Fruit

AUTUMN HARVEST SALAD

December 1, 2018 by Sarah Baade Leave a Comment

A colleague of mine brought a huge grocery bag full of persimmons and oranges to the office the other day. He and his wife had an abundance of fruit from their trees this year and didn’t want it to go to waste. I grabbed a couple of each fruit from the bag and went back to my desk. At the end of the day there were still quite a few left so I grabbed a couple more. I hate seeing fresh produce go to waste.

About nine years ago I went through some challenging times; I left a marriage that was toxic. Divorce alone can be a huge financial burden. Getting divorced when already strapped for cash can nearly put a person under. My monthly budget was planned down to the penny and with just $63 per month for my groceries, I cried any time I went over that budget. I am thankful that I worked in an office that often had lunch brought in at no expense to the employees. Still, breakfast and dinner were up to me. Did you do the math? That’s right, I had approximately $2.25 per day to cover those meals. I was determined to still eat a relatively balanced diet off of that budget and there were times when I got creative (this doesn’t necessarily mean creative in a delicious way). I ate a lot of eggs and a lot of pasta during this phase of my life. I also learned how to really scour the grocery ads for what was on sale. In terms of produce, I chose sale items rather than what I might have actually been craving. I didn’t eat fresh fruit and vegetables everyday but I did manage to get some on my plate each week. It probably would have been cheaper to buy boxed/processed foods but the reality was that I needed to take good care of myself. There is no question, I would have needed financial help if I had gotten really sick or injured. The best way to stay healthy was to eat well and get exercise. Because of this experience, I still see fresh produce as having a huge value. I will always be incredibly thankful when a colleague/friend brings in extra fruit fresh from his own trees.

This dish was created with the persimmons and oranges that were brought into the office as well as a beet I already had sitting in my fridge. I added a few “splurges” with the arugula and toppings but the oil and vinegar were already in my pantry. My budget has far more wiggle room than it did nine years ago but I think I will always have an appreciation for creating a dish out of what is inexpensively available.

Tips:

Add the pepitas to the salad just before serving so they keep their crunch.
The creamy ricotta gives a nice mix of texture among in this salad but feel free to leave it out if you’re making it for a vegan crowd.

Print Recipe

AUTUMN HARVEST SALAD

A vibrant salad that takes advantage of seasonal produce.

Course: Salad

Keyword: Salad

Ingredients

2 cups Arugula
2 Large red beets cooked, sliced and quartered
4 Persimmons sliced
4 Small oranges peeled, halved and sliced - be sure to remove any seeds
2 Tablespoons Ricotta cheese
Salt to taste
Olive oil for drizzling
Apple cider vinegar for drizzling
1 Tablespoon Curly leaf parsley chopped
2 Tablespoons Roasted pepitas

Instructions

Spread arugula on a serving platter then top with beets, persimmons and oranges. Place pea-sized bits of ricotta throughout salad. Sprinkle salt and drizzle oil and vinegar over salad. Top with parsley, and pepitas.

POMEGRANATE BLUEBERRY SMOOTHIE

November 24, 2018 by Sarah Baade Leave a Comment

I went, I ate, and I ate some more. I swear I tried to take small portions so as to have room to try every side dish. I didn’t succeed. The problem (truly the ONLY problem) with spending Thanksgiving with friends who love to cook is that you can’t possibly eat as much as you would like to. Every single dish was delicious. I walked away with a happy heart, a full belly, and arms full of leftovers to take home. Now that our leftovers are dwindling, I need a break from the comfort food. Did I really just say that?!? I love those traditional holiday dishes but moderation is a must.

In order to give my body a day or two of recovery, I’m trying to keep things lighter and healthier. I’m also embracing pomegranate season for this delicious smoothie. Pomegranate has become one of my favorite smoothie ingredients. Part of the allure could be that fresh pomegranates are hard to come by through most of the year – you want what you can’t have. But I actually really do love the flavor and find that they add a natural sweetness without the tartness that some other fruits can bring to a smoothie.

Tips:

You can portion out the fruit and spinach ahead of time, place them in a bag in the freezer. When you’re ready to make your smoothie, empty the contents of the bag into your blender and add the almond milk, flax seed and chia seeds.
See video below for my method of removing seeds from pomegranate.

Print Recipe

POMEGRANATE BLUEBERRY SMOOTHIE

Satisfy your sweet tooth with a healthy option.

Servings: 2 smoothies

Ingredients

seeds from 1 large pomegranate
1 frozen banana
2 cups frozen blueberries
2 cups spinach (loosely packed)
1 cup almond milk
1 Tablespoon ground flax seed (optional)
1 Tablespoon chia seeds (optional)

Instructions

Place all ingredients in a high-power blender and blend on high until smooth.

Rainbow Fruit Salad

August 28, 2018 by Sarah Baade 1 Comment

My husband and I are pretty active in our church and this naturally leads to potluck meals a few times per year. My husband’s answer to bringing a dish is always “Let’s just pick something up from the store on the way to the party.” I, on the other hand, never even think of this as an option until he mentions it. Instead, I go through my mental rolodex of easy recipes and some sort of cookie usually wins out. I’m honestly not sure why I feel obligated to bring something homemade. I don’t expect it of others and I’m pretty confident others don’t expect it of me. Then again, homemade always tastes better than store bought, even with a simple recipe.

This weekend we attended a pool party and you guessed it, it was a potluck situation! I’ve been obsessed with fresh fruit lately so cookies didn’t even make the short list of ideas for once. Instead, I made my rainbow fruit salad. Guys, this is so easy and so delicious! I promise, the hardest part of this recipe is cutting some fruit and there isn’t even very much to cut. This fruit salad is so refreshing but it will also satisfy your sweet tooth – this counts as a win-win in my book!

Tips:

Don’t be afraid to swap out some of the fruits for whatever is seasonal. Ultimately, the goal is about 8-10 cups of FRESH fruit.
I always like to add a few berries to my fruit salad because they don’t require cutting. Just wash and toss them into the mix!

Rainbow Fruit Salad

1 large peach, rinsed and cut into bit sized pieces (I left the skin on)

3 kiwi, peeled and cut into bit sized pieces

1 mango, peeled cut into bit sized pieces

12oz raspberries, rinsed

11oz blueberries, rinsed

2 teaspoons agave syrup (or honey if you prefer)

1 teaspoon fresh mint, chopped

Juice of 1 lime

Directions:

Toss all fruit into a large bowl. Drizzle with agave syrup then add mint and lime juice. Gently stir until fruit is evenly coated with the syrup and lime juice. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Watermelon Salad

August 1, 2018 by Sarah Baade 2 Comments

I keep wondering if I’m getting wimpier with age or if this summer really has been excruciatingly hot. I’m leaning toward the latter but the honest answer is that it’s probably both. I’ve been thinking back on all those summers I spent working at YMCA camps (shout out to Camp Wood and Camp Cosby!) and wondering how I survived living in little cabins with no air conditioning. I’m confident that I survived by being preoccupied with lots of fun activities and friends. I mean, who has time to think about the heat when you’re guiding a group of kids through a mud hike?! Still, we’ve been hitting triple digit temperatures on a daily basis with not much relief in sight. I give a lot of credit to all the summer camp staffers out there who have pushed through this heat to give kids the best week(s) they could imagine.

When it’s this hot outside, I have no interest in turning on the oven. Simple fresh ingredients are the way to go and summer provides such delicious seasonal produce! Naturally, I had to use this to my advantage. My daughter has been on a watermelon kick lately so I opted to use that as my base. I’m all about use what you’ve already got at home when possible. With just five ingredients, the hardest part of this salad will simply be cutting the watermelon. Other than that, this is as easy as a recipe can get. Enjoy!

Tips:

Although more expensive, you can certainly buy pre-cut watermelon to make this recipe even easier to make.
You can certainly toss the salad together a day ahead. Just be sure to cover and store in the refrigerator and don’t add the salad dressing until you are ready to serve it.

Watermelon Salad

Salad:

8 cups watermelon, cut into bite sized pieces

2 cups blueberries

½ cup feta cheese, crumbled or cubed

1 Tablespoon fresh mint, chopped

Dressing:

1 cup blueberries

¼ cup balsamic vinegar

Directions:

In a large bowl, toss together all of the salad ingredients. In a blender, liquefy the dressing ingredients. Drizzle dressing over individual servings of salad, as desired.

Strawberry Float

July 1, 2018 by Sarah Baade Leave a Comment

Happy Independence Day!!! I have celebrated this holiday from all over the country – Kansas, Texas, Colorado, Alabama… I’ve watched fireworks lakeside, mountainside and from my own driveway. However, my favorite memories of this holiday are from my grandparents’ backyard. As a kid, we would drive down from Kansas to Texas to visit my grandparents. They would have what seemed like an endless supply of sparklers and popper for us to light up after it got dark. All of us kids would line up out in the yard, a few feet in front of Grandpa’s giant vegetable garden, and write our names in the night sky with the sparklers. Aside from summer camp, this has got to be one of my all-time favorite summer memories.

This year, I’m keeping the holiday low-key. My little one is too little to play with sparklers and I won’t be staying up late since I’ll need to be at work the next day. But I still want a festive treat. Making the ice cream ahead of time means all I have to do is scoop and pour some soda for this one. I opted for fresh strawberries since they are readily available this time of year. And in the continued effort to keep things simple, this is a no-churn ice cream. You’re welcome!

Tips:

Make sure the strawberry syrup has completely cooled before you add it to the cream mixture.
The homemade syrup is really delicious – it would also be fantastic poured over any vanilla ice cream for a sundae.

Strawberry Float

¼ cup sugar

¼ cup balsamic vinegar

16oz fresh strawberries, de-stemmed and finely chopped

16oz heavy cream

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

14oz sweetened condensed milk

Strawberry soda (I used a passion fruit & strawberry Italian soda)

Directions:

Place sugar, balsamic vinegar and half of the strawberries in a small sauce pan. Bring to a boil over medium high heat, stirring frequently. Reduce heat to low and simmer until liquid has reduced by half. Set aside to let cool.

In a large, cold bowl, beat heavy cream until soft peaks form. Stir in vanilla, sweetened condensed milk, cooled syrup and remaining fresh strawberries. Pour ice cream into a 9×5 loaf pan. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze for a minimum of 6 hours, preferably overnight.

Place 2 scoops of the strawberry ice cream into a glass. Fill glass with strawberry soda until ice cream is covered and starts to foam. Serve with a straw or spoon.

Cherry Limeade Popsicles

June 22, 2018 by Sarah Baade 2 Comments

It is now officially SUMMER!!! And I am celebrating with popsicles. We have been reaching 90’s and even into triple digit temperatures for a few weeks already. I can’t even think about how hot it will be by mid-summer. Over Memorial Day weekend we were visiting family and the kids were all hanging out on the back porch sharing popsicles. Sticky hands and faces, bright red/purple/blue lips, and huge smiles all around. I love how such a simple treat can bring pure joy.

I’ve been trying out a few different popsicle recipes ever since my parents gifted me a nice set of molds. I think their goal was for me to recreate a sangria popsicle we had a while back at a restaurant. I’m sure I’ll get to that before too long but right now I’m focused on non-alcoholic popsicles so my little one can partake. This cherry-lime-aide is my favorite flavor so far. I’m sure this could easily incorporate some wine on the next go-round. (Mom, Dad – I’ve got you covered.)

Tips:

I’m going to be honest, I used frozen cherries for this one because they were already pitted – I’m all about less work when it can still create a delicious result!
If the popsicles are sticking to the molds, briefly run them under cold water, they should loosen right up without actually melting.

Cherry Limeade Popsicles

Makes 6 popsicles

1 cup sweet red cherries, pitted

1/3 cup fresh squeezed lime juice

1/2 cup sugar

1 cup water

Directions:

In a small saucepan, over medium heat, stir together all four ingredients. Continue stirring until all sugar has dissolved. Remove from heat and pour fruit mixture into a blender. Blend on high until all ingredients are liquefied. Pour mixture into popsicle molds and freeze overnight.

Flight of Mocktails

May 12, 2018 by Sarah Baade 1 Comment

I’ve reached an interesting stage of life where friends are not consuming alcohol like we used to. The reasons seem to vary greatly – pregnancy, health issues, recovering alcoholic. Regardless of the reason though, let’s just admit that we would all be a bit healthier if we went for a mocktail rather than some booze. When I was pregnant, I would ask bartenders to create a mocktail for me when I was out to dinner with friends. Maybe it was pregnancy brain getting the best of me but it never really occurred to me to create some mocktails of my own at home. Now that I’ve made a few I’m actually inspired to make and drink more of them!

The inspiration on this flight of mocktails was really to create drinks comparable to cocktails I would normally order myself at a bar or restaurant. I enjoyed all four drinks listed here but the first two are my favorite. These could be so fun to serve at a baby shower or even just a booze-free brunch with friends!

Tips:

If added sweetness is desired for the Pink Lemon Drop, serve in a sugar rimmed martini glass.
You can buy or make your own simple syrup. To make your own, add ½ cup sugar and ½ cup water to a saucepan over medium heat. Stir until sugar is completely dissolved. Let cool completely before adding to your mocktail.

Flight of Mocktails

Sober Sangria – makes 4 drinks

1 orange, sliced

1 apple, sliced

1 lemon, sliced

1 peach, sliced (in winter, you can sub the peach out for 1 cup pomegranate seeds)

1 cinnamon stick

1 ½ cups pomegranate juice

juice of 1 lime

1 cup cranberry juice

Place all fruit and the cinnamon stick in a pitcher. Pour in pomegranate juice, lime juice and cranberry juice. Stir all ingredients and refrigerate a minimum of 4-8 hours in order to allow flavors to blend and drink to chill. Can be served over ice if desired.

Pink Lemon Drop Mocktini – makes 1 drink

¼ cup cranberry juice, chilled

½ cup Italian lemon soda, chilled

2 fresh ginger slices

1 small sprig rosemary

Optional garnish – 1 lemon slice

Pour juice and soda into a martini glass. Place ginger slices on a toothpick then place in drink. Add rosemary and lemon slice.

Mock-Mojito – makes 1 drink

2 tablespoons simple syrup

Juice of 1 lime

1 sprig fresh mint

¾ cup Topo Chico (or plain carbonated water of choice)

Crushed ice

In a 10oz glass, stir together simple syrup, lime juice, Topo Chico and mint. Add crushed ice until glass is full. Garnish with more mint if desired.

Berry Sunrise – makes 1 drink

1 handful blueberries (or opt for blackberries, raspberries or sliced strawberries)

½ cup grapefruit juice

½ cup sprite

Crushed ice

Muddle berries in the bottom of a 10oz glass. Stir in grapefruit juice and sprite. Add crushed ice until glass is full.

Five Spice Citrus Salad

February 25, 2018 by Sarah Baade Leave a Comment

It has been such a long and rainy winter here in San Antonio. I’m not used to needing a heavy coat for more than a day or two at a time, let alone weeks at a time. I find myself daydreaming about bright colors and warmer climates. I won’t be going on a tropical vacation any time soon so my next best bet is eating bright, flavorful fruit.

We are currently right in the middle of prime orange and grapefruit season. There are so many varieties of citrus available and I took full advantage of that for this recipe. I love the variety of colors as well as flavors from these fruits. Given the tartness that sometimes comes along with citrus, I wanted to contrast that with a little bit of sweet and a little bit of spice. The result is a perfect dish to serve with brunch or eat as a snack.

Tips:

Place some paper towels under the edges of your cutting board, this will help to catch any juice that runs off the edge as you’re cutting the fruit.
Feel free to mix and match your citrus fruits to your liking or based on what is available seasonally. The main idea is variety.

Print Recipe

FIVE SPICE CITRUS SALAD

The perfect salad to take advantage of seasonal citrus.

Ingredients

6 oranges (I used blood oranges, tangelos, sumo citrus)
3 grapefruit (I used one large and two small)
1/4 cup pomegranate seeds
1/4 cup feta cheese, crumbled
1 Tablespoon fresh mint leaves
1/4 cup honey
1/2 teaspoon Chinese five spice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

Cut citrus fruits into ¼' slices, removing seeds as they are found. Cut rinds off of slices then place slices on paper towels to absorb excess any juice. Move citrus slices to a serving platter and top with pomegranate, feta and mint. In a small bowl, mix together honey, Chinese five spice and vanilla. Drizzles honey mixture over citrus salad as desired.

Blueberry and Pesto Quinoa Bowl

January 18, 2018 by Sarah Baade Leave a Comment

Alright, it’s confession time. I absolutely ate my way through the holidays. I mean, I went all out with sweets and wine and homemade Chex mix (because we all know the homemade stuff is at least a million times better than the stuff that comes in a bag). No treat went uneaten. I’m not even sure what got into me because moderation with food is typically not a challenge for me. But I did it, and I did it joyfully!

What’s done is done and now it is time to get back on the wagon of eating a balanced diet. I ate salads all last week for lunch because I actually do love vegetables but I was bored by Friday. I was eating the same mixture of ingredients that I always reach for when making a salad. I need some variety if I‘m going to stick with eating healthier. As usual, I also want to make this easy on myself so I looked through my fridge and pantry for ingredients I already had on hand. This quinoa bowl gave me a change of pace in terms of both texture and flavor but was also incredibly easy to make.

Tips:

To make this an even faster recipe, feel free to use a premade pesto from the store rather than making the one included in this recipe.
You can absolutely portion this out ahead of time for lunches. Just hold off on adding the pesto until you are ready to eat it.

Blueberry and Pesto Quinoa Bowl

Serves 2

Bowl Ingredients:

4 cups raw baby spinach

1 cup cooked quinoa, cold

2 Tablespoons pepitas

½ cup feta crumbles

¾ cup fresh blueberries

Pesto Ingredients:

1 ½ cups basil leaves

2 Tablespoons pine nuts

1 ½ teaspoons garlic, minced

¼ teaspoon salt

1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Directions:

Place spinach in bottom of a large bowl. Top with quinoa then pepitas, feta and blueberries.

For the pesto, combine all ingredients in a blender until smooth. Drizzle pesto over quinoa bowl as desired.

Strawberry Pastry

September 17, 2017 by Sarah Baade 2 Comments

God bless the person who decided pastries were an ideal breakfast food! Can I get an “AMEN”??? That sweet, carb loaded goodness might not actually be part of a healthy, balanced diet but it certainly does give me motivation to actually eat breakfast. My eyes don’t exactly light up the same way when presented with a bowl of plain oatmeal.

Homemade pastry is particularly delicious but it is also time consuming. I don’t have a lot of spare time these days so I fully embrace the pre-made puff pastry sheets found in my local grocer’s freezer section. Slice it, shape it, fill it and you’ll have beautiful little delights that fit in the palm of your hand. Whether you want to share these treats with friends is totally optional – I’ll admit I ate most of these myself.

Tips:

Be sure to pull the pastry sheets out of the freezer ahead of time. It takes about 30-40 minutes to thaw out.
The strawberry mixture will end up with some juice in the bowl. Try to avoid scooping the juice onto your pastries as it will leak out and get a bit messy.

Strawberry Pastry

Ingredients:

16oz strawberries, sliced

¼ cup sugar

1 teaspoon corn starch

1 tablespoon orange zest

17.3oz package puff pastry sheets, thawed

Glaze:

2 tablespoons fresh squeezed orange juice

1 cup powdered sugar

1 tablespoon milk

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

In a bowl, combine strawberry slices, orange zest, sugar and corn starch.

Cut each sheet of puff pastry into 9 squares. For each square, gently fold diagonally in half to form a triangle. With a sharp knife, slice dough ¼ inch from each edge – slices should not quite meet at the corner. Unfold triangle, you will have two L shapes framing an inner square. Fold the corner of one L over to the opposite corner of the square. Do the same with the other L. Dough will now have a diamond shape. Fill inside of diamond with strawberry mixture. Repeat folding and filling process for each square of dough.

Place each filled pastry on lined cookie sheet. Back for 15 minutes or until pastry begins to turn light golden brown. Let cool completely.

For the glaze, whisk orange juice and powdered sugar with a fork. Gradually add milk until glaze has reached desired consistency. Drizzle glaze over pastries.