I love cooking on the weekends. It’s my only time to experiment with kitchen concoctions slightly more exotic than mac & cheese. Since my strawberry obsession drove me to buy 10 pounds of strawberries we’ve been eating them at every meal. But this weekend we moved passed dessert and actually had a strawberry-based meal.

After an amazing watermelon soup on Saturday, Mark suggested strawberry gazpacho. Sounds yummy, doesn’t it? So of course I obliged. Caroline, on the other hand, loves her nightly after-dinner treat and asked for a popsicle. Done – the leftover strawberries and yogurt from the soup can easily be mixed and frozen to make popsicles.

Strawberry Soup Recipe

But what does strawberry soup taste like? Well, it’s creamy and delicious. I expected it to taste like a smoothie in a bowl, but the texture was different – not thick and meal-replacement like. But smooth and lovely and perfect for an appetizer. And how Instagram-perfect is that pink?

If the recipe leaves you with extra washed strawberries that will spoil by morning, you can either use them in your beauty ritual, or make the kids (and adults) happy with some popsicles for dessert.

Popsicles have been pretty popular in our house this summer. I’ve been trying to find a good one that’s made with actual fruit and not too sweet. As usual, nothing has compared to this homemade version – it’s basically effortless, not to mention healthy and sugar free. I used a plastic popsicle mold from Target and the bananas stuck to the sides pretty easily, fitting two slices on each side, which makes them look pretty, too.

Strawberry Soup + Strawberry Banana Popsicles

Make the best of seasonal strawberries with these two refreshing recipes.

Course Dessert, Soup

Keyword raw, vegetarian

Ingredients

Strawberry Soup

3 cups strawberries hulled and sliced fresh or (thawed) frozen
1 orange small, peeled
1/2 cup yogurt plain
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 cup water
1/2 rose wine
fresh basil springs optional

Strawberry Banana Popsicles

1 cup strawberries pureed
4 oz yogurt plain
1 1/2 tbsp honey
1 large banana sliced

Instructions

Strawberry Soup (adapted from Food Network)
Put everything in a blender and puree thoroughly. Chill in the refrigerator for at least an hour. Pour through a fine mesh strainer and garnish with sliced strawberries and basil.
Strawberry Banana Popsicles (adapted from Williams Sonoma)
Puree strawberries and pour into small bowl. Stir in yogurt and honey until dissolved. Place banana slices in popsicle mold. Then spoon in strawberry mixture and insert popsicle stick. Freeze for at least an hour.