The beginning of May is one of my favorite times of the year in Charlotte. It’s comfortably warm, flowers are in full bloom, pools begin to open, and most importantly the strawberries are ripe for picking! I get a little too excited about this. Not only do we have our own strawberry bed in the backyard, I’ve also signed us up to go pick strawberries at a farm this week with the playgroup.
What does this mean for me? I’ve got to get crafty and figure out how to use all these little red berries up. I made these two simple recipes this weekend, and thought I’d pass them on to you. Just in case you too get a little over-zealous in the strawberry fields…
Strawberry Vinaigrette
– Puree 1 1/4 cups hulled strawberries in blender (to get about 1/3 cup puree). Add 3 tb. balsamic vinegar, 1 tb. sugar, pinch of salt, puree again. Slowly drizzle in 1/2 cup olive oil, while pulsing blender to emulsify.
– Pour vinaigrette on top of mixed greens, strawberries, feta or goat cheese, and almonds.
Strawberry Muffins
– Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Whisk 1 1/4 cups flour, 2 1/2 tsp. baking powder, and 1/2 tsp. salt. Add 1 cup rolled oats and 1/2 cup sugar and stir. In separate bowl, whisk 1 large egg, 1 cup milk, 1 stick melted butter, and 1 tsp. vanilla. Pour into dry ingredients and mix just until ingredients are all wet. Fold in 1 cup chopped and hulled strawberries. Don’t overmix. Line muffin pan with 12 liners and fill with batter. Bake for 15-18 min., or until toothpick comes out clean.
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