Creative Ways To Use Strawberries In Your Summer Dishes

Creative ways to use strawberries this summer, from our friends at the California Strawberry Commission!

Every Fourth of July we celebrate with family, fun and especially food. And in the time-honored tradition of potlucks and big BBQs, we all put on our best chef hats to concoct impressive, flavorful recipes. 

This year, when preparing your blue ribbon-worthy recipes, bring a true revolutionary to the party - the strawberry. Like our American ancestors, the strawberry has been underestimated. In fact, 37 percent of Americans see strawberries as primarily dessert, and as few as 14 percent are likely to incorporate the superfruit as part of a meal. But strawberries can be much more than a dessert or snack.

Here is how:

1) Did you know strawberries can act like a tomato? Believe it! Try crafting a grilled cheese with mozzarella and strawberries, pizza with feta, spinach and - you guessed it - strawberries; even jazz up your burgers with a nice strawberry and balsamic vinaigrette puree topping.

2) Beat the heat with an ice cold beverage, but minus the ice. Don’t water down your festive cocktails. Instead throw some frozen strawberries into the concoction. Cool down your margaritas, mimosas and sangrias while upping the flavor.

3) Spice up your salsas with strawberry tang. Strawberries play well with heat and add an unforgettable fruity flavor. Try including some diced strawberries in your next salsa.

4) Baste, sauce, marinate and kebab your Fourth of July favorites with strawberry flair. Strawberries’ sweet acidity can accentuate a tangy BBQ, and when roasted or heated the fruit takes on a perfect flavor to complement your protein choices.

Not only do strawberries add flavor, they also bring the powerful punch of nutrition often missing from the typical Fourth of July meal.

One serving of eight strawberries has more vitamin C than an orange, only 7 grams of sugar, and is packed with beneficial antioxidants and nutrients including potassium, folate and fiber. Want more tips for how to use strawberries this fourth? Visit http://www.californiastrawberries.com/recipes for some great recipe starters.