The Fat Girl's Guide to Living

As the weatherman in my steamy part of the country increases his use of words like “blazing” and phrases like “hot streak” (which we all know comes just before the dreaded “heat wave”), I find myself wanting to just crawl into my freezer and not resurface until September. Sadly, that’s not terribly realistic, so I decided to make something frozen instead. When you can’t control the temperature outside, you may as well try to control the temperature inside, right? Ice cream seemed a little too heavy, and I wasn’t interested in the hands-on approach required by granita, but when I spied a bag of strawberries in the deep freeze, I knew that frozen yogurt would hit that frosty spot perfectly.

You can certainly make frozen yogurt from fresh, in-season fruit, but let me tell you a little secret: if you use frozen fruit, you only need a food processor and you don’t have to drag out the ice cream maker OR wait for your yogurt mixture to get cold. By the time you’ve blended the frozen fruit with the yogurt, you’ll already have soft-serve consistency fro-yo, the perfect solution for those “I wish I could climb inside the freezer” moments. The only down side is that you can’t strain the seeds from a frozen berry mixture, so keep that in mind if using a seedy berry.

Don’t have Greek-style yogurt? No problem! Just line a strainer with a piece of cheesecloth, place it over a bowl and pour in regular yogurt. Allow to sit in your fridge overnight to let moisture drain out, leaving a thicker yogurt similar to Greek-style.

Get crazy and switch up the flavors to suit your tastes. Use three cups of fruit, but use any fruit you like. Keep it classic or have a little fun with flavor combinations (peach-raspberry is next on my list). I can’t think of a better – or easier – way to greet that summer heat!

Strawberry-Raspberry Frozen Yogurt
3 cups frozen strawberries (hulled if fresh)
1 cup frozen raspberries
1/3 cup sugar
2 tablespoons orange juice
1 cup Greek-style yogurt

Place berries in a food processor and process until smooth, scraping down the sides as necessary. If using frozen berries, it’s best to work in batches and be patient. Add sugar and orange juice and process for another minute. Add yogurt and pulse until completely blended.

If using frozen fruit, you should have soft-serve consistency frozen yogurt at this point. Either serve immediately or transfer to a bowl, cover and let it harden in the freezer.

If using fresh/thawed fruit, strain seeds if desired, transfer the mixture to a bowl, cover and refrigerate until chilled, about 3 hours or overnight. When mixture is completely chilled, pour into an ice cream maker and freeze according to manufacturer’s directions. Either serve immediately or transfer to a storage container and let harden in the freezer.

Yield: approximately eight 1/2 cup servings

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It’s a terrific time of year to be a foodie. Even the smallest, most modest farmers markets and roadside stands are brimming with vibrant, fresh fruits and vegetables. It’s always exciting to spot pints of ruby red strawberries among these spring arrivals – or to visit a farm and pick your own. Beautiful, juicy and tangy-sweet on their own, their flavor blossoms over ice cream and shortcakes, in cakes and pies and when blended into frozen yogurt (keep an eye out for a super-easy frozen yogurt recipe in an upcoming Foodie Fridays post). If simplicity is your thing and you’re seeking something less time-intensive than a pie but dressier than plain, fresh berries, these pretty little gems may be just what you’re looking for.

Ricotta & Cream Cheese Stuffed Strawberries are a wonderful way to dress up strawberries without compromising the integrity and beauty of the fruit when it’s in season. The filling is easy to prepare and you can make it even lighter by folding in a little freshly whipped cream just before filling the strawberries. I usually decorate mine with a single chocolate chip, but you can also dip them in chopped nuts or chocolate shavings. However you decide dress them up, every mouth-watering bite will capture the essence of sunny spring afternoons.

Ricotta & Cream Cheese Stuffed Strawberries
24 strawberries
1/3 cup cream cheese (reduced fat works fine)
1/3 cup ricotta cheese
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon powdered sugar
24 chocolate chips

Wash, hull and dry strawberries. Combine cream cheese, ricotta, vanilla and powdered sugar until smooth. Using a Ziploc bag with a corner snipped off or a piping bag fitted with a medium tip, pipe into strawberries and cap with chocolate chips.

Most nights, a couple of hours after dinner, I find myself thinking about dessert. Scavenging around the kitchen looking for something sweet, I discover I have a few choices: skip dessert, grab a big glass of water, and try to distract myself; sniff out the nearest chocolate bar or bowl of ice cream and indulge just a little, or find something in between – balancing sweetness with responsibility.

Depending on the day, any of these options are perfectly acceptable in my world, as long it’s a conscious decision rather than mindless eating (my downfall). However, I try to choose the middle road and throw together something that satisfies my sweet tooth and might even provide a little nutritional benefit, too.

One of my fast favorites for a reasonable dessert option is actually also something that’s a breakfast favorite – a yogurt parfait. For about the same calorie intake of a half cup of ice cream, I can have organic yogurt with a punch of protein and antioxidants, and get a little more fruit into my day. Win-win? Yep… and I’ll save the chocolate bar or the ice cream for a day when I really need it.

Blackberry and Granola Yogurt Parfait
1/2 cup lowfat, organic vanilla yogurt, divided
1/4 cup blackberries (fresh or frozen, unsweetened – thawed)
1 tablespoon granola
4-6 raw almonds

In a small bowl, layer in 1/4 cup of yogurt, blackberries, another 1/4 cup of yogurt, granola and almonds. Relax and enjoy!

Yield: 1 serving

Looking for more great recipes? Visit my blog at
http://culinography.wordpress.com

I saw a cartoon strip this morning that not only made me laugh out loud, but had to have been written just for me. Maybe a few of you can relate. The comic was titled “The Decline of a Diet” and it depicted a woman declaring to her significant other that she was turning over a new leaf and only going to eat healthy snacks like apples. As the cells of the comic strip progressed, it showed her first adding just a little cinnamon-sugar to an apple… then eating a caramel apple… then eating an apple pie… commenting each day on the (declining) amount of “real apple” in her snack. The last cell found her looking moderately guilty, as we all are prone to do, while eating apple strudel ice cream with “bits of real apple.” Hilarious!

The first thing I want to know is: who’s been hiding in my house documenting my snacking habits? The second thing I want to know is if I’m alone in this. And the third? I want to know is have you gotten your hands on any plump, fresh, juicy strawberries yet this season, because if you have, I’ve got just the thing for you when you reach day five of your diet “decline.” Do me a favor, though, and don’t look guilty for enjoying this treat. This is a positively wonderful quick bread that’s bursting with summery goodness and real fruit. Just don’t eat the whole loaf.

Strawberries & Cream Bread
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup sour cream (light works fine)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup diced fresh strawberries (frozen will work, too)
3/4 cup toasted, chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, F and grease a 9.25 x 5.25 x 2.75 (standard sized) loaf pan.

Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time. Mix in sour cream and vanilla.

Combine dry ingredients (except nuts) and mix into the butter/sugar/egg mixture until just moistened (do not overmix). Fold in stawberries and nuts.

Pour batter into prepared loaf pan and bake for approximately 50-60 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes in the pan and then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.

Yield: 10-12 servings

Looking for more great recipes? Visit my blog at
http://culinography.wordpress.com