Strawberry Souffles

I am living at home this summer to take four courses at a local college which means that while I might not be living it up as a college kid, I do have free reign in a bigger kitchen than my apartment’s and I have unlimited ingredients – always a huge plus. For the past week, I have had the whole house to myself too because my parents and little brother are traveling (all without me since I have class), so I have been trying some different recipes that probably would be flops with the rest of my family (I tend to be a bit more adventurous). So, when I found this recipe on this blog written by two girls who share my obsession for Martha Stewart, I was inspired to buy some of the super-cheap strawberries that have been on sale for the past week and give it a try.

[Forewarning about this and future culinary experiments: I love to try new healthy and quirky recipes. I find the process more rewarding than the product, which is why many things turn out rather strange.]

Strawberry Soufflés

Adapted from Closet Cooking via We are not Martha

Makes: 2 soufflés

½ cup strawberry puree (15ish strawberries, depending on the size; I’ll explain the pureeing)

1 tsp. sugar (adjust amount depending on how sweet your berries are)

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 egg white, room temperature

1. Preheat oven to 350° and lightly coat 2 ramekins with cooking spray.

2. Wash and hull strawberries. Puree strawberries, sugar, and vanilla in a food processer until smooth. Set aside.

3. Place egg white in a medium bowl and beat with an electric mixer until soft peaks form (don't under-beat because they will fall!).

4. Carefully fold the strawberry puree into the egg whites with a rubber spatula.

5. Fill ramekins with the mixture and bake for approximately 15 minutes or until the tops are lightly browned.and a toothpick comes out clean.

Nutritional Info (per serving): 40 calories; 0g fat; 1g fiber; 5g sugars; 2g protein

My thoughts: These were easy, beautiful, and delicious (although they slightly tasted like Special K Red Berries - in a good way). My only problem was that the top browned a little too quickly resulting in a not quite done middle; next time I might play around with the baking times and temps. I was happily surprised that they didn’t fall though. What better way to get over half of your vitamin C for the day?

Thought of the day: “Peace. It does not mean to be in a place where there is no noise, trouble or hard work. It means to be in the midst of those things and still be calm in your heart.” -Unknown

Listening to: "Miss Halfway", Anya Marina