Strawberries!
Posted by Andrea Nakayama
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P.S. You’ll notice that the tart in this week’s email is loaded with the requisite Replenish PDX nutrients. . . Fat, Fiber & Protein. For this recipe that mainly comes in the form of nuts.
That said, I know that nuts don’t work for everyone. For some its an immune response. For others its digestive. After indulging in some holiday treats and tarts, I’m making it my mission to have a nut-free month of July. If you care to join me, let’s bring our nut-free conversations to the Replenish PDX Facebook Page and find all our likely alternatives. |
Strawberry Mascarpone Tart |
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This recipe is loaded with so much goodness that I’d say its fine for a weekend, holiday or companied breakfast or brunch. Maya and I decided to go light on the sweetness and aim for something that was rich and decadent but not sickly sweet.
Our Hood Strawberries were as tiny as raspberries (we put a few on the tart for comparison), and as sweet as candy. They were glistening and bright and didn’t need a thing added to bring out their flavor. The recipe we chose was adapted from one with its same name from Matthew Kenney’s book Everyday Raw Desserts. If an ingredient is unusual or unknown, I’ve made sure to link you to my cook’s glossary, where you can learn more about its usage and where to purchase. (Just click on the image of the food you want to learn more about, dive in and explore!) |
crust ingredients:
1 cup almonds, soaked for 2 hours 1 cup cashews, soaked for 2 hours 4 tablespoons coconut palm sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1/2 teaspoon sea salt 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon “mascarpone” ingredients: 2 cups macadamia nuts, soaked for 2 hours 1/2 cup water 1/4 cup lemon juice 1/3 cup yacon syrup 10 drops liquid lemon stevia 1 teaspoon nutritional yeast 1 teaspoon miso paste pinch sea salt topping ingredients: strawberries! preparation: 1) Grease a tart pan with coconut oil or ghee. 2) Preheat the oven to 300F. 3) Drain the nuts for the crust, pat dry, and pulse in a food processor until fine. 4) Add remaining crust ingredients to the food processor and pulse until a well-blended dough forms. 5) Remove dough from the processor and press into the tart pan, careful to press evenly around the base and gently up the sides, creating a nice “container” for your filling. 6) Bake the tart crust for 20-25 minutes. Allow to cool. 7) To make the “marscapone”: Drain the nuts and add them to a high speed blender or food processor with all the other ingredients. Blend until smooth and creamy. 8) Scoop the filling into the cooled tart crust. Spread evenly on the base. 9) Place strawberries on top of the filling, covering as much as you’d like for decorative and deliciousness factors. 10) Cool in the fridge for at least one hour before serving. |
Strawberries: The other bright treat
While blueberries often get all the attention for their antioxidant and brain-boosting potential, strawberries should not be overlooked! Research has shown that daily consumption of strawberries showed improvement in short-term memory among other things. Read on! |
Nutritional benefits:
• Strawberries are a great source of vitamin C, especially when allowed to ripen before being picked. This means a freshly harvested local berry is going to have a more profound nutritional profile than a commercial berry. • Strawberries also contain a good amount of fiber (think about all those tiny seeds). Good for you and your heart! • The pretty berry contains the flavonoids to help fight free radical damage. In fact, an article printed in ScienceDaily last year stated that (37 strawberries a day) “could keep not just one doctor away, but an entire fleet of them, including the neurologist, the endocrinologist, and maybe even the oncologist.” • The flavanoids in the strawberries have anti-inflammatory properties, reducing the activity of the enzyme called COX. This is the same enzyme blocked when you take aspirin or a NSAID. Yet strawberries support the health of your colon and heart. • The micronutrient profile of the strawberry is even more impressive. You can except to be consuming select B vitamins along with manganese and iron when you feast among the strawberry fields. • Strawberries have been known to have a tranquilizing effect. Apparently this is why dental anesthesia and surgical gloves are often scented with strawberry. Personally, I’d rather be lulled by a bowlful of miniature Hood berries hand-picked by my son and my niece. You? |
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