Healthy School Lunch: Raspberry Spinach Salad Recipe

I have to admit, we haven't had much problem getting the kids to eat their vegetables. How, you may ask? Well, my first rule is never trick them. Second, get your children involved in the kitchen. Once they start to enjoy cooking, they will become more emotionally interested in creating new dishes, which is exactly what you want them to do! Trust them and let them experiment with new flavor combinations.

They recently came up with a savory fruit salad with greens, which was delicious. Since today was my husband's little 7-year-old sister's first day at school, I packed a plastic container with the raspberry salad (my munchkin's favorite fruit) and raspberry salad dressing on the side. You could also make a sandwich layering a slice of cheese, raspberry salad and a slice of cold meat between toasted slices of bread.

Gluten Free Cheesecake Parfait Recipe

It's National Cheesecake Day this weekend and, though I’ve made many cheesecakes in the past, my goal was to put a new twist on the special dessert. Since we were invited to our friend Carol's home (she’s gluten intolerant), I decided to make my cheesecake gluten-free.

I made the mousse egg-free and flavored it with both raspberries and strawberries. For a contrast in texture, I added a layer of crunchy, diced yellow nectarines. And to make it look more fun, I topped the dessert cups with pistachio-flavored whipped cream and crushed pistachios. I don’t think anyone missed the crust. For those who could eat gluten, I slipped a ladyfinger cookie into the verrine. How amazing does that sound?

Raspberry Cheese Pinwheel Appetizers

They may seem like an odd couple, but I paired raspberry and blue cheese to create these great party appetizers. First, I made a raspberry salad, tossed with pickled red onions, crumbled Gorgonzola cheese and candied walnuts. To make them easier to serve, I wrapped the raspberries in lavash flat bread and rolled them into pinwheel appetizers.

I secured the appetizers with party picks, so they would look elegant passed around on trays. They are great appetizers for finger food buffet parties and take no time to assemble. Fruits don't have to be used only in desserts!

Raspberry Buttermilk Cake Recipe

The secret of this moist raspberry cake recipe is buttermilk. It creates a light, fluffy texture that goes beautifully with a hot cup of tea. You could add any berries you like. This time I paired fresh raspberries with crunchy pistachios.

I baked the cakes in 6 mini molds and topped each dessert with fresh raspberries and crushed pistachios as a reminder of the flavors used in the cake batter. Heavenly!

Chocolate Raspberry Mousse Recipe

I love the combination of chocolate and raspberries. I've paired them in multiple desserts such as trifles, tiramisu and custards. But raspberry chocolate mousse was missing from the list of desserts I've shared so far.

The last time, I made an eggless mousse, but this time, I decided to add eggs. To ensure an airy, fluffy consistency, the eggs should be beaten for a very long time, then gently folded in melted chocolate and whipped cream. I flavored the mousse with raspberry extract and repeated the same flavor by adding chopped fresh  raspberries to the whipped cream.

The dessert can be prepared two days in advance, which is ideal when we host dinner parties. Raspberry chocolate mousse never fails to satisfy the sweet tooth of my guests. No chocolate addict can resist!