STEP INTO SPRING WITH STRAWBERRY RECIPES FROM COOKING SMART MAGAZINE

    /24-7Pressrelease.com/ - Scottsdale, AZ, May 19, 2005 — Strawberries are the quintessential harbinger of spring — they're colorful, flavorful and healthy. In fact, strawberries can go head to head with oranges in terms of vitamin C. The average berry also contains about 200 seeds — each of which contain ellagic acid, which shows promise in fighting cancer and heart disease.

This recipe for Strawberry Almond Crisp from the June/July issue of Cooking Smart magazine (www.CookingSmartMagazine.com) — on newsstands now — contains four super foods: strawberries, almonds, oats and orange juice. Almonds are high in monounsaturated fats (the good fats) and in vitamin E, while oats are high in soluble fiber, which helps lower cholesterol. Orange juice is, of course, high in vitamin C.

"But the best thing is its taste," says Cooking Smart Editor-in-Chief Jill Melton. "If you have an abundance of fresh picked berries, this crisp is a great way to use them." See the recipe below.

Melton offers these tips for the best strawberries:

• When choosing your strawberries, the smaller the individual berries, the better.

• Unlike bananas, berries stop ripening the minute they're picked, so go for the reddest ones you can find.

• It's best to use berries within a couple days of purchase, and keep them on the counter instead of in the refrigerator, as chilling them mutes their flavor.

• To pull out their juices, sprinkle with a little sugar and let them sit for 10 minutes.

• For sheer simplicity, create a "sugar crust" on your berries: Rinse them with water, sprinkle with sugar, and eat immediately.

• The best berries can usually be found from April through July. Fresh-picked are always preferable, but even those that are mass-produced are flavorful right now.

Have extra berries? Sprinkle with sugar to make them nice and juicy, then layer them with cubed angel food cake or pound cake for strawberry shortcake in a cup. Or whip up a high calcium strawberry smoothie by combining strawberries, a little orange juice and vanilla frozen yogurt.

And for the best strawberry pie you've ever had (Double Strawberry Pie), puree 1 cup of strawberries. Pile 5 cups small fresh berries in a graham cracker crust or cookie crust, drizzle with the strawberry puree, chill and serve with whipped cream. Says Melton, "It tastes more like a strawberry than a strawberry itself. For this one in particular, good flavorful strawberries are a must."

Cooking Smart's Strawberry Almond Crisp

LOW FAT, HIGH FIBER
Streusel:
1/4 cup slivered almonds
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup regular oats
4 1/2 tablespoons chilled butter, cut into small pieces

Strawberries:
6 cups medium strawberries, halved
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup orange juice
1 tablespoon cornstarch
Cooking spray

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. To prepare streusel, place almonds in a food processor; process until almonds are finely ground. Combine almonds, flour, brown sugar and oats in a bowl. Cut in butter with a pastry blender or your hands until mixture resembles coarse meal.
3. To prepare strawberries, combine strawberries and next 3 ingredients in a medium bowl; stir well. Spoon strawberry mixture into an 11 x 7-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle with streusel mixture.
4. Bake at 350 degrees F for 25 minutes or until sauce is thick and bubbly.

Serves 6. Per serving: 311 calories, 76 calories, from fat, 8g fat, 3g saturated fat, 15mg cholesterol, 57g carbs, 4g fiber, 5g protein, 63mg sodium, 60mg calcium, 2mg iron

DIETMATCH: LOWER CARB
Substitute equal amounts of Splenda Spoonful or Equal Sugar Lite for the granulated sugar and brown sugar (-59 calories, -15 carbs per serving).


ABOUT COOKING SMART MAGAZINE
Cooking Smart magazine is a new national consumer publication for home cooks, which debuted on newsstands nationwide in January 2005. With a tasty blend of practical advice, witty insight and healthy inspiration, Cooking Smart magazine offers fantastic food information, smart cooking tips and deliciously healthy recipes. Cooking Smart's unique signature feature, DietMatchTM, lets you customize ingredient lists — so whether you want your meal to be low-fat, low-carb, gluten-free, high in fiber, vegetarian or something else — you can make your meals fit your eating plan. Subscriptions ($17.95 for 1 year, $24.95 for 2 years) are available online at www.CookingSmartMagazine.com or by calling 888-881-5861. For more information, contact Jill Melton, Editor-in-Chief, at 480-237-7100 x303, or via email at editors _at_ CookingSmartMagazine.com.

ABOUT COINCIDE PUBLISHING
Coincide Publishing LLC is a dynamic publishing company specializing in the production of consumer magazines. Under the leadership of experienced management, Coincide draws upon the combined print, editorial, publishing and magazine circulation experience of more than 85 years. Find out more at www.coincide.com.

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