There are many surprising health benefits of strawberries . They are loaded with Vitamin C which helps support a healthy immune system. Their anti-inflammatory and antioxidant benefits can help protect against cardiovascular disease. But there is one reason why I love them – they are delicious! Sweet and juicy, there’s nothing better than strawberries in the summer.
Martha Ray Deen (Charlotte, NC) submitted her Strawberry Salsa for the South Carolina Strawberry Festival. While it wasn’t a winner there, it was a winning recipe for us!
The sweet strawberries combine with savory onions and peppers for a flavor-packed salsa. Freshly squeezed orange juice adds a pop of acidity. You can serve this salsa with chips, but it would also be fantastic on top of grilled chicken.
“This makes for a delicious breakfast or even a light dessert,” thinks Lynn Dine of her Cinnamon Toasted Fruit Pita. Linda’s recipe is light and delicious.
Besides strawberries, Linda blends bananas, grapes, and apples with Greek yogurt. It’s stuffed inside a pita pocket that’s toasted with cinnamon and sugar. We loved how the cinnamon and sugar mixture makes the pita sweet and crunchy. It’s a great compliment to the creamy yogurt and fruit mixture.
Karen Axel-Knispel’s (Plainview, NY) White Chocolate Strawberry Cookies are delicate, soft, and sweet. With just a hint a lime in the undertones, they are refreshing. The white chocolate chips and fresh strawberries are a lovely flavor combo. This is a great summer cookie when strawberries are nice and fresh.
Strawberry shortcake is a quintessential strawberry dessert. Sabrina Nichols (Oklahoma City, OK) puts a spin on this traditional dessert with her Strawberry Cheese Shortcake.
Cheesecake and strawberry cream puddings are layered in a dish with vanilla wafers and strawberries. The topping is not only beautiful but is delicious on top of the pound cake. The cheesecake pudding makes this rich while the strawberry pudding just enhances the overall strawberry flavor. You could easily eat the pudding layer on its own. This would be a great dessert for a summer cookout. Prep everything ahead of time and everyone can build their own.
“My family requests this Moist Strawberry Cake over all others,” explains Kathy Harrell (Camden, AR). “The longer it is in the fridge the moister it becomes. The only problem is that it does not last long.”
Oh my gosh, this is the mother of all strawberry cakes. It’s cool, rich, refreshing and six layers of yummy flavors. We loved the mixture of cream cheese and whipped cream layers. They taste amazing and aren’t overly rich. The cake itself is moist, but when the fresh strawberries are incorporated it makes the cake even better.
Chocolate covered strawberries can be pricey. Stephanie Beacham (Jacksonville, NC) shared her Chocolate Covered Strawberries recipe so you can easily make them at home. “These are my favorite thing to make for my family, friends, and lovers,” shares Stephanie.
When served, these strawberries are beautiful. Stephanie melts semi-sweet chocolate chips and peanut butter chips in separate bowls. After being dipped into the chocolate, they strawberries are sprinkled with coconut or crushed walnuts. We loved the peanut butter, walnut and strawberry combination. It’s a tasty riff on a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.
If you love strawberries as much as I do, I highly suggest you try one of these recipes. Do you have a favorite strawberry recipe? Make sure to share it below. Happy Pinching!