Tofu Chocolate Mousse with Fresh Raspberries

Yes, I know. Sounds gross. Sounds wrong. But aren't you kinda curious? Well, you will be pleasantly surprised! Infact I dare you to fool people...if you don't tell them they will never know. It is easy and full of protein and so much better for you than the traditional kind with a vat of whipped cream. Plus the guilt-free factor on the waistline is such a bonus.

2 packages silken tofu (medium firm will work too)
3 8 ounce squares of bakers chocolate or equivalent
4 tablespoons of cocoa powder
4 tablespoons of sugar
2 tablespoon of maple syrup or agave nectar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
pinch of salt
1 cup fresh raspberries

Servings: 6

Place chocolate in a medium saucepan and heat up on very low heat just until melted.
Place packages of tofu in a blender.
Add melted chocolate, cocoa powder, sugar, syrup, vanilla, pinch of salt and puree, until smooth.
Place into your favorite bowl or 6 separate parfait cups. Refrigerate for a minimum of 4 hours. Top with fresh raspberries. Serve.

Fresh Strawberry Muffins

These muffins are pretty much like cake. So they work as a treat for breakfast or as a dessert. I ate them with my Sour Strawberry Icecream and they were delish. There are two tricks. One is folding the batter so the muffins get a nice rise and look pretty. The second is placing the strawberries individually in the muffin pan. A little more time but the results are no pink batter and a really good looking muffin...

Almond or Pecan Topping

2 tablespoons granulated sugar
3 tablespoons dark brown sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
4 tablespoons melted butter
1/4 cup slivered almonds or pecans (optional)

1-2 cups sliced fresh strawberries (quartered is best)
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
2 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon table salt
2 eggs
4 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled
1/4 cup vegetable or canola oil
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1/4 cup 1 or 2% milk
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Servings: 12 muffins

For the topping: Stir together sugar, brown sugar, salt, and flour in small bowl until combined. Drizzle with warm butter and toss with fork until evenly moistened and you have small sized balls. Add slivered almonds or chopped pecans.

Preheat oven to 425

Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt together in large bowl. Whisk sugar and eggs together in medium bowl until thick and well combined. About a 30 seconds to a minute. Slowly whisk in butter and oil. Whisk in milk and yogurt and vanilla until combined. Using rubber spatula, fold egg mixture into flour mixture until just moistened. (Batter will be very lumpy with few spots of dry flour; do not overmix.)

Spray a 12 serving muffin pan with non-stick spray. Take 1 tablespoon of batter and drop in each. Place 3 to 4 slices of strawberries in each muffin batter. Top with batter until strawberries are covered. Place one strawberry slice on top along with the 2 tablespoons of topping.

Bake until muffin tops are golden and just firm, 17 to 19 minutes, rotating muffin tin from front to back halfway through baking time. Cool muffins in muffin tin for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire rack and cool 5 minutes before serving.

Sour Strawberry Icecream

Ok. I didn't know what to call this and my creative juices were not flowing. So if you have any suggestions that are better than that---bring em on! This recipe just came from me improvising with what was in the fridge. A quarter of a container of sour cream, some vanilla icecream...but best of all was the fresh, local strawberries. The flavour of this will not happen if you don't have in season, plump, ripe, juicy, DARK red, strawberries. Essential.

1 1/2 cups fresh local strawberries plus 1/2 cup sliced and reserved
3 tablespoons sour cream (light is fine)
3/4 cup of vanilla icecream
1 tablespoon sugar or agave

Servings: 6
Place all of the above ingredients minus the 1/2 cup reserved strawberries in a blender and puree until blended. Pour into a square baking sheet or bowl and top with the 1/2 cup of strawberries.

Place in freezer for approximately 4 hours or until just frozen. Serve on top of angel food cake, pound cake or just on its own. I had mine on half of one of my strawberry muffins.

Recipe: Strawberry, Almond and Feta Salad

People love this salad. It is a crowd pleaser. I got it a few years ago from a friend who got it off some website. I have tweaked it over the years a bit so I am not sure what the exact original is.
The sweet fruit, the sharp feta, the tangy balsamic…it is almost like a dessert salad.
I make it at least a couple of times every summer when strawberries are in season.

1 head romaine lettuce
1 pint of strawberries, sliced
1/2 cup slivered toasted almonds
3/4 cup feta
1 garlic clove minced
1 tablespoon brown sugar
2 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
3 tablespoons raspberry balsamic (regular will do)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
Optional: Balsamic Reduction

Serves: 8

In a medium bowl whisk the ingredients garlic through pepper.
In a large salad bowl, rip romaine lettuce into bite size pieces. Add sliced strawberries. Pour dressing over top and toss with hands. Add feta and almonds. Plate. If you are using the balsamic reduction pour about a tablespoon on each salad before serving.