The healthy plate

Spring can bring a longing for fresh, seasonal fruit, especially with strawberry season just around the bend.

Late spring and early summer mark the traditional strawberry season, but in today's marketplace most grocers offer different varieties year-round.

And while there are some delicious off-season strawberries, they often are less sweet and have a tougher texture than the fresh-picked spring and summer berries we long for.

Making the most of off-season berries is a matter of selecting the best and knowing how to use them. Color alone usually isn't enough to go by when purchasing winter strawberries, as a berry that is beautifully red on the outside can still be tough and taste dull.

Nevertheless, avoid pale or slightly green berries, which is an indication that they are under-ripe. And when possible, smell the berries to see if they have a sweet, ripe aroma.

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Store fresh strawberries in an airtight container in your refrigerator and don't rinse until you are ready to eat them. They lose their flavor quickly, so it is best to eat them within three days of purchase.

If you end up with strawberries that have underwhelming flavor there are tricks for perking them up.

Toss 2 cups of hulled and halved strawberries with 3 tablespoons of sugar and let stand at room temperature for about 30 minutes. This not only sweetens the berries but also enhances their natural flavors.

If you like, just before serving you can add a few tablespoons of white wine, orange liqueur or even balsamic vinegar.

The sweetened berries can be refrigerated in an airtight container for a day or two, but they will get soft.

This recipe for sauteed strawberries with cinnamon and fresh lime warms the berries just enough to enhance the flavors and draw out their juices. It makes a wonderful light dessert.

The combination of brown sugar and the pectin in the strawberries creates a gorgeous glossy sauce. Serve over a scoop of lower-fat vanilla ice cream or with a dollop of plain or vanilla low-fat yogurt.

They also could be served over angel food cake, which has less than 100 calories and no fat per slice.

SAUTEED STRAWBERRIES WITH CINNAMON

AND FRESH LIME

Start to finish: 10 minutes

Servings: 4

2 tablespoons brown sugar, lumps broken up

1 tablespoon butter

1 tablespoon lime juice

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 pint strawberries, washed, hulled and halved or quartered depending on size (about 2 cups)

In a medium skillet over medium-low heat, stir together the brown sugar, butter, lime juice and cinnamon. Cook until bubbling. Add the strawberries and toss for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and serve immediately. Nutrition information per serving: 77 calories; 3 g fat (2 g saturated); 8 mg cholesterol; 13 g carbohydrate; 1 g protein; 2 g fiber; 29 mg sodium.

Use fresh herbs

to bring new life

to breakfast staples

Take a hint from the French and perk up your morning fare with the incomparable flavors of fresh herbs.

With just a few snips of your kitchen scissors you'll transform your favorite egg, potato, quick bread or crepe.

"Fresh herbs expand everything," explains David Barry, an instructor at the Culinary Institute of America who teaches breakfast cuisine.

"You can take something as basic as eggs and completely change how the aromas are going to taste," he says. "We turn to herbs a lot for our scrambles."

Adding herbs to a recipe can make it healthier, as well as tastier. The additional flavors reduce the need for salt, says Georgeanne Brennan, who wrote the cookbook "Brunch" and runs a cooking school in France.

Here's what you need to know to experiment with herbs at breakfast.

EGGS

"Eggs are a great place to try herbal flavors," says Barry. "They have a nice but mild flavor and welcome a wide variety of herbs depending on what you might have in your garden or left over in that grocery store clamshell."

Try adding one tablespoon of herbs, such as basil, parsley or chives, per two or three eggs. Opt for slightly less of more flavorful tarragon or dill, and just a teaspoon of woody herbs such as thyme, rosemary and sage.

It can be helpful to think in themes and accent other ingredients in your egg dish.

French scramble: Round out a simple scrambled egg with chervil, parsley, tarragon and chives.

Mediterranean scramble: Combine diced tomato, avocado and feta with freshly snipped cilantro.

Tex-Mex scramble: Combine salsa, jalapenos, poblanos, broken corn chips, cheddar or jack cheese, and fresh cilantro.

Provencal omelet: Fill your omelet with ratatouille (fresh tomatoes, eggplant and zucchini) as well as onion, garlic, fresh basil and a sprinkle of dried herbs de Provence.

Italian omelet: Combine fresh mozzarella, fresh sage or basil, and a sprinkle of red hot chili flakes.

Smokey quiche: Add bacon, onion and a teaspoon of minced fresh sage.

POTATOES

"Potatoes are such a great canvas," says Cheryl Jamison, co-author of "A Real American Breakfast." ''Chives come immediately to mind. I don't think there's a greater thing a chive can be than with a potato in any form."

Use similar ratios of herbs per three potatoes as listed above for eggs.

Spiked hash browns: Snip fresh parsley and sage into a hash brown mix before frying.

Herbed home fries: Fold fresh lovage, thyme, parsley, summer savory, rosemary and/or chives into home fries during the final 5 to 10 minutes of cooking.

Rubbed baby potatoes: Roast olive-rubbed baby red potatoes with sage sprigs.

Thyme scalloped potatoes: Fresh thyme and minced shallots complement creamy, eggy scalloped potatoes. Rosemary or sage also could be used.

Rosemary potato pancakes: Combine rosemary, butter, cheese and mashed or grated russet potatoes. Flatten and fry on each side. Or try a similar technique with dill.

BREADS

Herbs can transform a basic quick bread recipe to savory or sweet depending on your ingredient combinations.

Per dozen muffins, scones, biscuits, or rolls, add two to three tablespoons of delicate herbs such as chervil, parsley, or chives.

Use slightly less about a tablespoon for stronger herbs, such as sage, rosemary and lavender. Add them to the dry ingredients to keep them well distributed.

Cheddar thyme muffins: Cheddar and fresh thyme blend nicely in a savory muffin or biscuit.

Sage biscuits: Sage's strong flavor mellows nicely with goat cheese for biscuits or scones.

Sweet rolls: Add cinnamon, nutmeg and cardamom with some extra sugar to rolls or biscuits.

Basil scone: Experiment with different types of basils, including traditional, lemon and Thai.

Harvest scone: Add currents, caraway seeds and thyme to create a savory sweet scone. Or use the same blend in a muffin.

Provencal scone: Add a teaspoon of fresh or dry lavender flowers to a basic scone recipe.

CREPES AND PANCAKES

We tend to think of crepes and pancakes as sweet foods, and herbs as savory. But their flavors can combine in unusual ways in your standard crepe or pancake recipe.

Use similar portions of the herbs as with the previous breakfast foods.

Seafood crepe: Fill a basic crepe with crab, chives and tarragon.

Earthy crepe: Fill a basic crepe with sauteed mushrooms and thyme, parsley and a little rosemary.

Herbed apricot crepe: Tame the sweetness of apricot jam with thyme or lemon thyme to fill a basic crepe.

Dill crepe: Snip dill into your crepe batter, then wrap the finished crepe around lox and cheese.

Savory crepe: Fold fines herbs (a blend of chervil, chives, parsley and tarragon) into your crepe batter, then wrap the finished crepe around a filling of ricotta and caramelized onions. Or try parsley, chives or lemon thyme in place of the fines herbs.

Mint pancakes: Add apple mint to baked apples spooned over pancakes. Or combine chocolate mint and raspberries.