Recipe: Blueberry "Pie"

My daughter likes to call this Blueberry pie; however, its more of a shortbread mixture with a light lemon glaze instead of a pie.

What you need:

~ 10 x 10 square pan, or 10X 13 pan
~ non-stick spray

Ingredients:

~ 1 cup butter, softened
~ 1 3/4 cups sugar
~ 4 eggs
~ 1 tsp vanilla extract
~ 3 cups all-purpose flour
~ 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
~ 1/2 tsp salt
~ 1 16 oz. container of blueberry preserves (or 21 oz. blueberry pie filling)

Glaze:

~ 1 1/4 cup confectioners sugar
~ 2 Tbs lemon juice
~ 2 Tbs butter, melted

What to do:

~ In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla. Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt; add to creamed mixture just until combined.

~ Spread 3/4 of the batter into a greased pan. Spread with pie filling or preserves,. Drop the remaining batter by teaspoonfuls over the top.

~ Bake at 350 for 40-45 minutes or until golden brown. In a small bowl, combine the glaze ingredients until smooth. Drizzle over hot bars.

ENJOY!

Recipe: Frushi with Strawberry Reduction Sauce

This is a delicious recipe that's easy, light and screams SPRING!


What you need:

For Frushi:
~ 1 cup short grain or other sushi rice, rinsed
~ 1 cup water
~ 1 cup unsweetened coconut milk (lite is fine)
~ 1 to 2 tbs granulated sugar
~ pinch of salt
~ 4 ripe peaches or nectarines
~ 1/4 cup fruit preserves
~ 1 pint fresh strawberries, thinly sliced
~ 36 berries (fresh raspberries, blueberries, or blackberries)

For Reduction:
~ 2 cups diced strawberries
~1/2 tsp black pepper
~ 2 tsp orange juice
~ 1/2 cup water
~ 2 tbs balsamic vinegar

Directions:

To make sushi:
~ Add rice, water, and coconut milk to a pot, and bring to a boil. Lower heat, cover, and simmer until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is soft, (add a small amount of extra water or coconut milk if the rice is not done but liquid has evaporated).

~ Next, stir sugar and salt in with cooked rice. Gently fluff rice with a fork to distribute evenly. Let rice cool completely. Best to refrigerate to get best stickiness.

~ Blanch peaches in boiling water for 60 seconds. Place in a bowl of ice water to cool, then peel off skin. Thinly slice half-moons from the fruit pit.

~Create oblong mounds from the cooled rice-these become the pieces of sushi-by pressing bits of rice between the palms of your hands. Then carefully spread a thin layer of preserves on top of each mound, top with peach slice, strawberry slice, and a berry.

To prepare the sauce:
~ Add diced strawberries, pepper, orange juice, water, and vinegar to a pot and heat over medium heat until reduced to a syrupy consistency. Strain through a fine-mesh strainer until completely smooth, reserve for later use.

We used the reduction sauce as our "soy" sauce to dip our sushi in. My daughter absolutely LOVES this recipe... and its fun to say FRUSHI!

(Found in The Vegan Table, by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau)

Recipe: Lemon Bars

This recipe is a classic! As well as a favorite mention in many books and movies about stopping by Granny so-and-so's for Lemon Bars... but they're right. Don't need to be a granny to make this slightly-tart, sunny treat!

What you need:

Crust:
~ 1/2 cup butter, softened
~ 1/4 cup sugar
~ 1 cup all-purpose flour

Filling:
~ 3/4 cup of sugar
~ 2 eggs
~ 3 Tbs. Lemon Juice
~ 2 Tbs. all-purpose flour
~ 1/4 tsp. baking powder
~ 1 Tbs. lemon zest

~ 8 inch square pan
~ confectioners sugar

What you do:

~ In stand mixer, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy; gradually beat in flour until blended.

~ Press into an ungreased pan. Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes or until edges are lightly brown.

~ For filling, in electric mixer, beat sugar, eggs, lemon juice, flour, baking powder, and lemon zest until frothy. Pour over crust.
~ Bake for 10-15 minutes until set and lightly brown. Cool and place in refrigerator. Cut into squares, shake confectioners sugar, and enjoy!

Recipe: Oreo Truffles

Oreo truffles are a new find we have in our house and LOVE. Very few can resist the allure of the dark chocolate cookie and the double stuff! So... how on earth could you make it better... a truffle of course. They're easy and delicious!

What you need:

~ One package Oreo's (original or double stuffed)
~ One 8 oz. package cream cheese, softened
~ Powdered (or confectioners) sugar, 1/2 cup
~ Cookie Sheet
~ wax paper
~ large (gallon size) Ziploc bag
~ meat tenderizer, wooden spoon, or rolling pin
~ electric mixer is a huge help, but regular mixers should work as well

What you do:

~ Take your package of Oreo's and empty into your large gallon-size ziploc bag. Crush. You can do in food processor as well, but lets face it, it isn't as much fun! Crush completely until Oreo's are fine, and no large chunks are visible.

~ In electric mixer, with paddle attachment, combine crushed Oreo's and cream cheese. Slowly add powdered sugar one tablespoon at a time until consistency is reached where the Oreo mixture will stay in a solid ball and not flatten out, if using double stuffed Oreo's you'll need more sugar.

~ Roll mixture into tablespoon sized balls and place onto wax paper on your cookie sheet. Continue until mixture gone. Refrigerate until your ready to eat, they could melt!

ENJOY!