Here’s a non-dessert recipe for strawberries: a simple salad of fresh strawberries with burrata cheese. What’s burrata? It’s a cousin to fresh mozzarella, but richer, with a dollop of fresh cream inside. Umm … hello!

strawberries with burrata and basil

1 ball burrata cheese (see Note)
handful of fresh strawberries, washed, trimmed and halved
drizzle of good olive oil
drizzle of balsamic vinegar
sea salt and fresh cracked pepper
slivered basil or tiny basil leaves

Note: Where to buy burrata? In Cincinnati, I’ve found it at Trader Joe’s, and my web research tells me it’s available at Whole Foods as well. If you can’t find it, then fresh mozzarella (ideally imported buffalo mozzarella, which is creamier and less rubbery than domestic versions) will do.

more strawberry recipes

homemade strawberry jam
strawberry right-side-up cake

This recipe for strawberries with sugared cream is a grown-up take on the theme. A flavorful and rich (but not too rich) blend of whipping cream and plain yogurt is topped with golden brown sugar; left to sit overnight, the sugar sort of melts into a lovely layer, kind of like creme brûlée but without the whole kitchen torch thing.

It’s as delicious—stunningly so—as it is easy. Make this dessert recipe now, while strawberries are at their seasonal peak, sun-kissed sweet and perfectly ripe. But if strawberry season passes you by, fear not: The sugared cream would be wonderful on just about any kind of fruit—blueberries, peeled and sliced peaches or nectarines or, in a pinch, sliced banana.

fresh strawberries with sugared cream
(serves 4)

1/2 heaping cup plain Greek yogurt (non-fat, low-fat or whole milk)
1/2 cup whipping cream
light brown sugar
1 quart fresh strawberries, stemmed and halved if large

The day before you plan to serve this fruit and cream dessert, make the sugared cream: In a medium bowl, whisk together the Greek yogurt and cream until smooth and thick. Sprinkle an even layer of brown sugar over the cream; cover and refrigerate overnight. Place berries into individual serving dishes; spoon sugared cream over the top.

I took these photos about 2 weeks ago, and already the garden has changed: The chard is plush, the garlic is sending out scapes (want to know how to grow your own garlic this fall?), the arugula has bolted and been re-seeded. I’ve planted green beans and another round of Tom Thumb lettuce, and potted up my starts of zucchini, a ‘patio’ variety that I’m hoping is as compact as advertised, lest my already crowded vegetable bed get completely overrun.

From top to bottom: garlic, arugula, Tom Thumb lettuce, Chardonnay grape (just for shizzles), mixed flowers. 

When Rob sampled a taste of this simple strawberry cake, he commented that it reminded him of pineapple upside-down cake. I understand the comparison, but honestly, the similarity doesn’t go much beyond the combination of fruit + cake. But I liked it enough to dub this recipe strawberry right-side-up cake. [Thanks for the inspiration, hon.]

This strawberry cake recipe isn’t too sweet, and it has the slightest hint of almond—a wonderful flavor accent to strawberry. If you don’t keep turbinado (or raw) sugar in your pantry of baking goods, I recommend you track some down, even if that means filching a couple of Sugar in the Raw packets from your favorite coffee shop. This coarse-grained, deep amber sugar lends a richly sweet flavor and a bit of crunch to the finished cake. It’s lovely as a simple dessert, and would be wonderful as a sort of coffee cake in the morning.

strawberry right-side-up cake
(adapted from MarthaStewart.com)

1 pint strawberries, washed, stemmed and halved
6 Tbsp. unsalted butter
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. almond extract
1/2 cup milk
1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 heaping Tbsp. turbinado (raw) sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly spritz a 9-inch pie plate with cooking spray. In the bowl of a mixer (or using a hand mixer), cream butter until it’s smooth; add sugar and cream until the mixture is light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Mix in egg, then add extracts and mix to incorporate. Add milk and mix to combine. (Note: When I added the milk, the mixture sort of curdled. It didn’t appear to cause any problems; when I added the dry ingredients, the batter came together beautifully. I’ve read that using milk at room temperature will avoid the curdling.) In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt; add dry ingredients to mixer and blend well. Transfer batter to the prepared pie plate; top with halved strawberries (arrange them closely together). Sprinkle turbinado sugar over the strawberries.

Bake for 10 minutes at 350 degrees, then reduce oven temperature to 325 and continue baking for another 50 to 60 minutes, until the cake is deeply golden brown and the top is firm.

more strawberry recipes

strawberry salad with burrata cheese
homemade strawberry jam
peanut butter and jam cookies

But I knew I could do better. I knew I could create a recipe for homemade-cheese peanut butter crackers using whole ingredients. I knew I could come up with a snack that was just a teeny little less bad for you.

And I did.

It’s easy: Begin with this recipe for cheddar cheese straws. Instead of cutting them into pencil-thin strips, use a square cookie cutter or a pizza cutter to create 2-inch squares. Use the blunt end of a bamboo skewer to poke a half-dozen holes in each square to prevent the crackers from getting puffy. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes per the recipe; let cool, then spread  half the crackers with all-natural peanut butter and make little sandwiches.

This is my new obsession …

When: 10:00 a.m. to noon on May 19 — Food Revolution Day
Where: Gabriel’s Place, 3618 Reading Road, Avondale

What it’s all about: Ever noticed how a tomato doesn’t taste as good in January as it does in August? Do you crave watermelon in the heat of summer, but not in the dead of winter? Then you’ve had a taste of what it means to eat seasonally.

Join me and the community of neighbors, gardeners and volunteers from Gabriel’s Place in a celebration of seasonal food. We’ll talk about the pleasures of eating seasonally, about what’s in season now (and what’s to come through the summer growing season). We’ll talk about two of spring’s best food gifts: lettuce and asparagus. I’ll be demonstrating how to choose and prepare asparagus, and guests will have a chance to sample several asparagus dishes and to taste different kinds of spring lettuce.

Food Revolution Day is about connecting with your community through events at schools, restaurants, local businesses, dinner parties and farmers’ markets. We want to inspire change in people’s food habits and to promote the mission for better food and education for everyone.

If you’re in Cincinnati, please plan to join me on Saturday, May 19, for a Community Celebration of Seasonal Food at Gabriel’s Place on Reading Road in Avondale. From 10 a.m. to noon, I’ll be presenting about how to eat seasonally, demonstrating how to cook with spring’s best produce (featuring asparagus and lettuce) and offering tastings of asparagus frittata and simple green salad.

I’ve written before about how I think the food community—growers, farmers, small producers and all of us who enjoy cooking and eating good and healthy food—can help solve many of our collective problems. While I’m endlessly frustrated by my powerlessness to resolve the poor economy and the nasty political climate, I know that—as an individual—I can do something about the issues revolving around health, culture and the environment. And I like that there’s a feeling of power, even revolution, about my food choices.

This food revolution doesn’t have to have a radical agenda—you don’t have to consume raw dairy or go vegan in order to make a difference. Instead, think of all the little things you can do—every day—to support this important cause. Here are just a few examples of small actions that can have revolutionary impact:

• Refill your water bottle instead of reaching for a soda.
• At least one night a week, make a dinner that’s so delicious you won’t miss the meat—dishes like this cheesy pasta with arugula and mushrooms or a beautiful vegetable frittata.
• As we head into late spring, resolve to shop once a month at a farmers’ market near you. Bring your family, make it an outing. Talk with the farmers and growers, get to know the people who bring food to your table.
• Instead of buying packaged items from the grocery, try making your own. This super-easy homemade vinaigrette recipe will convince you to leave the bottled salad dressing on the shelf—forever.
• Introduce your kids to cooking. If they’re old enough to safely handle knives and the stove, create a plan where every family member takes a turn, once a month, to plan and prepare a dinner of their choice, with everyone else pitching in. Make it a special event: Candles, the good silver, the whole nine yards. For younger ones, involve them in meal planning, make a batch of chocolate chip cookies together.
• Brown-bag your lunch at least two days a week, and skip the frozen micro-meals and fast food. Help yourself to these delicious and healthy lunchtime recipes.
• Plant a garden and grow herbs and vegetables, or join a community garden. It doesn’t even have to be a garden: A big pot on the porch will produce a summer-long tomato crop and a window box of herbs will give you plenty of flavor for cooking. Here’s my beginner’s guide to container vegetable gardening.
• Donate to your local food pantry. Understand that not everyone has access to healthy food, and express your gratitude by making a donation. Choose good-for-you items: canned vegetables (with lower sodium), canned fruit (in natural juice), whole-grain pastas, rice, natural peanut butter.

Click the image below to download a brochure with more ideas on how you can join the Food Revolution, and visit the Food Revolution Day website to learn more about the day and the events related to it.

The result? These almond-oat-buttermilk scones are hearty but not dense, a bit crunchy from the almonds and the sugar topping, buttery and not too sweet. I made half the batch in huge, 3-inch scones perfect for a fill-you-up breakfast and the rest in mini 1-inch rounds. They’d be perfect with a spoonful of homemade strawberry jam for breakfast.

Why not bake up this almond scone recipe for Mom this weekend?

hearty almond-oat-buttermilk scones
(makes 2 dozen, give or take depending on size)

1 egg
1 1/4 cups buttermilk
2 tsp. almond extract
4 cups flour (see Note)
3/4 cup rolled oats
4 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup cold butter, cut into pieces
1 cup + 2 Tbsp. sliced almonds, toasted and chopped (divided use)
2 Tbsp. heavy cream
raw or granulated sugar for sprinkling

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a large glass measuring cup, whisk together the egg, buttermilk and almond extract. In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda, salt, sugar and 1 cup of almonds. Add the butter and use your fingers or a pastry blender to work it into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Gradually add the buttermilk mixture, stirring with a fork. Dig your hands into the bowl and work the dough gently until it’s pretty well combined, then turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead 4 or 5 times until it forms a soft dough. Divide the dough in half; press each half into a round about 1 inch thick. Use a round cutter to make either large (2 1/2-inch to 3-inch) individual scones or mini (1-inch) ones; gather scraps, pat out dough again and continue cutouts until you’ve used up all the dough. Transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet, brush each scone with cream and sprinkle with sugar and remaining 2 Tbsp. of chopped almonds. Bake 15–20 minutes (small scones will take less time) until golden brown on top.

Note: I used 3 cups of all-purpose flour and 1 cup of whole-wheat flour for this almond-oat scone recipe to add even more hearty texture, and I was pleasantly surprised that the scones remained tender. You could use the full amount of all-purpose flour.

related recipes

orange chocolate-chip muffins
cheddar-chive scones

Aside from a REALLY good peanut butter & jelly sandwich—made with Blue Oven Bakery bread, fresh-ground peanut butter and homemade strawberry jam—my lunchtime preference veers toward salad. Not your standard lettuce-and-dressing salad, mind you, but rather a hearty salad made with protein (cooked chicken or quinoa), fiber (vegetables or whole grains) and a light dressing of good olive oil and an acid like lemon juice or balsamic vinegar.

This great lunchtime salad recipe is inspired by a dish that I had at a catered event several years ago. The next day, I grabbed all the ingredients—cooked chicken, a fresh fennel bulb and a few carrots—and set about re-creating it. It’s become such a go-to for me that I didn’t even think about sharing this healthy salad recipe here until I made it [again!] recently.

lunchbox salad with chicken, carrot and fennel
(makes 3 lunchtime servings)

1 cup of shredded cooked chicken
1 fennel bulb
3 large carrots
1 tsp. fennel seed, toasted in a dry skillet and crushed
2 Tbsp. olive oil
2 Tbsp. rice wine vinegar
2 Tbsp. minced fresh parsley
kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Wash and trim the end off the fennel bulb; cut the fennel in half and use the tip of a knife to cut out the tough inner core (it’s the dense triangular center of the bulb). Cut each half again in half lengthwise, then slice very thinly crosswise. Peel carrots, then using the peeler, cut into long strips; stack strips together and cut crosswise into 3-inch (or so) lengths. In a large bowl, combine chicken, fennel, carrot, fennel seed, oil, vinegar and parsley. Season well with kosher salt and freshly ground pepper. Serve at room temperature.

more great lunchtime salad recipes

tabbouleh salad with chicken
hearty grain-and-veggie salad with many variations