Lemons and blueberries…can any other fruits bring thoughts of summer as well as they do?  Who doesn’t love a bowl of blueberries and cream or a tall glass of cool lemonade on a hot summer afternoon? I decided to combine my two favorite summer fruits into a healthy snack cake. I took my favorite blueberry snack cake and made a few adjustments to make a lighter, more healthy summer treat.  Replacing the eggs with egg whites, the sour cream with Fage 0% Greek yogurt and cake flour in place of the all purpose flour I knew that I could create a new summer favorite.

Blueberry Cake with a Fresh Lemon Glaze

1 pint of fresh blueberries

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 3/4 cups of cake flour

1/2 cup of butter, room temperature

1 1/2 cups sugar (can use Splenda baking sugar)

1 teaspoon of vanilla

zest of one lemon

8 ounces of Fage 0% yogurt

4 egg whites

Lemon Glaze

1 cup confectioner’s sugar

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour cake pan of choice. Toss the blueberries with a tablespoon of the flour and set aside.

Mix flour with salt and baking powder, set aside.

Beat together butter, sugar and vanilla and lemon zest. Beat in the egg whites. Alternately mix in the remaining cake flour and the yogurt . Gently fold in the blueberries.  Pour into cake pan.

Bake 35 to 40 minutes. Cool for 20 minutes. Mix together lemon juice and confectioner’s  sugar. Drizzle over the cake.

It turned out with a lovely crumb, lightly sweet and very tender. What a great way to show off a pint of juicy blueberries.

There is something to say about food on a stick. There are popsicles, frozen bananas,  teriyaki chicken, corn dogs, satay, and fried snickers bars. Food on a stick brings back memories of  childhood and summers past. Plus they are hand held and portable. What’s not to love? Here’s a recipe for my favorite food on a stick.

Kabobs!

Beef Kabobs served on Lemon Herbed Brown Rice

¼ cup olive oil

½ cup orange juice

¼ cup ponzu

¼ cup light soy sauce

6 cloves garlic, chopped

2 teaspoons ground ginger

1 ½ pounds beef tenderloin, cubed

¾ pound cherry tomatoes

½ pound fresh mushrooms

2 yellow squash, cut thick

1 green pepper, cubed

1 red onion, cut into wedges

Hot cooked lemon rice

1. In a re-sealable plastic bag or shallow glass container, combine the first five ingredients and mix well.
2. Reserve 1/2 cup for basting and refrigerate.
3. Add beef to remaining marinade.
4. Turn to coat.
5. Seal bag or cover container.
6. Refrigerate overnight, turning occasionally.
7. Drain and discard the marinade.
8. On metal or soaked wooden skewers, alternate beef, tomatoes, mushrooms, peppers and onions and squash.
9. Grill, uncovered, over medium heat for 3 minutes on each side.
10. Baste with reserved marinade.
11. Continue turning and basting for 8-10 minutes or until meat reaches desired doneness.
12. Serve meat and vegetables over rice if desired.

Kabobs ready to go under the broiler….

Time for dinner…..mmmmmmmmm

There wasn’t even one vegetable or grain of rice left over. Even the kids loved these. I’m sitting here trying to come up with new meat and veggie combinations for the next time around.

It’s definitely summer here at the Jersey Shore . With hot, humid days, bumper to bumper traffic and tourists as far as the eye can see.  What better way to get away from it all than to bring that summer feeling indoors. Fresh jazzed up chicken salad did the job.  Served on a fresh egg roll you’ve got a tasty lunch. Put it on top of some spring mix and you’ve got a satisfying light dinner.

"Spring Chicken" Salad

    * 2 cups cubed cooked chicken breast
    * 1 cup cooked small ring pasta
    * 1 cup halved seedless red grapes
    * 1 can (11 ounces) mandarin oranges, drained
    * 3 celery ribs, chopped
    * 1/2 cup sliced almonds
    * 1 tablespoon grated onion
    * 1 cup reduced-fat mayonnaise
    * 1 cup reduced-fat whipped topping
    * 1/4 teaspoon salt

In a bowl, combine the chicken, pasta, grapes, oranges, celery, almonds and onion.

In another bowl, combine the mayonnaise, whipped topping and salt.
Add to the chicken mixture; stir to coat. Chill for at least 2 hours. Serve
on dark leafy greens or on your favorite rolls.

Enjoy my favorite chicken salad.