A Very Special Berry: Making Dinner with Strawberries

You can probably think of a thousand dessert recipes to include strawberries in; these mildly sweet berries work extremely well in cakes and pastries, and are always a winning combination with chocolate. But did you know that there are a number of dinner recipes you can prepare with strawberries? Here are some great ideas for a 'berry' special dinner that your whole family will love.

One of the easiest strawberry recipes you can make for dinner is salad. Spicy berry salad with raspberries and strawberries are a great addition to any dinner. You can create your own salad dressing with strawberries by using your food processor to finely chop and liquefy the berries; then you can add olive oil and white wine vinegar to create a dressing that is savory and tangy with a hint of sweetness. This dressing tastes great over fresh greens like spinach or Romaine lettuce, and grilled meats that you can use in your salad, so dry grilled chicken or turkey breast in your salad for a light, healthy dinner (or lunch the next day) that the whole family will love.

If you're making meatloaf for dinner, you can also use strawberries to prepare the sauce topping for your loaf. Chopped strawberries, with a mixture of seasonings like apple cider vinegar, cracked pepper, garlic sauce, sugar, and soy sauce will make a great sauce that goes great with chicken or turkey meatloaf. You can make the strawberry sauce a little more savory for more traditional beef or pork meatloaf by adding 'darker' flavors like dry mustard and onion. The mild sweet flavor of the berries with the tenderness of the meat is a winning combination, and if you make this dish for guests, they're sure to be asking for the recipe!

If you still have some strawberries left over, you may want to use them for breakfast the next morning. Making a simple muffin mix of flour, milk baking soda, salt and eggs, and adding strawberries will add an additional boost of vitamin C, and are a welcome change from traditional blueberry muffins. You can also add strawberries to a baked granola mix of raisins, sunflower seeds, and almonds for a breakfast that will give you a boost of energy in the morning.

These recipes are very easy to make, and you can add them to your recipe catalog today. Happy eating!