Is there something fairly just like the sweet-nectar aroma of completely ripe strawberries blended with a little bit of heat earth on a sunny day? This description brings again vivid recollections of my childhood, after I picked strawberries with my household within the Pacific Northwest on the close by U-pick strawberry farm. The strawberry farm’s coverage indicated you solely needed to pay for the quantity of strawberries you picked and positioned within the wood crates (not your stomach). So, oh how I gorged on the plumpest, ripest berries, toasty heat from the solar, letting the juices drip down my chin and onto my t-shirt!
When it’s strawberry season—which lasts lengthy in my neck of the woods in California, I simply can’t get sufficient of those candy, juicy berries. You’ll at all times discover a flat in my fridge, which I’ll use in cereals, salads, dips, smoothies, and fruit desserts. Better of all, they’re good as an excellent wholesome snack plain and easy, simply give them a fast rinse, and gobble them up.
Past superb style, they provide highly effective vitamin. Strawberries—like all North American berries—are potent in plant compounds linked with well being advantages. Not solely are they full of vitamin C and fiber, they’re wealthy with disease-protective phytochemicals that lend them their shiny purple colours. A physique of analysis reveals present that strawberries may help combat irritation, and scale back your danger of creating continual illnesses, resembling coronary heart illness, sort 2 diabetes, some varieties of most cancers, and neurodegenerative illnesses. That’s why I like to recommend consuming berries, together with strawberries, each single day. In reality, chances are you’ll need to intention for 8-a-day of strawberries for good well being. Whereas they’re in season now, take pleasure in them as typically as you possibly can. However you too can flip to frozen (even dried strawberries) within the low season.
Try my prime 5 methods to make use of strawberries under, and watch the video for one in all my favourite recipes that includes this berry: Berry Quinoa Energy Bowl, in addition to my Instagram Reside Plant-Primarily based Cooking Present the place I share my finest tips about cooking with strawberries!
High 5 Methods to Use Strawberries
1. Au Naturel. There’s little that may enhance upon Mom Nature’s recent, ripe strawberry, good and easy all on it’s personal. Simply rinse it, pop that prime off, and munch it down. These crimson gems are the proper go-to snack or dessert.
2. Breakfast Topper. Energy up on strawberries for breakfast by including them to your cereal bowl, pancake or waffle, yogurt, or smoothie. Let these antioxidant compounds wash over your physique very first thing within the morning. Research even present you possibly can mitigate the dangerous inflammatory results of poor food regimen selections by including strawberries to a meal. That’s how highly effective these little guys are.
3. Salad Increase. I like sliced strawberries in salads. Simply combine them into your favourite greens, the extra pungent the higher (suppose arugula, kale, spinach, child chard). Strive tossing with a balsamic vinegar and olive oil dressing, and add in a number of crunchy nuts for a mind-blowing salad.
4. Fruit Ahead Desserts. I’m a giant fan of serving fruit for dessert. And a technique to do this is easy, fruit-centric treats, resembling crumbles, bars, and pies. Try my recipe for Strawberry Coconut Almond Espresso Cake for starters.
5. Sandwich Filler. Do you know that sliced strawberries are great in all types of sandwiches, together with peanut butter on complete wheat, Mediterranean flatbread open-face sandwiches, pita sandwiches with hummus, and even toasted pizza-breads? Yep, simply unfold nut and seed butter in your favourite bread, then layer on the sliced strawberries.
Try my Berry Quinoa Energy Bowl and video right here.
Discover out my favourite methods to make use of much more plant meals with these useful guides:
High 5 Methods to Use Tempeh
High 5 Methods to Use Persimmons
High 5 Methods to Use Quinoa
