Simple Popsicles

I've been toying around with new popsicle flavors since I posted these Strawberry Balsalmic ones a while ago. There have been some hits, and some definite misses. I have  a few more ideas I'd like to try out, and if those work well I will certainly report back! Pictured above, we have honeydew green tea (blergh), pineapple (my favorite!), and watermelon (tasty, but it has texture issues). 

The best thing about the Strawberry Balsamic Popsicles is that they're almost entirely fruit. A touch of honey for sweetness, sure, and some extra flavors, but I had a feeling that fruit purees are where it's at when it comes to homemade popsicles. In some cases, I was right; in others, not entirely. But as a base for further experimentation, the purees gave me the texture that I was looking for - more creamy, less icy. 

The pineapple popsicles were my absolute favorite. They were flavorful, sweet, and had a great texture. And they couldn't be simpler.

Simple Pineapple Popsicles
This hardly qualifies as a recipe - it's so simple! Other types of fruit can be substituted - see below for what I've tried.
Yield: four 3 oz popsicles

INGREDIENTS
about 3 cups chopped fresh pineapple

DIRECTIONS
1. Blend pineapple in food processor or blender until smooth.
2. Pour into molds, add sticks, and freeze. Enjoy!

We also liked a honeydew version - sweetened with a bit of honey, to taste.  I tried making a honeydew-green tea popsicle, but it did NOT turn out well. I could try a few different tactics for adding the tea flavor, but the first batch were so bad that I was quite discouraged.

I enjoyed a watermelon puree version too - but as you can see, there was some separation in the freezing process.  It was quite delicious, but I'm thinking adding some strawberries to the mix would improve the texture.

These are pretty simple starting points, but they seem to prove my basic theory correct: I should use fruit purees, not juices, as the base for my popsicle recipes. And if it tastes good in the blender, it should taste good frozen!

Has it heated up where you live yet? We've been alternating thunderstorms and sweltering heat - summer weather is arriving! 

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Strawberry Balsamic Basil Popsicles

 Summer is certainly arriving here in Lincoln. We've had humidity, thunderstorms, and pool weather all week! And warm weather means it's time to bring out the popsicle molds again.

Strawberries finally went on sale at the grocery store this week, so I decided to make my favorite grown-up popsicle recipe. No, it's not a "poptail" - these are totally alcohol free. The grown-up part is the flavor - straight strawberry popsicles are delicious, but introducing a few other flavors makes things much more interesting.

I used this set of popsicle molds - and I think they work really well. The stick doesn't slide out of the mold (a problem I've hand when un-molding other molds), the individual molds are much more convenient than connected-type molds, and the tray to stand them up in the freezer is effective. The pops un-mold pretty easily when you run a little warm water over them. They're also BPA free and hold about 3.5 oz per mold. Of course, you can use whatever molds you have, or go the classic dixie-cup-and-a-wooden-stick route.

Strawberry Balsamic Basil Popsicles
These are based on a recipe from Women's Health Magazine, which I altered after making it a few times. Taste your puree before pouring it into the molds - if your strawberries were very sour, you might need a bit more honey.
Yield: Four 3 oz popsicles

INGREDIENTS
3 cups hulled and halved strawberries, divided (approximate yield of 1 lb strawberries)
2 tbsp honey
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup chopped basil, divided

DIRECTIONS
1. Combine 2 cups strawberries, honey, vinegar, and half of basil in a non-metal bowl (you need to use glass or plastic because of the vinegar).  Set aside for 1 hour.
2. Slice remaining strawberries.
3. When hour has passed, place contents of bowl in a blender and blend until smooth. Stir in remaining basil, and fill molds about 2/3 full. 
4. Place 1/4 of strawberry slices in each mold, pressing them in so they are covered by the puree.  Add sticks, and place in freezer for 8 hours or overnight.
5. To un-mold popsicles, run under warm water for a few seconds until pop releases from mold. Enjoy!

We've already finished off these pops, and we're scheming about what the next flavor we make should be. Any ideas? 

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Meatless Mondays: Cucumber and Peanut Salad

For Meatless Mondays, I usually try to feature a main-course type dish that's either vegetarian or vegan. Today, I'm going to break with that convention a bit, because I want to share this salad with you. It's more of a side than a main course, but would work well paired with a soup.  It's quick and simple to prepare, and the flavors meld beautifully: sweet cucumbers with licorice-y fennel and crunchy roasted peanuts.

Salads like this are essential spring and summer dishes for me. Simple vegetables, served cold, are the perfect complement to sweltering evenings. It always amazes me how a few unassuming ingredients can combine into something so delicious. 

The recipe uses salt to draw out some of the water of the cucumbers. Don't worry, this salad isn't very salty - you will rinse the salt off of the cucumbers before combining them with the other ingredients.

You might notice that there are some pretty little herb plants sitting behind this salad. I saw them at the grocery this weekend and couldn't resist - at less than $3 each, these thyme and oregano plants were an easy addition to our gardening plans.

This recipe is vegan-possible: some vegans don't consume honey, but agave nectar or another sweetener can easily be substituted.

Cucumber and Peanut Salad
I call for persian cucumbers here, which are smaller and sweeter than regular cucumbers and seedless. Feel free to substitute regular cucumbers if you cannot find the persian variety; whether or not you remove the seeds is up to personal preference. 
Yield: 6 side-dish servings

INGREDIENTS
6 persian cucumbers (about 4 cups chopped)
2 tsp salt
1 tbsp honey
Zest and juice of one lemon
1 1/2 tsp white wine vinegar
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 tsp fennel seeds
2/3 cup roasted peanuts, crushed

DIRECTIONS
1. Slice the cucumbers into half-moon shapes, about 1/4 inch thick. Place in a colander and toss with the salt. Place the colander in the sink, and let sit for 15 minutes.
2. While the cucumbers sit, combine honey, lemon zest and juice, and vinegar in a small bowl and whisk to combine. To crush peanuts, place in a zip-top baggie and roll with a rolling pin a few times.
3. Rinse the cucumbers thoroughly, and drain well. Place in a mixing bowl. 
4. Heat a skillet over medium-low heat. Add oil and fennel seeds, and cook, stirring constantly, about 1 minute. Pour this hot oil over the cucumbers, and toss to combine.
5. Add lemon dressing and toss again. Stir in the peanuts shortly before serving.

In other somewhat-related-to-gardening news, we're having trouble with a few birds trying to build a nest on our deck - on top of a light that is far too small, so their nests keep falling apart, covering our deck in mud and sticks. I'm not sure how to convince them to give it up, because it's clearly a poor choice of location, but I'm getting tired of cleaning up after them constantly! I think they're robins. Any ideas?

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