Freaky Food Friday - Spinach and Strawberry Salad, Green Grape Salad, Watermelon Sorbet

Hey all!  The FFF is back up and functional.  Yay!

This week three fruit based recipes for those hot summer days.

Spinach and Strawberry Salad

• 2 bunches spinach, rinsed and torn into bite-size pieces
• 4 cups sliced strawberries
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1/4 cup white wine vinegar
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon paprika
• 2 tablespoons sesame seeds
• 1 tablespoon poppy seeds

1. In a large bowl, toss together the spinach and strawberries.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the oil, vinegar, sugar, paprika, sesame seeds, and poppy seeds. Pour over the spinach and strawberries, and toss to coat.

Green Grape Salad

• 4 pounds seedless green grapes
• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese
• 1 (8 ounce) container sour cream
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 4 ounces chopped pecans
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 
  
• Wash and dry grapes. In a large bowl, mix together the cream cheese, sour cream, sugar and vanilla. Add grapes and mix until evenly incorporated. Sprinkle with brown sugar and pecans, mix again and refrigerate until serving.

Watermelon Sorbet

• 3 cups water
• 3 cups white sugar
• 1/4 cup lime juice
• 4 cups cubed seeded watermelon
• 
  
• Heat water and sugar in a saucepan over medium-high heat until sugar has dissolved, stirring occasionally. Allow to cool. Place watermelon in a blender or food processor. Blend until smooth. Whisk watermelon, lime juice and syrup together in a large bowl. Cover and chill in the refrigerator.
• 
  
• Pour the chilled mixture into an ice cream maker and freeze according to manufacturer's directions until it reaches "soft-serve" consistency. Transfer sorbet to a one- or two-quart lidded plastic container; cover surface with plastic wrap and seal. For best results, sorbet should ripen in the freezer for at least 2 hours or overnight.