Tag Archive | Summer recipe

Healthy Summer Recipe: Watermelon & Fruit “Cake”

Jun26

June 14, 2014 012 crop

Here is a fun and healthy recipe to take to any summer potluck. We’ve already made this for a few occasions, and it was a huge hit! This is a super-easy (and healthy) recipe to make and the kids love to get involved! My 6-year-old daughter designed this watermelon cake for her cousin’s birthday party. You can use any fruit you like in this recipe, but this is what we used:

 Ingredients:

1 Whole Watermelon

2 Kiwi, peeled, halved, and cut into ¼ inch slices

½ fresh pineapple, cut into bite-sized chunks

1 can (11oz) mandarin orange segments, drained

Fresh strawberries (about 20)

Chocolate chips (about 20)

¼ cup blueberries

Red grapes (about 20)

Green grapes (about 20)

Instructions:

  1. Lay the watermelon on a cutting board.  Find the thickest part of the watermelon (the center). Cut a 3½-inch slice of the thickest part of the watermelon. Lay the slice flat on the cutting board and cut the rind off, making it as close to a circle as possible. (Ours ended up being 7 inches in diameter). Place this slice directly on the dish you will be using to serve. (We used a round cake taker because we were transporting it to a party.)
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  3. From one of the remaining watermelon halves, cut a 2 ½-inch thick slice. Lay it flat on the cutting board, and cut off the rind, forming a circle (our circle ended up being 4 ½ inches in diameter.) Center this slice on top of the larger slice.
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  5. Cut the remaining watermelon into bite-sized pieces to mix in with your other fruit if desired.
  6. Now comes the fun part, where you may want to get the kids involved! Decorate as you wish, using any fruits you like and arranging them into patterns if desired.  If you like the way ours came out, just copy the picture.  Otherwise, get creative with your designs.  The possibilities are endless!!
  7. If you’re transporting the cake to a party, you may need to make additional adjustments when you arrive.
  8. Enjoy!! 🙂

 

 

 

Perfect Summer Potato Salad

Jun12

June 10, 2014 126 summer potato salad blog

Nothing says summer to me like a cool, refreshing mix of potatoes, eggs, cucumbers, and celery mixed with the perfect blend of spices in creamy mayo.

To make it healthier and minimize my use of processed ingredients, I made my own Italian salad dressing.  If you’re running short on time, store-bought dressing will work.  But if you have a few minutes, give the homemade dressing a try and you will see how simple it is to make.  This delicious substitution is healthier and less expensive than the store-bought, and it gives me peace of mind being able to control the oils I use and to eliminate the high fructose corn syrup that is present in virtually all store-bought dressing.

The following recipe is my idea of a perfect potato salad.  Feel free to add or eliminate ingredients to your liking (for example, my family doesn’t like onions, but add them if you like).

 

Ingredients

4 medium Yukon Gold potatoes, washed and cubed into bite-sized pieces

¼ cup Italian Dressing (recipe below)

½ teaspoon salt

pepper, to taste (I just use a few shakes)

½ cup mayonnaise (we use Kraft Real Mayo)

1 medium stalk celery, chopped into bite-sized pieces

1 cup cucumbers, chopped into bite-sized pieces

2 hard boiled eggs, chopped into bite-sized pieces

Instructions

 

  1. Add potatoes to a pot, adding just enough water to cover. Heat to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and cook until tender. Drain and cool.
  2. After potatoes are cool, stir in Italian dressing, salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours.
  3. Just before serving, toss with cucumbers, celery, eggs, and mayonnaise until potatoes are well coated.  Enjoy!

 

Italian Dressing recipe (makes 1 1/3 cups)

½ cup white vinegar

½ cup olive oil

2 ½ Tablespoons Grapeseed oil

1 Tablespoon water

½ teaspoon garlic powder

½ teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon honey

1 ½ teaspoon dried oregano

1/8 teaspoon black pepper

1/8 teaspoon thyme

¼ teaspoon basil

1 teaspoon parsley

1 teaspoon Himalayan pink salt (if you don’t have any, just use regular salt)

Pour ingredients into a 2 ½ cup glass measuring cup. Transfer to a glass salad dressing bottle. Cover and shake well. Refrigerate to store.

Recipe modified from http://www.pennilessparenting.com/2010/07/perfect-homemade-italian-dressing.html.