a hint of honey: May 2012

Wednesday, May 30, 2012

Strawberry Avocado Salad, Revisited

I'm bringing this favorite back again, updated with a new photo and addition of red onion. Now that I'm no longer pregnant I can enjoy onions again so I'm sneaking them into everything! Thin slivers of crunchy raw onion make this salad even more enticing. With strawberries and avocado tossed in a tangy sweet vinaigrette- it's the perfect start to your summer.

4/7/10: Since strawberry season will soon be upon us, I thought I'd bring back this recipe. Whenever I can get fresh strawberries, it finds our way on to our dinner menu. I'm thrilled that spring (yes it is still spring, even though at a predicted 94 F today in April, it feels much more like summer!) has decided to stay. That means we're nearing the most wonderful time of the year- for fruit anyway! I've waited all winter long for fresh berries. Spring, I'm so glad you're here!

1/8/09: I was lucky enough to find both ripe avocados and strawberries on sale on my last grocery trip. (Not exactly in season in the dead of winter.) Although it is more of a summer dish, I couldn't wait to try this salad, which turned out to be refreshing and perfect! The dressing is sweet, yet tangy and light. I served it (paired with soup and sandwiches) to my mother and her parents who were in town for lunch today. And I determined it a success when my mother exclaimed that it was "even better than Panera!"

Strawberry Avocado Salad

INGREDIENTS
2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp. honey
1 Tbsp. cider vinegar
1 tsp. lemon juice
dash of salt and freshly ground black pepper

romaine, chopped
avocado, peeled, pitted and sliced
strawberries, sliced
pecans, toasted and chopped
red onion, thinly sliced (optional)

DIRECTIONS
1. In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, honey, vinegar, and lemon juice. Season with a dash of salt and pepper. Set aside.

2. Toss the avocado in a little of the dressing to prevent browning. Place the salad greens in a bowl and top with sliced avocado and strawberries. Drizzle dressing over top, then sprinkle with pecans and serve.

Serves 2.

(Adapted from All Recipes)

Friday, May 25, 2012

Lemon Zucchini Bread

A recipe! Life has been absolutely crazy since Clara joined our family (just over three weeks ago). It has been much harder than I expected, and yet awesome in so many ways. Between recovering from delivery, nonstop breastfeeding, very little sleeping, family visiting, husband graduating, and trying my best to ignore the fact that we're moving in three weeks, you might guess I haven't had much time for cooking. But then my sister (who has started a recipe blog of her own) visited this week and graciously baked this delicious bread for me. So technically I didn't make this- but I did grate the zucchini. Hopefully it won't be too long before I'm back with more recipes- and a few photos of our baby girl- to share. In the mean time I leave you with this sweet loaf of lemony zucchini bread.

Lemon Zucchini Bread

INGREDIENTS
2 cups white whole wheat flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
2 eggs
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/3 cup sugar (the original recipe calls for 2/3 cup but I found 1/3 cup to be plenty sweet)
1/2 cup buttermilk
zest and juice of 1 lemon
1 cup zucchini, grated

DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease and flour a 9×5 inch loaf pan; set aside.

2. In a large bowl, blend flour, salt, and baking powder; set aside.

3. In a medium bowl, beat 2 eggs then add applesauce and sugar and blend well. Then add the buttermilk, lemon juice, and lemon zest and blend everything well. Fold in zucchini and stir until evenly distributed in mixture.

4. Add this mixture to the dry ingredients in the large bowl and blend everything together, but don’t overmix.

5. Pour batter into prepared 9×5 loaf pan and bake in preheated oven for 35-45 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan 10 minutes, then remove to a wire rack and cool completely.

Makes 1 loaf.

(Adapted from Nancy Creative via For the First Thyme)