By definition, blackberries, dewberries, raspberries, loganberries, strawberries, & salmonberries are not berries~ because their seeds are exterior rather than interior! Since they're typically thought of and written about as "berries," we're including them in our recipe selections. The Different Berries
Source information from It's The Berries, by Liz Anton and Beth Dooley, ©1988 by Storey Communications, Inc.
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What if you
had access to a product that had a strong potential to help you fight off the onset of
cancer or arrest the growth of established malignancies? What if evidence showed it
could potentially forestall the aging process and keep your mind sharp well into old
age? What if this same substance contained chemical compounds that could lower your
risk of heart attack? Wouldn't you eagerly travel far and wide to locate such an
important piece of the health puzzle? There's no need to search exotic locales for a mysterious herb or ask for a wonder drug at your pharmacy. Look no further than your corner grocer store for this miracle food --- it's berries! The same berries you're used to seeing in your morning muffin or in the slice of pie at dinner is capable of providing nutrients that can improve your health and the quality of your life for years to come. Without going into a scientific discussion of nutraceuticals (any substance that may be considered a food or a part of a food and provides medical or health benefits, including the prevention and treatment of disease), phytochemicals ("phyto" meaning plant and "phytocheimcals" meaning non-nutritive chemicals found in edible fruits and vegetables that promote health and prevent chronic disease), let it suffice to say that phytochemicals in fruits and vegetables promise to change forever the way we think about food, nutrition and health. Scientists who study them say they have the potential to:
You know it's summer when grocery produce shelves are neatly lined with every berry imaginable. "Caneberries," the luscious and unique group of berries so called because they grow on long trailing stalks or "canes," include red and black raspberries, blackberries, Marionberries, Boysenberries and loganberries. Each berry has its own characteristic flavor. Guidelines for Picking the Best Berries When picking berries, select those that are plump and shiny, ture to their variety's color. Stick with berries in season or purchase them frozen. Strawberries in late November have traveled too far and have been stored too long to be anything but a costly disappointment. Avoid purchaseing leaky or stained cartons that tell of damaged berries. Peek around and under the container to be sure that the choice berries have not just been strategically placed on top. Avoid moldy berries or those with a white cotton-like appearance. It's best if you can select the berries yourself from an open bin. Home Storage of Your Berries Remove the berries from their container as soon as you can (even if you've picked them yourself). Sort through and remove any overripe or moldy berries so that they won't contaminate the others. Place the berries in a basket or dish lined with a paper towel. Do Not Wash berries until ready to use. Berries become "water-logged" easily. Keep most berries in the refrigerator and plan to use with a day. Blueberries, cranberries, and currants have longer shelf lives. Berries that have become overripe or been kept too long are best made into sauce, syrup, or purée. Berry Handling All berries, except the strawberry, should be free of their hull. The strawberry cap should be left on until ready to serve, to protect from collecting water and becoming soggy. Just before serving, rinse berries quickly under cool water and spread out to dry on paper towels (away from sunlight). Freezing and Using Freeze fresh berries if they will not be used within two days. Gently was the berries under cool water, dry, and place on a cookie tray; when frozen, bag in freezer bag. For sweeter frozen berries, sprinkle each with granulated sugar before placing on the cookie sheet. Fresh berry purées and sauces also freeze well. Frozen freshly picked berries will keep up to six months. Berry purées and sauces and berries frozen with sugar will keep up to eight months. When measuring frozen berries, measure them frozen. Thawed berries become soft and will pack down. Frozen Berry Quantities:
Here's a host of summer recipe ideas featuring raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, strawberries and more, in everything from beverages to baked goods -- all perfect for summer. And after summer is over, remember that frozen berries can also be used to replace the fresh berries in these recipes.
STRAWBERRY
CHEESE PIE Crust 1 cup quick-cooking oats Filling 1 orange Preheat the oven to 350°F. Place the oats in a blender or food processor, and process until they resemble flour. Make the crust. Place the oats, flour, salt and sugar in the center of a 9-inch pie plate; toss together with a fork. Place the egg white and oil in the center of the flour mixture and mix thoroughly with a fork. Pat the crust into the bottom and up along the sides of the pan. Bake the shell for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool. Make the filling. Wash and dry the orange, and make 1 tsp orange zest by grating the orange skin with the fine side of a cheese grater; set aside. Slice the orange in half and squeeze out 2 teaspoons of juice. Slice the strawberries and mix them in a medium bowl with the orange juice and strawberry preserves. In another bowl, stir the sugar and orange zest into the Yogurt Cheese. Spoon the yogurt mixture into the pie shell and spread the strawberry mixture over the top. (If the strawberries are not very juicy, you may need to add a little more orange juice to make the topping spreadable). Refrigerate the pie until firm, about 2 hours. Makes 8 Servings. Per Serving: 245 Cal; 5 g Total Fat (1 g Sat Fat); 39 g Carb; 172 mg Sodium; 553 mg Potassium; 13 g Protein; 2 g Fiber. Exchanges: 1 Starch; 1 Fruit; 1 Reduced-Fat Milk. YOGURT CHEESE 2 cups plain nonfat yogurt Place a fine-mesh colander over a medium bowl. Spoon the yogurt into the colander, and let it drain. Cover with plastic wrap, and store in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours to make a stiff yogurt cheese. (It is ready when the bowl contains a good amount of liquid and the yogurt has thickened to the consistency of cream cheese). Makes 1 Cup. Per 1/4 Cup: 64 Cal; 0 g Total Fat; 9 g Carb; 87 mg Sodium; 290 mg Potassium; 7 g Protein. Exchanges: 1 Fat-Free Milk. **Check the label: Yogurts made with L. thermophilus or L. bulgaricus and other exotically named cultures are usually relatively sweet; yogurts made with L. acidolphilus alone tend to be a little tart. If you can buy Stoneyfield Farm plain yogurt where you live, try it -- it's so good you can eat it right out of the carton. One more thing, the label should say "made with live yogurt cultures." BLACKBERRY BREAKFAST BARS 16 oz fresh, frozen or canned blackberries Set oven temperature to 400°F degrees. Prepare a 9- x 13- x 2-inch baking pan by spraying with vegetable cooking spray. Thaw berries if frozen. Warm berries in saucepan until the juices run. (If using canned berries, omit this step and simply drain berries from can, reserving juices.) Reserve one cup of juice, adding water if necessary to make one cup. Combine cooled reserved juice with cornstarch and lemon juice. Cook and stir until thickened. Gently stir in blackberries. Set aside. Combine flour, oats, brown sugar, baking powder, salt and spices. Cut in butter until crumbly. Press 2/3 of mixture into greased baking pan. Bake 15 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool slightly; spread blackberries over this crust. Crumble remaining flour/oat mixture over berry layer and press lightly. Bake 20-25 minutes more, until lightly browned. Cool in pan. Cut into 24 Bars. Per Bar: 191 Cal; 9 g Total Fat; 25 g Carb; 20 mg Cholesterol; 173 mg Sodium; 34 mg Calcium; 4 g Protein. Exchanges: 1-1/2 Starch; 1/4 Fruit; 2 Fat.
BLACKBERRY PEACH COOLER 2 cups Oregon blackberries, fresh or frozen Crush or purée berries and strain through a fine sieve to yield approximately 1 cup purée. (If berries are frozen, partially thaw before crushing.) Combine purée with remaining ingredients, stir and pour into chilled glasses. Sparkling mineral water makes a nice addition and may be added to glasses if desired. Makes 4 Servings. Per Serving: 125 Cal; <1/2 g Total Fat; 32 g Carb; 00 mg Cholesterol; 7 mg Sodium; 28 mg Cholesterol; 1 g Protein. Exchanges: 2 Fruit.
RASPBERRY
YOGURT MUFFINS Vegetable cooking spray Preheat the oven to 400°F. Lightly coat 12 muffin cups with cooking spray or line with paper muffin liners. In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Make a well in the center. In another bowl, whisk together the orange juice, oil, almond extract, yogurt and egg. Add to the dry ingredients and stir just until the dry ingredients are moistened. Do not overmix! Gently fold in the raspberries. Divide the batter among the muffin cups and sprinkle each with some of the sliced almonds. Bake until golden, about 16 to 18 minutes. Remove from the pan and let cool on a wire rack. Makes 12 Muffins. Per Muffin: 156 Cal; 3 g Total Fat; 27 g Carb; 18 mg Cholesterol; 192 mg Sodium; 113 mg Potassium; 4 g Protein; 1 g Fiber. Joslin Choices: 2 Carbs (2 Bread/Starch).
BLUEBERRY
SMOOTHIE 1 cup skim or lowfat (1%) milk Mix ingredients and blend in food processor or blender until smooth and creamy. Refrigerate until served. Makes 4 (6oz) Servings. Per (3/4 cup) Serving: 113 Cal; 1 g
Total Fat; 23 g Carb; 53 mg Sodium; 121 mg Calcium; 4 g Protein. Exchanges: 1 Fruit;
SUMMER SALAD WITH
BERRIES AND 2 Tbsp lightly salted macadamia nuts,
toasted, divided Finely mince half the nuts in a small food processor with the shallots. Transfer to a small bowl; mix in rice vinegar, grape juice concentrate, salt and oil. Chop remaining nuts and set aside. Reserving 2 Tbsp, pour dressing over the greens and toss. P.lace greens on serving plate and arrange berries, mango and kiwi on top. Drizzle fruit with remaining dressing and sprinkle with remaining nuts. Makes 4 Servings. Per Serving: 154 Cal; 7 g Total Fat; 21 g Carb; 00 mg Cholesterol; 338 mg Sodium; 77 mg Calcium; 3 g Protein. Exchanges: 1 Veg; 1/2 Fruit; 1 Fat.
VERY BERRY
SWIRL 1 (12.3 oz) package light and firm silken
tofu Purée the tofu and berries in a blender or food processor; add apple juice concentrate, yogurt and honey, if using. Process until blended, 1 to 2 minutes. Serve immediately, or transfer to storage container, cover and chill. Makes 4 (1 cup) Servings. Per Serving: 143 Cal; 1 g Fat; 27 g Carb; 00 mg Cholesterol; 106 mg Sodium; 93 mg Calcium; 8g Protein; 3 g Fiber. Exchanges: 2 Fruit; 1 Med-Fat Meat. MANGO
BLUEBERRY STRUDEL 2 cups fresh blueberries (or frozen, thawed
and drained) Preheat oven to 375°F. Prepare baking sheet by spraying with vegetable cooking spray. Toss blueberries with flour. In a large bowl, combine mango, blueberries, sugar, lemon juice and cinnamon. Lay 2 phyllo sheets, one on top of the other; brush with melted margarine. layer another 2 phyllo sheets on top and brush with melted margarine. Layer last 2 sheets on top. Put fruit filling along long end of phyllo; gently roll over until all of filling is enclosed, fold sides in, and continue to roll. Put on prepared baking sheet, brush with remaining margarine and bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden. Sprinkle with icing sugar. Makes 8 Servings. Tip: Phyllo pastry is located in the freezer section of the store. Handle very quickly so the sheets do not dry out. Cover those not being used with a slightly damp towl or cloth. Per Serving: 147 Cal; 2 g Total Fat; 31 g Carb; 00 mg Cholesterol; 101 mg Sodium; 2 g Protein; 2 g Fiber. Exchanges: 1/2 Starch; 1 Fruit; 1/3 Other Carbohydrate; 1/2 Fat.
SUMMER'S
BEST BERRY CRISP 3 cups fresh raspberries Combine berries and 1/4 cup sugar in a 2-quart baking dish coated with cooking spray. Stir lightly; sprinkle with vanilla. Combine flour, brown sugar, and pumpkin pie spice in a medium bowl. Cut in margarine with a pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add oats; toss well. Sprinkle topping over berry mixture. Bake, uncovered, at 400°F for 30 minutes. Serve warm. Makes 8 Servings. Per Serving: 241 Cal; 6 g Total Fat (1 g Sat Fat): 46 g Carb; 00 mg Cholesterol; 92 mg Sodium; 3 g Protein; 7 g Fiber. Exchanges: 1 Starch; 2 Fruit; 1 Fat.
MIXED
BERRY YOGURT SMOOTHIE 1 (16-ounce) container plain, nonfat yogurt In a blender or food processor fitted with a metal blade, place the yogurt, frozen berries, sugar substitute, and vanilla. Process until the mixture becomes smooth. Add the ice cubes and juice. Process again until all the ice cubes have been incorporated. Pour into 4 glasses and garnish with slices of strawberry and a sprig of mint. Makes 4 Servings. Per Serving: 103 Cal; 00 g Total Fat; 23 g Carb; 2 mg Cholesterol; 69 mg Sodium; 148 mg Potassium; 6 g Protein; 2 g Fiber. Joslin Choices: 1-1/2 Carb (1 Fruit; 1/2 Nonfat Milk).
BLUEBERRY
CREAM CHEESE PIE 1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs (4 crackers) Combine graham cracker crumbs and margarine in a small bowl. Press mixture into bottom of a 9-inch shallow pie plate. Bake at 350°F for 7 minutes or until lightly browned. Let cool. Combine cornstarch and 1/4 cup water; stir well and set aside. Combine blueberries, remaining 1/4 cup water, 1/3 cup sugar, and lemon juice in a saucepan. Cook over medium-high heat 7 to 8 minutes or until blueberries are soft. Reduce heat to low, and add cornstarch mixture. Bring to a boil; cook 1 minute or until thickened. Remove from heat and cool slightly. Combine cream cheese and remaining 1/3 cup sugar; beat at medium speed of mixer until smooth. Fold in whipped topping. Spoon cream cheese mixture over graham cracker crust. Spread blueberry mixture over cream cheese mixture. Cover and chill at least 2 hours or until set. Makes 8 Servings. Per Serving: 247 Cal; 10 g Total Fat (5 g Sat Fat); 35 g Carb; 22 mg Cholesterol; 202 mg Sodium; 4 g Protein; 1 g Fiber. Exchanges: 1 Starch; 1 Fruit; 2 Fat.
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