This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Albertsons. All opinions are 100% mine.

While I’m not the biggest fan of Valentine’s Day (*ahem* Singles Awareness Day), I can always get behind some chocolate covered strawberries, no matter the time of year! Even better — they are about the easiest treat to make and only require three ingredients.

I purchased my ingredients at my local Albertsons. But if you’re short on time, any of the Albertsons Companies family of stores, including Safeway, ACME Markets, Jewel-Osco, Randalls, Shaw’s Supermarket, Star Market, Tom Thumb and Vons, offer a wide variety of options for Valentine’s Day, including pre-made chocolate-dipped strawberries, custom floral designs, wine, meat and seafood, custom bakery treats, and more.

And if you want to make things even quicker, Albertsons and Safeway also offer Grocery Delivery and DriveUp & Go for convenient ways to shop! I’ve used this service before and it truly is simple, fast, and efficient.

The strawberries available at Albertsons were bright, plump and shiny — perfect for making these chocolate covered strawberries. Combine semi-sweet chocolate chips and a little coconut oil and you’re ready to rock!

First, wash the berries and make sure they’re dry. You can either let them air dry or dry them with a kitchen towel, but it’s important that they’re no longer wet, otherwise your melted chocolate won’t stick to them.

Next, melt your chocolate along with the coconut oil, taking time to stir between heating time in the microwave. After the chocolate is totally smooth, get your dry berries set to dip, and prepare a small baking tray covered with parchment paper to place your chocolate covered strawberries on.

The key to a good dip is to hold the strawberry by its green top and then dip and swirl the berry around in the melted chocolate. Try to ensure that the chocolate comes as close to the green top as possible. If you have excess chocolate on the berry after its covered, just gently wipe one side on the side of your chocolate bowl and then place that side down onto your parchment paper.

Repeat the process until all the berries are covered and then pop those beautiful little treats into your fridge to set.

Lastly, try not to eat them all before you give them as a surprise. (But I do recommend a quality control sample or two. ) And, it’s totally legit to surprise yourself with these — treating yourself well as a single person is important, too.

Chocolate Covered Strawberries

 

Print

Prep time

3 mins

Cook time

3 mins

Total time

6 mins

 

Chocolate covered strawberries make for an easy, fast, beautiful dessert!

Author: Big Sky, Little Kitchen

Recipe type: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Makes: approximately 22 medium berries

Ingredients

• 16 ounces fresh strawberries
• 8 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1 Tablespoon coconut oil

Instructions

1. Wash the strawberries and let them air dry completely, or dry them off with a clean dish towel or paper towel. (Chocolate won't stick to wet strawberries.)
2. Add chocolate chips and coconut oil to a small microwave safe bowl. Heat the mixture in the microwave in 20 second increments, stirring well after each heating, until the mixture is melted and smooth.
3. Dip strawberries into the melted chocolate, one at a time. Hold strawberry by the leaves, dip into chocolate, swirl, and coat all sides.
4. Lift the berry and allow any excess chocolate to drip off. Place the berry onto a parchment-covered baking sheet.
5. Repeat until all strawberries are chocolate-coated. Transfer the dipped strawberries to refrigerator and let the chocolate set for about 15 minutes.

Notes

Store berries in a single layer in an airtight container in the refrigerator. For best results, enjoy within one day of making.

3.4.3177

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Albertsons. All opinions are 100% mine.

The dawn of a new year traditionally invites people to clean the slate, so to speak. And many folks use this as an opportunity to introduce healthy practices into their lifestyle. (Happy New Year, by the way!) While I’m a huge proponent of living mindfully and healthfully, I’m also not one to push for diets or fads or changes that cause you to just beat yourself up. That’s the opposite of healthy. All that said, if you want to introduce some better choices into your routine, whipping up this healthy green smoothie is a great way to start!

And when I say whip it up, I mean whip it up. This delicious smoothie comes together in just a few minutes with minimal ingredients! The recipe was made even quicker by the fact that I took advantage of Albertsons‘ DriveUp & Go for a super convenient way to shop.

As I mentioned above, the smoothie requires just five ingredients — a banana or two, frozen peaches and frozen mangos, spinach and some water. As someone who is mindful about what I put into my body, I opted to use O Organics® brand peaches, mangos, and spinach, which are all certified USDA organic.

But what does that actually mean? According to the USDA’s website:

USDA certified organic foods are grown and processed according to federal guidelines addressing, among many factors, soil quality, animal raising practices, pest and weed control, and use of additives. Organic producers rely on natural substances and physical, mechanical, or biologically based farming methods to the fullest extent possible.

Produce can be called organic if it’s certified to have grown on soil that had no prohibited substances applied for three years prior to harvest. Prohibited substances include most synthetic fertilizers and pesticides.

Pesticides are no joke, so when I can’t grow my own food, I purchase organic to avoid ingesting a dangerous pesticide cocktail.

This healthy green smoothie makes about one large serving or two small ones so you can share with a friend. I love it because it’s an easy way to get some greens into my system, without needing to eat them in a salad. And, I can assure you, this smoothie in no way tastes like spinach. It would also be a great way to sneak greens into kiddos, too! (I’ve heard some folks get their kids excited by the green color and tell them it’s a Shrek drink – smart!)

Overall, this recipe is light, bright, and fruity. If you’d like to add a little extra protein in your drink, feel free to toss in a bit of plain, low fat greek yogurt and just increase the water so your smoothie isn’t too thick.

Once you’re ready to go, throw all your ingredients into a blender, puree away and you’re set! Enjoy at breakfast, as a healthy snack, or (my personal favorite), after a workout.

I shopped at Albertsons in my local area to score these ingredients, but you can also look for similar products at any of the Albertsons Companies family of stores, including Safeway, ACME Markets, Jewel-Osco, Randalls, Shaw’s Supermarket, Star Market, Tom Thumb and Vons.

Healthy Green Smoothie

 

Print

Prep time

3 mins

Total time

3 mins

 

Whip up a healthy green smoothie in just a few minutes with minimal ingredients!

Author: Big Sky, Little Kitchen

Recipe type: Drinks

Cuisine: American

Makes: 1

Ingredients

• 1 to 2 bananas (I usually opt for 1)
• ½ cup O Organics frozen peaches
• ½ cup O Organics frozen mango
• A couple large handfuls of O Organics baby spinach
• 4 to 8 ounces of water, depending on how thick or thin you prefer your smoothie
• 4 ounces non fat, plain greek yogurt (optional)

Instructions

1. Add all your ingredients to your blender, layering heavier ingredients at the bottom.
2. Add enough water to blend, and enjoy!

3.4.3177

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Albertsons. All opinions are 100% mine.

Baked apples aren’t typically a “wow” of the dessert world. But I’d like to help you change your opinion on that with some baked Honeycrisp apples. These baked apples are perfectly cooked (not mushy!) still retain a slight al dente feel to them, but have all the taste and goodness of hot apple pie. And they’re super easy to make! Not a lot of prep, no crust to toil over and roll out — what’s not to like?

Now, don’t get me wrong. I love pie. Like LOVE. And I love making a traditional pie with a homemade crust. But sometimes you just want something quick, easy, satisfying and ultra cozy. (And maybe slightly healthier. ) That’s where baked apples come in.

I honestly don’t usually think of Honeycrisp apples as a variety you’d want to bake. But, I think for this recipe, you’ll find that they’re the perfect apple — they’re sweet, they don’t fall apart when baking, and they’re pretty easy to find.

Speaking of which, I shopped at Albertsons in my local area to pick up these apples, but you can also look for similar products at any of the Albertsons Companies family of stores, including ACME Markets, Jewel-Osco, Randalls, Shaw’s Supermarket, Safeway, Star Market, Tom Thumb and Vons.

The virus is still running rampant in Missoula, so I opted to stay out of the store and use Albertsons DriveUp & Go for a convenient way to shop, which I really appreciate. (Also, the folks who bring out my groceries are always so nice! And yep, masks are always in place — both on them and on me.)

After picking up my apples and ingredients for this recipe, it was a pretty quick make!

Just wash your apples (always wash your produce!), cut off the tops, and remove the core (plus just a little extra) from the inside of each apple. (Those little extra bits are tasty!) I found it easiest to do this with a melon baller tool, but you could also use an apple corer or a paring knife. Just make that that you don’t pierce through the bottom of the apple. Retaining that base will help the apple keep its shape and prevent it from becoming waterlogged.

After you’ve got your apples ready, mix the apple “stuffing,” and pack it in to each apple when it’s all set to go.

At this point you’re almost done!

The last step is to top each apple with a pat of butter and a sprinkle of the sugar mixture, admire your handiwork and then pop those beauties into the oven for about a hour.

Truly — this is an easy and delicious recipe. Side bonus: your house will smell soooo good.

Once the apples are tender, remove them from the oven and serve warm in a small dish (you’ll want to be able to scoop up the caramelized goodness). You may even want to throw some ice cream into the mix. And enjoy!

Baked Honeycrisp Apples

 

Print

Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

60 mins

Total time

1 hour 10 mins

 

Baked Honeycrisp apples are an easy, delicious dessert!

Author: Big Sky, Little Kitchen

Recipe type: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Makes: 4

Ingredients

• 4 Honeycrisp apples, washed
• ½ cup brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• ¼ cup dried cranberries
• ¼ cup chopped walnuts or pecans
• Dash of salt
• 4 Tablespoons butter

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350° F.
2. Slice the top portion off the apples and scoop out the core with an apple-corer or melon-baller tool, leaving a well in the center. Be sure not to cut through the bottom of the apples.
3. In a medium bowl, mix the brown sugar, cinnamon, cranberries, walnuts (or pecans), and salt until blended.
4. Reserve about a teaspoon and half of the brown sugar mixture, and stuff each apple with ¼ of the remaining mixture. It's ok to pack it in if you need to and mound the top a little.
5. Place the apples in a deep baking dish (an 8"x8" baking dish works well). Top each apple with 1 Tablespoon of butter and a sprinkle of the reserved brown sugar mixture.
6. Pour about ½" to 1" of water into the baking pan around the apples, and bake for 50 to 60 minutes, until apples are tender.
7. Serve the apples warm. If you'd like, top them with whipped cream, a caramel sauce, or serve with a scoop of ice cream.

Notes

After baking, cover and refrigerate the apples for up to 4 days, then warm at 325° before serving.
You can also reheat Individual apples at 50% power in a microwave.

3.4.3177

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Albertsons. All opinions are 100% mine.

One of the easiest things we can do with the abundance of summertime fresh produce (including fresh blackberries) is to make an easy, healthy blackberry jam with it! I’m also a fan of reducing the amount of refined sugar in my diet, so this recipe speaks to that desire by replacing refined sugar with nature’s candy – honey.

I shopped at Albertsons in my local Montana area to pick up these blackberries, but you can also find a beautiful assortment of fresh produce at any of the Albertsons Companies family of stores, including Safeway, ACME Markets, Jewel-Osco, Randalls, Shaw’s Supermarket, Star Market, Tom Thumb and Vons.

The best part about this jam is the simple list of ingredients – blackberries and honey! And, really, you could use any summer fruit. Strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, or Flathead cherries are just a few that come to mind. As long as you can boil the fruit down and to a thicker, jam consistency, then you’re set!

Blackberries are particularly nice, though, because they naturally contain a higher amount of pectin than, say, strawberries, which helps the jam to thicken up. What exactly is pectin? Pectin is a carbohydrate found mostly in the skin and core of raw fruit. In nature, it functions as the structural “cement” that helps hold cell walls together. And, it also happens to help hold jams together, too!

Keep in mind that you’ll want to choose a pot with just a little extra headroom (about an inch or so is fine) because the blackberries will start bubbling and producing the prettiest, pinky-purple foam as they begin to cook down. If the bubbling bothers you, you can knock it back by stirring regularly. I used a 3-quart pot and had no issues when making the jam.

Did you know that blackberries are packed fully of Vitamin C? “Vitamin C is integral to collagen formation in bones, connective tissue, and blood vessels.” They’re also high in fiber, a great source of Vitamin K, high in manganese, they may boost brain health, and they help support oral health due to their anti-inflammatory qualities. Lastly, one cup of raw blackberries has only 62 calories, 1 gram of fat, and 14 carbs. (Source: Healthline) Pretty darn great if you ask me!

While most people use jam on toast or in sandwiches, you can always get creative with your jam in other ways too! This healthy blackberry jam is especially tasty on pancakes, muffins, and crepes, and I love to make a healthy dessert by swirling some into non-fat plain greek yogurt for a creamy, healthy treat.

If that sounds good to you, did you know that you can make it even easier on yourself with grocery delivery from Albertsons? Albertsons and Safeway also offer Grocery Delivery and Drive Up & Go for convenient ways to shop!

What sorts of things do you love to make with fresh blackberries? I’d love to hear your thoughts! Don’t forget to check Albertsons’ Weekly Ad for deals!

Healthy Blackberry Jam

 

Print

Prep time

2 mins

Cook time

30 mins

Total time

32 mins

 

Easy, healthy blackberry jam makes summer produce the star and keeps refined sugar on the sidelines.

Author: Big Sky, Little Kitchen

Makes: Approximately 1.5 pints

Ingredients

• 5 cups fresh blackberries (about 2½ pounds)
• ½ cup honey or 1 cup white sugar

Instructions

1. Wash the blackberries well. Add all fruit to a medium-sized sauce pot (about 3 quarts is good). Add the honey (or white sugar if you're using it in place of the honey) to the pot. Stir to combine.
2. Place the pot on medium to medium-low heat and simmer covered for about 10 minutes. (Stir to keep any bubbling down.) Remove the lid and allow the fruit to cook for another 20 minutes while you stir from time to time. Make sure the fruit doesn't scorch. If the fruit mixture looks too thin, keep cooking and monitoring regularly until it's a thicker consistency and most of the liquid has boiled off.
3. Once the jam is gelling, transfer to a glass container to cool. Once cooled, store in the fridge.

Notes

If your jam isn't coming together at 30 minutes, this likely means you're cooking at too low a temperature. But don't give up! Keep cooking until most of the liquid has cooked off and you're left with a jam consistency to your fruit.

If you'd like, you can squeeze 2-3 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice into your blackberries at the start of your cooking, too.

3.4.3177

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Albertsons. All opinions are 100% mine.

If there’s one thing I love about summer, it’s definitely the abundance of fresh summer fruit healthy snacks! Strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, and those beautiful Flathead cherries are all favorites of mine to satisfy my sweet tooth, but also still toe the healthy line. These fruits are available at most Albertsons and Safeway stores within Missoula, but be sure to ask a store near you!

Speaking of which, did you know that “fruits are an excellent source of essential vitamins and minerals, and they are high in fiber? Fruits also provide a wide range of health-boosting antioxidants, including flavonoids.” Additionally, “eating a diet high in fruits and vegetables can reduce a person’s risk of developing heart disease, cancer, inflammation, and diabetes. Citrus fruits and berries may be especially powerful for preventing disease.” (Source: Medical News Today)

The fruits that I picked up from Albertsons make it so easy to encourage healthy snacking. No chopping required! No baking in the heat of the summer! Just a good rinse under some water and you’re set to pop ’em in your mouth, or top off a healthy smoothie recipe. I shopped at Albertsons in my local Montana area to score these goodies, but you can also find a beautiful assortment of fresh, quality produce at any of the Albertsons Companies family of stores, including Safeway, ACME Markets, Jewel-Osco, Vons, Randalls, Shaw’s Supermarket, Star Market and Tom Thumb.

I was pretty impressed by the quality of the fruits they offer at Albertsons. (And, when I went they had a 3 for $6 deal that was a pleasant surprise – keep in mind that this kind of deal may vary depending on where you’re located.) They were all beautiful, ripe, and the most important part, tasty! Flathead cherries weren’t yet in season when I made my fruit purchase, but definitely keep your eyes open for them as these gems will sell quickly! For all of you hikers out there, throwing some fresh fruit in my day pack is high on my list of essentials. I can tell you from experience there is absolutely nothing better than reaching the top of a peak after a grueling climb, plopping yourself down on a sun-warmed rock, whipping out a juicy strawberry or cherry and biting into that deliciousness as you survey the world from the tippy top of your new viewpoint.

And, if you’ve just spent a gorgeous day outside and would rather expend your energy anywhere else than on a grocery shopping excursion, don’t forget that Albertsons and Safeway also offer Grocery Delivery and Drive Up & Go for convenient ways to shop! Even better – keep an eye out for regular deals in their Albertsons weekly ad.

What are some of your favorite summer fruits? How do you love to use them and their easy pack-ability? How do you incorporate fruits in your healthy lifestyle? I’d love to hear your ideas!

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Safeway. All opinions are 100% mine.

Montana seems to have finally gotten the memo that it’s summer, and the temperatures are thankfully beginning to get a bit warmer after a long, cool spring! With these warmer temps, it’s only natural to crave a refreshingly cool, summery drink to chill down after a hot day in the sun. And my recipe for pineapple-peach mojito mocktails (featuring two new flavors of Signature SELECT Soleil sparkling water) will certainly do the trick!

First things first, this is a ridiculously easy recipe to make – you need just five ingredients and you’re set to go! Sugar, fresh peaches, fresh mint, peach flavor and pineapple flavor sparkling water! That’s it!

If peach and pineapple aren’t your thing, keep in mind that Signature SELECT Soleil sparkling water is unveiling a bunch of new flavors, including Peach, Pure, Apple, Pineapple, Caffeine Lime, Caffeine Blood Orange and Caffeine Grapefruit. Discover savings and more great items like this here!

I used two cans of peach and two cans of pineapple sparkling water. However, you can get away with just four ingredients by using four cans of a single flavor. For instance, four cans of peach or four cans of pineapple. But I personally love how these two flavors mix together.

Muddling the fresh mint leaves and freshly sliced peaches is and important step to meld the flavors, so don’t skip it! If you’re unfamiliar with what muddling does, “to muddle” means to press the ingredients against the side of the glass with a muddler. Muddling is an essential step in many summer drinks that use fresh produce and herbs because it helps to release the flavors of the fresh ingredients so they bind with your drink better. If you don’t own a muddler (I admit, I don’t), you can muddle the peaches and mint in this recipe either with the back of a wooden spoon, or even a pastry blender. I used a pastry blender and it worked great!

Some of you may also find yourself wondering if mint and peach really go well together. I’m here to answer that question with a resounding, “Yes!” The way this drink is put together ensures that the mint flavor isn’t overly strong – it simply adds a refreshing profile to the overall drink. I promise you, it won’t remind you of toothpaste! (And that is a very good thing!)

On a very hot day, I’d recommend chilling your sparkling water beforehand to make the coolness of your drink last longer (along with the help of the ice cubes, of course).

If you’re someone who’s trying to be more aware of your sugar intake, you could also easily reduce the amount of simple syrup included in the recipe and this drink would still be delightfully tasty, just a little less sweet! Just adjust the sparkling water to taste to account for the reduced simple syrup volume.

Also, did you know that Safeway offers Grocery Delivery and Drive Up & Go for convenient ways to shop? I haven’t personally used the service, but saving a little extra time is always something that’s worthy of being explored!

Overall, I’m a huge fan of this recipe. It’s quick to put together, unbelievably pretty, really refreshing, and would be such a nice treat to serve at a barbecue or get-together. Or, heck, just for yourself after a day floating the river! And, adding your alcohol-of-choice to this drink would be exceptionally easy, too if you’d prefer more of a cocktail and less of a mocktail.

If you don’t drink it all in one go, it also holds up well over a couple of days in the fridge. You’ll lose some of the “sparkle” of the sparkling water, but there’s still a slight “zing” to it, and the side bonus is that the flavors have even more time to meld, blend, and really do some great things.

I shopped at Safeway in my local area to find these new Soleil flavors, but you can also find Signature SELECT Soleil exclusively at the Albertsons Companies family of stores, including Albertsons, ACME Markets, Jewel-Osco, Randalls, Shaw’s Supermarket, Star Market, Tom Thumb and Vons. These new flavors are available at most stores within the Intermountain Division. Be sure to ask a store near you if they carry these flavors!

And lastly, enjoy!

Pineapple-Peach Mojito Mocktails

 

Print

Prep time

10 mins

Total time

10 mins

 

Author: Big Sky, Little Kitchen

Recipe type: Drinks

Ingredients

• 1 cup of granulated sugar (mixed with ¾ cup of hot water to form a simple syrup)
• 3-4 peaches, pitted and sliced
• 1 bunch of mint leaves (about 1 cup of loose leaves, saving some for garnish)
• 2 cans Peach Signature SELECT Soleil sparkling water
• 2 cans Pineapple Signature SELECT Soleil sparkling water
• 2 trays of ice (about 24 ice cubes)

Instructions

1. Make the simple syrup by either turning your faucet to hot and filling up a measuring cup with ¾ cup of hot water, then pour in the 1 cup of sugar and stir until it dissolves. If your faucet water isn't hot enough you can microwave your water until you reach a temperature that will dissolve the sugar (usually about a minute is good).
2. In a medium-sized bowl, add the peach slices and the mint leaves (leaving out a few of both peaches and mint for garnish), and pour half the simple syrup in. If you have a muddler use that to muddle the peaches and mint together until mint leaves are torn and bruised and peaches are mashed down a bit into smaller chunks. If you don't have a muddler, you can do this with the back of a spoon, or even a pastry blender.
3. Pour the muddle mixture into a pitcher, along with the remaining simple syrup.
4. Add the ice into the pitcher, pour in the peach and pineapple Signature SELECT Soleil sparkling waters, stir the mixture a few times, and you're done!
5. To serve, pour the mojitos into glasses and spoon in a few peach slices and mint sprigs for garnish, and enjoy!!

Notes

You can add an alcohol of your choice to turn the mocktail into a cocktail.
You can substitute 4 cans of peach Signature SELECT Soleil sparkling water, or 4 cans of pineapple Signature SELECT Soleil sparkling water for a more concentrated flavor of one or the other.
You can reduce the sugar in the simple syrup and replace with additional sparkling water for a less-sweet drink.
Be sure to serve promptly to retain the bubbly nature of the sparkling water!

3.4.3177

Ah, summertime. It’s toasty hot, I’m usually pretty exhausted from long hours spent photographing in the relentless sun, and all I crave is, what feels like, bucket-fulls of fresh fruit. Enter this peach blackberry and strawberry fruit salad with basil, lime and pepper. So easy, so fast, and so bright with fresh flavor!

 I also love that this fruit salad takes the interest level up a notch by adding in the black pepper. Quite honestly, it may sound like a pretty odd addition to a fruit salad, but trust me – it’s a perfect pairing and gives it just a little kick to make your tastebuds really darn happy.

 As far as fruit salads go, this one scores top marks for me not only because of its great flavor, but for the fact that it’s not loaded with sugar, and uses mostly natural sugars already found in the fruit.

This comes together lickety-split, so do yourself and your tastebuds a favor and make it for dinner or your next picnic!

Peach Blackberry and Strawberry Fruit Salad with Basil, Lime and Pepper

 

Print

Prep time

25 mins

Total time

25 mins

 

Author: Big Sky, Little Kitchen

Recipe type: Salad

Makes: 4 to 6 servings

Ingredients

• 4 teaspoons sugar
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• 3 peaches (about 6 ounces each), halved, pitted, and cut into ½-inch pieces
• 10 ounces (about 2 cups) blackberries
• 10 ounces strawberries, hulled and quartered lengthwise (about 2 cups)
• 1 to 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

Instructions

1. Combine sugar, basil and pepper in a large bowl. Using a rubber spatula, press the mixture into the side of the bowl until sugar becomes damp, about 30 seconds.
2. Gently toss fruit with sugar mixture until combined. Let sit at room temperature, stirring occasionally, until fruit releases its juices, about 15 minutes.
3. Stir in lime juice to taste and serve.

Notes

From The Cook's Illustrated Cookbook.

3.3.3070

It’s currently a sweltering 99 degrees in Missoula at the moment (with 102 degrees predicted for tomorrow – go home, June – you’re drunk!), and I find myself craving sweet desserts (as per usual), but nothing heavy, over-involved, or anything that requires much in the way heating up the house with too much oven time. Enter this little star of a summertime dessert: the delightfully light summer strawberry almond cream tart.

It’s everything a summertime dessert should be – low on fuss, low on bake time, high on natural summer flavors, and really darn pretty.

The other nice thing about this tart is that while you can bake it in a pretty tart pan, you don’t have to! I am currently tart pan-less, so I always make this in a standard 9″ springform pan. Easy peasy.

This particular recipe calls for a glaze, which you see in these photos, but you can also serve it without if you’d like and it’ll still be just as tasty.

Heck, if you want to Fourth-of-July it up, you could even throw some fresh blueberries in betwixt the strawberries as well. So, make this sweet little dessert for your next get together, stay cool and wow people with your dessert panache. All good in my book!

Summer Strawberry Almond Cream Tart

 

Print

Prep time

30 mins

Cook time

10 mins

Total time

40 mins

 

Author: Big Sky, Little Kitchen

Recipe type: Dessert

Makes: 10

Ingredients

Crust

• 9 sheets of honey graham crackers (that's usually one package)
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 tablespoons melted butter
• 4 teaspoons water
• Coconut oil (or cooking spray) to grease your pan

Filling

• ⅔ cup light cream cheese, room temperature
• ¼ cup sugar
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• ¼ teaspoon almond extract

Topping

• 6 cups fresh strawberries, divided
• ⅓ cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat your 9-inch removable-bottom tart pan or springform pan with coconut oil or cooking spray.
2. For the crust, place crackers in food processor and process until fine and crumbly. Add sugar, butter and water and pulse until just moist. Place mixture in pan, pressing into the bottom and up the sides of pan approximately ¾ inch. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes or until the crust is lightly browned. Remove and cool completely on a wire rack.
3. For filling, combine filling ingredients and stir or mix until smooth. Spread mixture evenly over bottom of cooled tart shell.
4. Combine 4 cups strawberries and juice and toss to coat. Arrange berries, bottoms up, in a circular pattern over the filling. Serve as-is after covering and chilling for 3 hours, or follow the next set of instructions to prepare the glaze.
5. For the optional glaze, place 2 cups of strawberries in food processor and process until pureed. Combine the puree, ⅔ cup sugar and cornstarch in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring with a whisk. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to low and cook 1 minute. Remove glaze from heat and cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally. Once cooled, spoon half of the glaze evenly over the berries. For more finessed coverage, use a silicone pastry brush to brush the tips of the berries with the glaze. Reserve remaining glaze for another use (or eat it all up!). Cover and chill for 3 hours.

Notes

Slightly adapted from a Cooking Light recipe.

3.3.3070

I’m usually more of a savory-for-breakfast kind of girl, but sometimes you have to go a little decadent and splurge on some good ol’ crispy-on-the-outside, warm-and-soft-on-the-inside belgian waffles with coconut whipped cream and strawberries.

And waffles are just fun to make and eat. As a kid I remember having a blast filling the iron and then, once the waffles were ready to be devoured, trying to get every little square filled with maple syrup and butter, pretending I was eating a syrup lake with lots of mini moats. Oh to be a kid!

I found that when making these waffles, I didn’t need to grease my waffle-maker, but if your iron sometimes has troubles with the final waffle sticking to the inside, then you might want to grease it before each addition of batter.

Instead of topping these waffles with butter, I’ve opted for a lovely dollop of coconut whipped cream. If you’d like to do this, too, you’ll want to plan ahead to make sure your whipped cream is ready to use in the morning (or whenever you choose to serve these – I’m a *huge* fan of breakfast for dinner!).

The coconut whipped cream is made from the solids from a can of full-fat coconut milk. This comes about by refrigerating the can overnight to separate the solid from the liquid and get the cream nice and firm. It’s important to note that you’ll want to use a coconut milk brand that does NOT use guar gum, and it MUST be full fat. The guar gum prevents the solid and liquid from separating, but we want these two things separated, so avoid the guar gum or you’ll run into difficulties making the coconut whipped cream. I used the Sun Luck brand, and it also appears as though the Goya brand would work well too.

Top everything everything with diced, fresh strawberries (the better to fit in those squares!), and a splash of maple syrup – the real stuff from the trees, no imitations here.

Also, random sidenote – who on earth thought to stick a tap into a tree and drink its sap? I’m forever grateful to the people who have come up with these strange, awesome, and tasty things.

These waffles also boast a little extra flavor from just a hint of two of my favorite spices, nutmeg and cinnamon. However, if you’d rather have a non-spiced and more savory waffle as your vehicle for the coconut cream and strawberries (or whatever else you’d like to top this with), then feel free to leave the spices out. But I tell you – they taste great in this mixture!

Make sure to serve these babies hot off the waffle iron, but if you find yourself with a few extra, they can easily be reheated in the oven or a toaster oven for a few minutes to bring back that crisp outside texture.

And enjoy! Justify all this decadence with a good hike in the mountains, knowing that you’ve just treated yourself to a solid, and exceptionally tasty energy boost.

Belgian Waffles with Coconut Whipped Cream and Strawberries

 

Print

Prep time

15 mins

Cook time

20 mins

Total time

35 mins

 

Author: Big Sky, Little Kitchen
Barely adapted from Something Swanky and Oh She Glows

Recipe type: Breakfast

Makes: Approximately 6 belgian-style waffles

Ingredients

For the Waffles:

• 1¾ cup all-purpose flour
• ¼ cup corn starch
• 2 tbsp. sugar
• 1 tbsp. baking powder
• ¼ tsp. salt
• 2 eggs
• ½ cup almond milk
• ½ cup heavy cream
• ¾ cup buttermilk
• ½ cup cooking oil
• 1½ tsp. vanilla
• ⅛ tsp. nutmeg
• ½ tsp cinnamon

For the Coconut Whipped Cream

• 1 can full-fat coconut milk without guar gum as an ingredient, chilled overnight
• 2 tsp. sugar or maple syrup
• ½ tsp. vanilla

Instructions

For the Waffles:

1. Get your waffle iron nice and hot and ready to go.
2. Whisk all of the ingredients together in a large bowl until smooth.
3. Pour approximately ½ cup batter onto the hot waffle iron, and cook to your preferred darkness, or follow your waffle-maker's instructions.
4. Serve hot with a dollop of coconut whipped cream, diced fresh strawberries and a splash of real maple syrup.

For the Coconut Whipped Cream:

1. Ensure your can of full-fat coconut milk has been chilled overnight to make the coconut solids nice and firm.
2. Remove the can from your fridge and flip it upside down to bring the liquid to the top. Open the can and pour the liquid into a bowl or plastic container for storage. (You can use this later in yummy smoothies!)
3. Scoop out the firm coconut cream from the can and place it into a medium to large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer.
4. Whip the cream until light and fluffy.
5. Add in your preferred sweetener and vanilla and whip again. Serve with your waffles.

Notes

If you'd rather not use the almond milk, cream and buttermilk in the waffles, you can just use regular milk. But I liked how decadent the cream made this and how the buttermilk added just a bit of tang.

If you don't eat all of these in one sitting, you can reheat your waffles in a 325 degree oven for 5 minutes. Leftover coconut cream stores well in the fridge - just scoop into a bowl and stir or re-whip when ready to use again.

3.3.2998

I have a decidedly wicked sweet tooth, so when I come across recipes that satisfy my craving for sweets in a pretty healthful way like this coconut chia seed pudding with strawberries, then you can bet your boots I’ll be shouting across the mountaintops about it.

To knock it out of the park, this recipe is easy and really quick to put together. You just have to exercise a little patience as you wait for those magical little chia seeds to set overnight.

But oooooh, let me tell you. The wait is definitely worth it.

Because this pudding features coconut milk that’s low in calories (I call for something along the lines of what Silk offers, not the coconut milk from a can, though you could certainly use this – it’d just add some fat) and non-fat greek yogurt, you can even indulge in this for breakfast.

I can tell you, this makes for a great treat to wake up to in the morning – especially if, like me, you’re absolutely NOT a morning person. Those fresh strawberries and the creaminess of this pudding are just the perfect way to get you going for the day.

This recipe serves about four, but I can assure you you’ll probably want to double it, as it tends to disappear quickly it’s just that good.

Coconut Chia Seed Pudding with Strawberries

 

Print

Prep time

40 mins

Total time

40 mins

 

Author: Big Sky, Little Kitchen
Adapted from this Chia Seed Pudding recipe

Makes: 4 servings

Ingredients

• 1 cup unflavored coconut milk
• 1 cup plain non-fat Greek yogurt
• 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• ⅛ teaspoon Kosher salt
• ¼ cup chia seeds
• 6 to 8 large strawberries, hulled and chopped or sliced

Instructions

1. In a medium-size bowl combine the coconut milk, yogurt, maple syrup, vanilla and salt. Whisk gently until blended and creamy. Add in the chia seeds and whisk until coated and combined.
2. Let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. If you feel the seeds have settled into the mixture a bit, stir to redistribute. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
3. The next day, prepare your strawberries. Spoon the pudding mixture into four bowls or glasses and top with even amounts of strawberries and serve.

Nutrition Information

Serving size: 1 Calories: 161 Fat: 4.5g Saturated fat: 1.3g Unsaturated fat: 2.6 g Trans fat: 0g Carbohydrates: 20.1g Sugar: 11.6g Sodium: 155mg Fiber: 6g Protein: 9.4g Cholesterol: 2.5mg

3.3.2998