Showing posts with label driscolls. Show all posts
Showing posts with label driscolls. Show all posts
Thursday, February 12, 2015
Springtime Desserts with Driscolls Featuring White Chocolate Cheesecake Berry Trifles
My White Chocolate Cheesecake-Berry Trifles use cubed angel food cake, because its lighter in fat and calories -- something many of us are thinking about as bathing suit season draws near. Strawberries were a must, and I paired them with blackberries...also known as dewberries here in the South. I grew up eating them and love them! The cheesecake filling is made from cream cheese, half and half, and a healthy dose of melted white chocolate. Put it all together, and youve got a fabulous Springtime dessert thats perfect for Easter this weekend. Even better? The individual components can be made up to a day ahead, saving you time in the kitchen on Easter Sunday!
White Chocolate Cheesecake-Berry Trifles
a Weekend Gourmet Original
Ingredients (makes 4 mini trifles):
- Four individual trifle cups (or four large wine goblets)
- One angel food cake, prepared according to package directions OR one purchased bakery angel food cake
- Sweetened whipped cream (optional)
- 1 ounce good-quality white chocolate (for garnish)
- 16-ounce container Driscolls organic strawberries, chopped
- 8-ounce container Driscolls blackberries, halved
- 2 tbs. limoncello (lemon liqueur)
- 1 tbs. pure vanilla extract
- 2 tbs. granulated sugar
- 8-ounce tub whipped cream cheese
- 1/3 cup half-and-half
- 1 tbs. pure vanilla extract
- 2 ounces good-quality white chocolate, melted
Directions:
Step 1: Prepare the angel food cake according to package directions and cool completely. Cut the cooled cake into bite-sized cubes with a serrated knife and set aside. Then, add the strawberries, blackberries, vanilla, limoncello, and sugar to a large bowl. Stir well to combine and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, allowing the berries to release their juices.
Step 2: Add the whipped cream cheese, half-and-half, vanilla extract, sugar, and melted white chocolate to another large mixing bowl. Whip the ingredients with a mixer until the mixture is fluffy and nearly doubled in volume. Refrigerate the filling for at least 30 minutes before assembling the trifles. The first two steps can be completed up to a day in advance, if desired.
Step 3: To assemble the trifles, layer cubes of angel food cake in the bottom of each trifle bowl or wine goblet. Top with 1/2 cup of the berries and a bit of the flavorful juice. Spoon 1/2 cup of the cheesecake mixture on top of the berries, using an offset spatula to spread it evenly. Top with another layer of angel food cake cubes and an additional 1/2 cup of the macerated berries. Grate the reserved 1 ounce of white chocolate on top of each trifle. If desired, add a dollop of sweetened whipped cream on top of each trifle.
If you prefer to make this a dessert a centerpiece of your Easter dessert table, simply use a full-size trifle bowl instead of individual ones. You can also feel free to use any combination of berries that you like best for these trifles. For example, blueberries would work perfectly with the strawberries for both Memorial Day and July 4th BBQs and picnics! No matter the berry duo you choose, I hope youll give this dessert a try very soon.
Disclosure: Driscolls provided me with berries to facilitate this feature and recipe creation.
Wednesday, February 11, 2015
Driscolls 3pmSnack Movement Featuring Berry Parfait with Brown Sugar Cream
The survey also revealed that the time of day people reach for their snacks affects their snack choice. People who snack between 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. are more likely to choose fresh fruit. “It’s great to see that people often make a fresh fruit choice as an afternoon snack,” says Frances Dillard, Director of Marketing, Driscoll’s. “We know that it’s not easy to always make a healthy choice. That’s why we are excited to launch a campaign that will introduce great tasting blueberry snacks to replace the unhealthy 3 p.m. snack, especially as people are trying to keep their New Year’s resolutions on track.” Driscoll’s is launching its #3pmSnack campaign to encourage people to snack on fresh fruit, including their healthy and delicious blueberries.Many people are looking for a sweet but nutritious way to crush their cravings and hunger. Blueberries offer the perfect healthy indulgence, and Driscoll’s is making it easier than ever to incorporate antioxidant-filled berries into your diet. At just 80 calories per cup and containing virtually no fat, fiber-rich blueberries keep you satisfied the entire afternoon. Blueberries are a super food that contain more antioxidants than many other foods; they also contain Vitamin C to keep health in peak condition while enabling you to meet your 2014 weight management goals. I’m taking part in this campaign by creating Berry Parfait with Brown Sugar Cream, a healthy and delicious afternoon treat that can be enjoyed at your desk…or in your kitchen. It’s a great after-school snack for kids too! Make the simple creamy sauce the night before and assemble the parfaits whenever your #3PMSnack cravings hit!
Berry Parfait with Brown Sugar Cream
a Weekend Gourmet Original
Ingredients for two parfaits:
- 1 cup Driscoll’s blueberries
- 1 cup Driscoll’s raspberries
- 1 cup lowfat sour cream
- ½ cup light brown sugar
- 1 tbs. honey
- ¼ tsp. lemon or orange extract
- Vanilla beans from one pod
- 1/3 cup granola
- 2 tsp. finely chopped pecans
Directions:
Step 1: Combine the sour cream, brown sugar, honey, extract and vanilla seeds. Stir well to combine and set aside in the fridge. If there are a few lumps of brown sugar, they will soften in the fridge. Just give the sauce another stir just before you assemble the parfaits.
Step 2: Assemble the parfaits. Combine the berries and divide equally between two stemmed glasses OR portable plastic containers. Top with 2-3 tbs. of the sauce, half of the granola and 1 tsp. of the chopped pecans.
That’s it…these parfaits are a healthy and flavorful afternoon snack that will keep you satisfied until dinner! Feel free to use a different berry for the raspberries if you like – chopped strawberries would also work nicely. The fresh berries work very nicely with the tangy-sweet brown sugar cream sauce…and the granola and pecans provide a nice bit of crunch. FYI...you’ll have plenty of the brown sugar cream left…which is a good thing! Spoon the remaining sauce into the sour cream container and store it in the fridge for up to a week. It’s great for dipping all kinds of fruit – especially apple slices and whole strawberries.
Disclosure: Driscolls provided me with berries to facilitate this feature. I received no further compensation, and all opinions expressed are my own.
Tuesday, February 10, 2015
Bounce Back After the Holidays With Driscolls Berries Featuring an Antioxidant Bounce Back Smoothie
Its a wrap, folks! Just like that, Christmas is the books for another year. We had a great time celebrating the holidays with our families and friends back home in Houston this week! Nothing beats great company and lots of tasty treats. As usual, Santa was quite generous. While I absolutely adore the holiday season – time spent with loved ones, colorful lights, beautiful music and décor – it’s also a very hectic and tiring time. Nearly every year, I end up with a post-holiday cold or virus. That’s not fun…so this year, I’m determined to do my best to stay healthy during cold and flu season. Im starting by eating more healthy fruits and veggies. I was feeling tired and run down after returning home yesterday, so I decided to whip up a tasty and healthy Antioxidant Bounce-Back Smoothie featuring vitamin-packed berries from my friends at Driscoll’s.This smoothie is just what I needed to bounce back after a hectic week of indulging in holiday foods! I selected berries that are naturally high in Vitamin C and healthy antioxidants for my smoothie: blueberries, raspberries and strawberries. To up the antioxidant factor even more, I also added tangy pomegranate juice. For a smooth, creamy texture, I added some ripe banana and a bit of low-fat vanilla frozen yogurt. Depending on how sweet you want your smoothie, feel free to add a bit of honey or agave. This recipe makes enough for two smoothies. Theyre a fabulous on-the-go breakfast or healthy snack.
Antioxidant Bounce-Back Smoothie
a Weekend Gourmet Original
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup Driscoll’s blueberries, frozen
- 1/2 cup Driscolls raspberries, frozen
- 1/2 cup diced Driscoll’s strawberries, frozen
- 1/2 cup pomegranate juice
- ½ very ripe banana, sliced
- ½ cup lowfat vanilla frozen yogurt
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1 tbs. honey or agave (optional)
Step 1: Add the ingredients to the container of a blender in the following order: juice, frozen berries, sliced banana and frozen yogurt. Top with the honey/agave (if using) and vanilla extract.
Step 2: Blend on high speed until the frozen berries are completely blended with the juice and yogurt. You may need to stop once or twice and tap the blender container if your mixture is very thick. Pour into two glasses. For a pretty garnish, place a strawberry on the rim of your glass...and a brightly colored straw is a nice touch as well!
This smoothie will have your flagging energy bouncing back in no time!! Its also a gorgeous shade of purple-pink. This smoothie tastes great and is totally guilt free…I could’ve used plain Greek yogurt, but the frozen yogurt provides an almost shake-like consistency. The brand I used has only 1.5 grams of fat per serving, and it provides just enough sweetness so that no added cane sugar is needed. I plan to incorporate lots of healthy smoothies into my meals in the coming weeks. They’re a tasty and fast way to incorporate more fruit into my daily eating.
Disclosure: Driscoll’s provided me with coupons for free berries to facilitate this article. I received no further compensation, and all opinions expressed are my own.
Saturday, February 7, 2015
Wrapping Up Driscolls Berry Week with Baked Blueberry Lemon Doughnuts and a Giveaway for TWO FREE Driscolls Berry Coupons!!
Its time to wrap up Driscolls Berry Week with a sweet finale! Sunday is also World Baking Day, so the first thing that came to mind to celebrate both of these fun events was to make a batch of baked doughnuts using Driscolls sweet and juicy blueberries! I love my doughnut pan, so Im always looking for fun new ways to use it. When I thought about making blueberry doughnuts, lemon immediately came to mind. Its a perfect combination in my book! I looked around for a recipe that featured light, healthy ingredients and found a great recipe to tweak that features yogurt to keep the doughnuts nice and moist. The glaze combines crushed blueberries, lemon juice, and lemon zest for a pronounced fruit flavor. These doughnuts were love at first bite for me!
To amp up the blueberry flavor even more, I used Chobani blueberry Greek yogurt. The batter is flavored with both lemon extract and vanilla bean paste from Nielsen-Massey. These gems were literally ready for the oven in about 10 minutes. While they baked, I whipped up the sweet-tart glaze. These can be ready -- start to finish -- in just over 30 minutes. They make a great dessert or evening snack...and theyre also great for a leisurely weekend brunch. If you love blueberries, youll go nuts for these doughnuts. My recipe makes 6 doughnuts, but feel free to double the ingredients to feed a larger crowd.
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To amp up the blueberry flavor even more, I used Chobani blueberry Greek yogurt. The batter is flavored with both lemon extract and vanilla bean paste from Nielsen-Massey. These gems were literally ready for the oven in about 10 minutes. While they baked, I whipped up the sweet-tart glaze. These can be ready -- start to finish -- in just over 30 minutes. They make a great dessert or evening snack...and theyre also great for a leisurely weekend brunch. If you love blueberries, youll go nuts for these doughnuts. My recipe makes 6 doughnuts, but feel free to double the ingredients to feed a larger crowd.
Baked Blueberry-Lemon Doughnuts
adapted from King Arthur Flour
Step 1: Preheat oven to 375, and spray the wells of a doughnut pan with cooking spray. Prepare the batter by adding the following dry ingredients to a mixing bowl: 1 cup flour, 1/2 cup sugar, 1 tsp. baking powder, and 1/4 tsp. salt. Whisk to combine and add the following wet ingredients to the bowl: 1 small container Chobani blueberry Greek yogurt, 1 large egg, 2 tsp. vegetable oil, 1 tsp. Nielsen-Massey lemon extract, and 1 tsp. Nielsen-Massey vanilla bean paste (or vanilla extract).
Step 2: Mix just until combined, being careful not to overmix. Add 3/4 cup Driscolls blueberries and the zest of one small lemon. Stir gently to combine the zest and berries into the batter, being careful not to break up the berries. Spoon the batter into the doughnut pan and bake for 15 minutes, until golden brown on top.
Step 3: Make the doughnut glaze. Add 1/3 cup blueberries to a small bowl and crush with a fork. Add the juice and from 1 small lemon and enough powdered sugar to make a thick glaze. Your mileage may vary, but I added about 1 cup of powdered sugar to get the consistency I was looking for. Its a gorgeous purple-pink color!
Step 4: Let the doughnuts cool in the pan for 5 minutes before removing them. This will allow them to release from the pan much easier. These doughnuts are a bit fragile when warm, so I found it easiest to place them on foil and spoon the glaze over the warm doughnuts. Let them cool until the glaze is set, then place on a serving platter.
Mercy, are these a little bite of blueberry heaven! Thanks to blueberries and blueberry yogurt in the batter -- and a healthy dose of blueberries in the glaze -- these doughnuts pack a huge blueberry punch! The lemon stands up to the blueberry quite nicely, but doesnt overpower. The yogurt keeps them moist and delicate, and the fact that theyre baked saves calories and fat over takeout doughnuts. I like knowing exactly what I put into these!
Ive had a blast at Driscolls Berry Week, and I hope youve enjoyed the recipes I featured. Driscolls is giving one of you TWO coupons for free berry products, so make sure to enter by leaving a comment below telling me your favorite way to enjoy berries, along with your e-mail. Ill be picking a winner on Monday, so hurry to enter. Good luck!
Disclosure: Driscolls and Nielsen-Massey gave me coupons for free berries and samples of extracts to facilitate this World Baking Day post. All opinions are mine.
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