What people need as the gray winter doldrums continue is something bright and colorful on their plates. Cherries fit the bill and are definitely in the Zone. February, actually, is National Cherry Month, perhaps in honor of George Washington’s birthday.
Here is a sampling of Zone cherry recipes, which will taste great all year along.
From “The Soy Zone”
4 blocks
Ingredients:
1 cup low-fat cottage cheese
¾ teaspoon pure vanilla or maple extract (non-alcohol, glycerine base)
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg or cinnamon
1 cup sliced strawberries
½ cup blueberries, fresh or frozen and thawed
1 fresh peach, pitted and sliced
8 cherries, pitted, fresh or frozen and thawed
12 almonds, toasted lightly, chopped coarsely, or 12 walnut or pecan halves, chopped coarsely
Instructions:
Combine cottage cheese, vanilla or maple extract and spice in a medium-sized bowl. Arrange strawberries around the outer rim of a large cereal bowl or dinner plate. Use an ice cream scoop to shape cottage cheese and arrange on the plate. Top with blueberries, sliced peach and then cherries. Sprinkle nuts on top. (Feel free to double the amount of cherries. Just delete either the blueberries or peach.)