Strawberries and Curry

I'm really loving all these strawberries. I hauled in 1.5 pounds of berries on Thursday night.

I tried 2 new recipes with the berries: One was a success and one was not. We'll start with the success.

This is my super good Lavender Strawberry Frozen Yogurt.

I wanted to use the lavender from the garden with the strawberries and I'm a bit sunburned today, so I'm craving cold things. Making some frozen yogurt is the perfect solution! Sadly the lavender from the garden wasn't plentiful enough to flavor the dessert alone. A teensy-tinesy drop of essential oil does the trick just fine.

1/2 can light coconut milk

2 cups ripe strawberries

2 cups plain soy yogurt

1/2 cup evaporated cane juice

1 Tbsp. tequila or vodka

1-2 drops lavender essential oil

Chill the can of coconut milk so that the cream rises to the top. Scoop out 1/2 of the can, including the cream. Add to food processor with the berries, yogurt, sugar, tequila and oil. Process until cream is a smooth consistency. Chill and then add to an ice cream maker according to the machine's directions.

I also tried an unsuccessful recipe...it just looks successful.

Unbaked strawberry pizza

Baked strawberry pizza

I wanted to make a lightly sweetened gluten-free strawberry tart/pizza. It turned out gummy, bland and weird. But I won't be discouraged- I'm going to revise and try again!

Tonight I cooked some basmati rice and a nice curry.

Simple Cabbage and Chickpea Curry

1 Tbsp. canola oil

1/2 onion, sliced

2 cups red cabbage, sliced

1 red pepper, sliced in bitesized pieces

2 cups chickpeas, cooked

2 Tbsp. mild curry paste (Patak's)

1 tsp. salt

1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes

1/4 cup peach chutney or jam

Heat oil in a large skillet. Add onions and cook until transparent. Add cabbage, red pepper, and chickpeas. Stir curry paste and salt into the can of tomatoes until dissolved. Add to the vegetables. Then add peach chutney and stir to combine. Put a lid on the pan. Simmer until cabbage is tender, about 10 minutes.

Best Raita

1/2 cup plain soy yogurt

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 cup minced cilantro

2 Tbsp. minced fresh mint

2 minced jalapenos

1 Tbsp. lemon or lime juice

Stir everything together and dollop generously on top of spicy food!