Wild Strawberry Cake

I made this Wild Strawberry Cake at the weekend with wild strawberries and a handful of strawberries picked from the garden. 

The wild strawberries are growing like weed, but thankfully I don't mind that and nor do the birds. I sometimes from the corner of my eye spot a blackbird or a mistletoe thrush scurrying amongst the growth, its rather amusing. 

I then go to pick a lovely big juicy looking strawberry and i find a beak peck. I don't overly mind, good for the birds if they beat me to the ripe strawberries - as long as i get some; and  i have been getting my fair share. 

D liked this cake very much and actually had two slices at one point. It was light and spongy with the wild strawberries making the cake fragrant, but also giving that sweet intense strawberry burst.  It was rather enjoyable to eat. 

I had intended to bake a Strawberry cake recipe from one of my many cookbooks, but i did not have the energy to sit and seek one out, so resorted to the world wide web, typed in Strawberry Cake and this is the Strawberry Cake recipe I baked if your interested. 

Vegan Rhubarb and Strawberry American Pie

Rhubarb is a vegetable, not a lot of people know that.

It was the first vegetables we harvested from the garden this year.  Sticker rock stalks have been shared with neighbours on our left and right side. 

I have mad a couple of recipes with it, including this Vegan Rhubarb and Strawberry American Pie.  The strawberries also came from our garden.

The recipe for the Rhubarb and Strawberry Pie comes from the awesome Post Punk Kitchen vegan chefs Isa Chandra Moscowitz and Terry Hope Romero in their publication Vegan Pie In The Sky. 

It's been a long while since I made this style of pie and I must admit, I did really enjoyed making it all from scratch. Yes even the pastry, no cheating here and it was totally worth it.

You know the first slice never comes out perfect, all the others did.  But did D bother to retake the picture for me, of course not - he was just interested in shovelling the pie down his throat.  I don't blame him though, it was truly a delicious pie.

Find the recipe here.

Homegrown Rhubarb Strawberry Chia Seed Crumble

I made this Rhubarb and Strawberry Crumble with the addition of chia seeds in the oat topping a few weeks back.

Since then the strawberries in the garden have come to a halt, I have to admit they have not been as productive this year as they have previous years.  Perhaps they are getting old and I need to renew the ground with new strawberry plants.  Also I have noted the wild strawberries from the neighbours garden are creeping into ours, oppressing the growth of the traditional strawberries with vigorous leafage growth. 

The rhubarb plant however is doing fabulously, emerging from the earth in true style . 

Bakers Dozen: Savoury Strawberry Recipes

We Brits are very reserved with our strawberries come the Summer season.  We love mostly to make jam with our British strawberries so that we can slather it on our homemade scones.  Come Wimbledon - it becomes fashionable to indulge in Strawberries and Cream or the more traditional Eton Mess.  

Well for a change and in the name of  culinary and cultural diversity, I recently decided to make a Strawberry Curry and it got me thinking about other savoury strawberry recipes.  Strawberries in a savoury dish?!  Its actually not as terrible as you may think.  Imagine a strawberry a bit like a cherry tomato.  Its not always sweet, sometimes sharp too or sometimes both.  Perfect for Goats cheese or Mozzarella Toasted Panini, or on a Bruschetta.  

Here are twelve Savoury Strawberry vegetarian and vegan recipes from around blogosphere.   

Strawberry, Avocado and Walnut Salad from the magnificent Green Gourmet Giraffe

Strawberry and Jalapeno Salsa 

Strawberry Chilli Jam perfect for savoury Oatcakes or simply on toast.

Something else that would be excellent on crust bread would be this Strawberry Chutney from The Practical Herbalist;   Or if your more into BBQ's try this Strawberry Ketchup for veggie burgers (not pictured), the recipe comes from The Yellow Apron.

I f you want something a little lighter and elegant, try this easy chilled strawberry Soup aka Strawberry Gazpacho from The Star.

Check out these vegan Strawberry and Tofu Spring Rolls by The Dirty Hippie and The Bohemian girl.  

A impressive Strawberry Quiche with Brie Cheese that would make an excellent centrepiece for a buffet.

You will either love or hate this vegan Strawberry Risotto with Salad greens

Broccoli in Savoury Sauce by by KiipFit.  It does contain Worcestershire sauce, but that can be substituted with a vegan version.

Vegetarian Savoury Strawberry Pizza by Dishing Up The Dirt.  

Or if you want some comfort gooey crunch, how about this Gluten Free Grilled Strawberry and Cheese Sandwich from The Tomato Tart.   And finally a fabulous Hot and Smoky Strawberry Sauce (not pictured) that would be fantastic over a tofu steak. 

Do you have any Savoury Strawberry recipes that you would like to share?

Quick and Easy Strawberry Jalapeno Salsa

I am in Wales, a land not known for the sunshine but rain rain rain, but today it felt like I was somewhere in the Mediterranean.  I stepped out of the office onto the busy streets and honestly it felt like I had walked into a greenhouse.  

Anyway, you know what hot, clammy weather means - no energy for cooking and your appetite to eat leans more towards quick light and easy bites: such as this Strawberry Jalapeno Salsa which requires no cooking at all, even better.  

I actually made this Strawberry Jalapeno Salsa at the weekend with homegrown strawberries. The strawberries take the place of tomatoes which can either be acidic or sweet.  I have to admit, as much as I wanted to make this and experiment, I was not sure that I would like it and I could see D looking down at the bowl and thinking the same. 

Then we both tucked in with our tortilla chips and were Wooed! 

This is not the first savoury strawberry recipe I have made, I have made a Savoury Strawberry Quiche with strawberries and even Strawberry Risotto before and more recently Strawberry Spinach Asparagus Salad, so don't quite understand why it has taken me a while to make this Strawberry Jalapeno Salsa in my home. I will even go as far and say, I think I prefer this  Strawberry Jalapeno Salsa to the spicy Tomato salsa.  

Quick and Easy Strawberry Asparagus Spinach Salad in Poppy Seed Dressing

I didn't fancy making a cake or muffins with the strawberries coming from my garden and then I remembered strawberry spinach salads.  

Well its been over 10 years I have been reading about Strawberry Spinach Salad in cookbooks, hearing about it from foodie friends and seeing it  on blogosphere, yet never tried it until the the weekend and since Saturday we have had it three times.  yes three times including today.

Of course, I had to make some of my own tweaks to the recipe that I eye-balled, the asparagus for a start.

A while back my sister in law had gifted me with a bottle of strawberry vinaigrette, its really easy to make at home, but nicer to be given one - makes a quick and easy recipe even easier.  If you don't have either, you can easily substitute it with sherry vinegar or white wine vinegar, it will still taste good,  just wont be as sweet.

It really was quite something special.  The strawberries maintained their firmness, yet the outer softened a little taking on the zing from the vinaigrette.  I'd even say it was quite delicious, hence the reason we have had it again and again.  Only thing, the rest of the day we were feeling poppy seeds in between our teeth, so don't forget to floss before you go to bed at night.  

Vegan Strawberry Cinnamon Crumb Bars

Yesterday I was going to share progress in my garden, as well as a small harvest of fresh strawberries, but I was tired.  Even though I had not done much over the weekend, I was mentally tired and then coming back home from work, had me crashing to the sofa. 

All week I have been sharing food from overseas and other climes, but today its back to British - not necessarily these bars which are American, but I am nodding my head to one of the Best British ingredients - Yes, lets all scream Strawberries!

This was one beautiful strawberry bar.  The bottom soft spongy, the top crumbly and crunch and in between a layer of strawberries. Teasing me, first a little bit burst of fruit, then a little bit jammy and then a little bit chewy.  Nice.  Although D eats everything I make, he does not always appreciate the vegan cakes I make that often, but he loved this one and was happy that I was not going to take any slices into work to share.  Secretly I was pleased too.  

I've adapted  the recipe for Blueberry Spice Crumb Bars slightly from  Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar by Post Punk Kitchen's Duo.   I am not going to republish it here, if you don't have the cookbook - go on treat yourself, if not - you can find the recipe on-line.  I  replaced the spelt flour with plain flour, blueberries with strawberries and omitted the ginger and allspice.  

Sweet and Savoury Glorious Reds

Welcome to August's round up of The Vegetable Palette and Fruit Palette: natures colours - natures goodness''. 

The theme for August was Glorious Reds.  (Please scroll to the bottom of the page for the new theme if you would like to take part this month).  

Glorious Reds: Vegetable and Fruit Palette Challenge continues

Welcome to July's round up of The Vegetable Palette and Fruit Palette: natures colours - natures goodness''. 

The theme for July was Glorious Reds.  (Please scroll to the bottom of the page for the new theme if you would like to take part this month).  And in no particular order, we begin with with the vegetable palette of reds with savoury bowls of goodness.

The first entry comes from Anitha who blogs over at Veggiesome - Healthy and Tasty Vegetarian Recipes with Tomato Garlic Rasam 

Next we have Gazpacho - The Coolest Salad Soup with a Blushing Salad by Nasifriet at By The Way....

The Veg Hog also shared with us a soup, this one is made with Roasted Heirloom tomatoes and Baby Red Peppers. 

Chardonnay & Samphire shares with us a gorgeous thick Romesco Sauce also made with roasted red peppers and tomatoes.  Yum.   

Choclette from Tin and Thyme brings to the table a stunning plate of Jewelled Persian Rice made with lots of reds from red peppers, cranberries and pomegranates. 

Helen from Family Friends Food with Easy Vegetable Crustless Quiche made with red peppers.

Janet from The Taste Space shares a wholesome BBQ Lentil Sandwich, a great alternative for the BBQ party. Now onto the Fruit Palette of Glorious Reds.

Fresh Strawberry Scones of Sorts

These free form soft fruit berry scones may not look fabulous, but they were rather nice.

I made them a couple of weeks back with the last of my garden strawberries.  These as you can see are not traditional British style scones, but are American style cut into triangular shapes.  

I have to admit that I added a little to much milk, the dough was a little sloppy.  So even though it doesn't look very attractive, it was good to eat and I'd be happy to bake them again.  

For the recipe follow this link.

Cherry, Raspberry and Strawberry aka Three Berry Pancakes

I made these sweet little fluffy red berries pancakes at the weekend for lunch, yes lunch.

The raspberries and strawberries came from our garden and the cherries foraged by one of my neighbours who was chatting to D in the street as he parked his car.  The neighbour asked D a leading question 'Do you like cherries?....I tell you why.....we have loads' and before D knew it, he was bestowed with more than a bowl full.  

So gloriously red berries have been on the menu pretty much every day.  

Just look at how light, fluffy and puffy they look and they tasted superb too. 

Vegan Aquafaba Meringue Strawberry Mess

I had a go at making some vegan meringues a few weeks back, not with an expensive vegan egg substitute but with the inexpensive ingredient of chickpea brine and by gosh they were successful on my first attempt.  The only thing, I didn't get a photograph of the perfectly formed ones for a number of reasons.  I was so darn excited and impressed that I wanted D to try them immediately and share them the following day with some friends who also happen to be vegan, as I so wanted to amaze them as much as I was, but also get their verdict and truthfully I made them late in the afternoon when they came out of the oven it was dark. It was only later that I realised that I had not taken a photograph of my first ever perfectly shaped vegan meringues.  

The only vegan meringues I had left were the ones that didn't hold well, but on reflection they were still fine looking more like vegan macarons than pancakes and had I had thought of it, I would have whipped up some coconut cream or vegan cream cheese for the sweet filling, but I did not.  Instead I decided to crumble them for what I have called Vegan Meringue Strawberry Mess hidden beneath the vegan meringues, are fresh strawberries and beneath them is Strawberry Chia Jam.

I learned about aquafaba that is chickpea brine meringues a few months back from various vegan food bloggers, who to credit first would be unfair, but I have to admit, I was totally amazed at how tinned chickpea liquid can mimic egg whites.  If your curious to learn more about Aquafaba, then here is a link to dish to Vegan Meringues - Hits and Misses.  Worth exploring regardless. 

I made my first batch and gave D a plate full, not telling them they were vegan and moreso not telling him that they were made from chickpea water.  He gobbled them all up quite effortlessly, and was super impressed when he learned that they were vegan.  I had some too, well more than a couple and oh my how delightful - how they melted in my mouth like the real thing.  I know some bloggers reported that they could taste the beany aftertaste from the chickpeas, but I have to admit I could not detect this, so I was rather pleased. They do not have a good shelf life though and perhaps are best eaten within a couple of days. 

I have to admit the only thing about making these was the time it took to whisk to a whippy texture. It felt like it took forever to whisk with my hand held whisker, but it was getting there surely, thickening slowly with every whipping whisk.  I am hoping to make these again, and I promise to share them in all their shimmering glitzy glory next time.  Thank you so much to the vegan community, though I am not a vegan, I do appreciate and adore many vegan recipes and this is such a s clever one to have in your repertoire.  My lovely vegan friends are in for a real treat.  Let the aquafaba home experiments commence.  I am sharing this with Lauren and Danielle for Fabulous Foodies Fridays #60.  

Raw Strawberry Chilli Chia Jam

Like most food bloggers, I discovered the magic of chia seeds a couple of years ago.  As well as using it in Puddings, I actually also made a Raspberry Chilli Chia Jam, but never got round to blogging about it.  This time I was determined to get a picture and share it with you - the only difference is this one is made from strawberries from my garden.

The Raw Strawberry Chilli Chia Jam was not only spread on a piece of toast, but also on warm home-made Lemonade Scones.  Lemonade scones contrary to its name, do not taste like lemonade at all. The fizzy lemonade seems to aerate the scones, giving them oomf and a bit of height, but nothing lemony about them at all. 

The Raw Strawberry Chilli Chia Jam is not sweet like traditional strawberry jam made with sugar and pectin, but nonetheless it was pleasant and made for an interesting change, and you know me - dousing a bit of chilli here and there, but its completely optional.  

Big Juicy Strawberries for Strawberry Slices

I seem to be sharing my strawberries with not just the usual garden birds, but also a stunning Jay bird in the garden.  The number of strawberries I've picked that have a sharp razor beak mark in them, made me smile.  I am not resenting the birds in my garden at all - there are plenty of strawberries for them and for me (its the slugs I resent). 

As well as enjoying them fresh, I've made loads of recipes with them.  However the one I am about to share had been a bit of a fail.  These strawberry slices tasted good, but were rather floppy, lacking body.  Perhaps some almonds scattered over the top or a jam layer beneath the strawberries would have made them more substantial.  If your (still) interested in trying them for yourself or even just curious to see the recipe, then follow this link for the recipe, its adapted from my Rhubarb Streusel Crumblee slices.

I am sharing these fresh big and juicy Strawberries with Daphne's Dandelions for Harvest Mondays. 

Strawberry Flapjacks

Not quite summer yet, but the strawberries in my garden are beginning to reward us slowly.  I harvested a good handful a few days back.  

D was hinting that he would like something sweet in his lunch box for work to snack on like flapjacks or muffins.  Truth is I've been a bit slack making both.  I used to make them on a regular basis as neither of us has breakfast in the morning, especially on working days and this was a good way to address that gap in our diet.  Well this time round I was more than happy to to the hint.  

As I only had a good handful of strawberries, I sliced them thinly  for a couple of reasons.  To make them stretch, but also I did not want the juices to make the flapjack soggy, just add enough moisture and natural strawberry flavour.  They were simple, summery and lovely, I think though they could have done with a drizzle of white chocolate just to make them appeal to the eye more, but they were perfect for filling that hunger pang in the morning.