Finally strawberries have begun to truly herald the arrival of spring. A sweet red strawberry just can’t be beat. The juicy red berries hold the title of the most popular berry in the world. They are also quite versatile; you can enjoy them straight out of the patch, or in strawberry shortcake, strawberry pie, strawberry jam, and so much more. With high levels of heart-protecting nutrients and 3 grams of fiber per serving, your body will enjoy these strawberry recipes as much as your taste buds do!

From savory to strawberry sweets, give these recipes a try to enjoy this irresistible fruit this spring.

Easy Strawberry Shortcakes

Ingredients

• 1 tsp. calorie-free sweetener
• 1 Tbsp. cornstarch
• 1 cup orange juice, sugar free
• ¼ tsp. vanilla or almond extract
• 1½ cup fresh strawberries
• 6 sponge cake desert shells (5 ounce package)

Directions

1. Combine sweetener and cornstarch in a small saucepan. Stir in orange juice. Bring to a boil; cook, stirring constantly, 1 minute or until mixture is thickened and bubbly. Remove from heat, and stir in extract. Cool completely.
2. Combine orange juice mixture and strawberries in a bowl; stir gently. Cover and chill 30 minutes.
3. To serve, spoon sauce over dessert shells.
4. This yummy sauce is also good spooned over no-sugar-added ice cream, angel food cake, or fat-free pound cake.

Yields 6 servings. Each serving contains Calories 113, Fat 0.9 g, Protein 2 g, Carbohydrate 24.3 g, Fiber 0.2 g, Cholesterol 33 mg, Sodium 169 mg.

Chocolate Covered Strawberry Milkshake

Ingredients

• 9 ounces Cashew or Almond milk, frozen into 1 ounce cubes
• 4–5 strawberries; fresh or frozen
• ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• ¼ cup agave nectar or honey
• Pinch of salt (optional)
• 1–2 cups Cashew or Almond milk

Directions

1. In a food processor or powerful blender, add the first four ingredients and 1 cup of the unfrozen milk. Process until smooth and add more milk until it is to your desired consistency. Serve with fresh strawberries. Enjoy!

Yields 3 servings. Each serving contains Calories 135, Fat 3 g, Protein 2.6 g, Carbohydrate 30 g, Sodium 168 mg.

Strawberry Smoothie Bowl

Ingredients

• ⅓ cup unsweetened blueberry or pomegranate juice
• ⅓ cup plain Greek yogurt
• ¾ cup fresh blueberries, divided
• ½ ripe peeled avocado
• 1 cup ice cubes
• ½ cup sliced fresh strawberries
• 1 tablespoon sliced almonds, toasted

Directions

1. Place juice, yogurt, half of blueberries, and avocado in a blender; process until well combined, about 15 seconds. Add ice; process until smooth, about 30 seconds.

• Pour smoothie mixture into a bowl; top with remaining half of blueberries, strawberries, and almonds.

Yields 1 serving. Each contains Calories 328, Fat 16 g, Protein 11 g, Carbohydrate 41 g, Fiber 10 g, Sodium 40 mg.

Strawberry Soup

Ingredients

• 2 cups hulled and sliced fresh strawberries
• 1 cup orange juice
• 1 cup vanilla yogurt
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• Whipped topping, as needed
• Fresh mint sprigs, optional

Directions

1. In a blender, combine all the ingredients but the whipped topping and mint and process until smooth. Ladle the soup into bowls and top with a dollop of whipped topping. Garnish with mint, if desired.

Strawberry Shortcake Smoothie

Ingredients

• 2 cups fresh strawberries, capped
• 1 cup crumbled pound cake
• 1 ½ cups milk
• 1 ½ cups ice
• Sugar or Sugar substitute to taste
• Whipped Cream

Directions

1. Blend top 5 ingredients until smooth. Top with whipped cream and more strawberries.

Strawberry Banana Split Salad

(This recipe is one of mine I adapted, it is not low fat, but is always very well-liked when I share)

Ingredients

• 1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
• 1 (12-ounce) container frozen whipped topping, thawed
• 1 (21-ounce) can cherry pie filling
• 3 medium bananas, sliced
• 1 (8-ounce) can crushed pineapple, drained
• ½ cup chopped nuts
• 1 cup sliced strawberries
• Garnish:  chopped pecans, shredded coconut, sliced strawberry

Directions

1. In a large bowl, combine milk and whipped topping until well blended. Fold in next 6 ingredients, and chill until ready to serve. Garnish with pecans, and strawberries, if desired.

Strawberry Pretzel Crostini

This is a great appetizer.

Ingredients

• 2 cups finely chopped strawberries
• ¼ cup chopped fresh basil
• 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
• 4 teaspoons minced shallot
• Pinch of pepper
• 1 (3-oz.) package cream cheese, softened
• 36 pretzel crackers

Directions

1. Stir together strawberries, basil, brown sugar, shallot, and pepper. Spread softened cream cheese onto pretzel crackers. Top with strawberry mixture.

Strawberry Quinoa Power Salad

Ingredients

• 3 cups water
• 1 ½ cups quinoa
• ¾ tsp. salt, divided
• ⅓ cup lemon juice
• ⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil
• 2 teaspoons pure maple syrup
• ½ teaspoon ground pepper
• 2 cups diced strawberries
• ½ cup chopped fresh basil
• ½ cup crumbled feta cheese

Directions

1. Combine water, quinoa, and ¼ teaspoon salt in a large saucepan. Bring to a simmer over high heat. Reduce heat to maintain a simmer, cover and cook until the quinoa is tender and the water is absorbed, 12 to 15 minutes. Let cool for 15 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, whisk lemon juice, oil, maple syrup, pepper, and the remaining ½ teaspoon salt in a large bowl.
3. Add the cooked quinoa, strawberries, basil and feta to the dressing; stir to combine.

Serves 8. Each serving contains Calories 247, Fat 13 g, Protein 6 g, Carbohydrate 26 g, Fiber 3 g, Sodium 309 mg.