Blueberry Delights

Of all of the many anti-oxidant packed superfoods out there, blueberries are probably the easiest sell. I enjoy blueberries alone and in salads, but these three recipe take the little jewels to new heights! 

Fresh Blueberry Lemon Pecan Bars with Moroccan Cinnamon

I developed this recipe for a gathering of friends last summer. Since the party consisted of mostly Italians, I wanted to treat them to a quintessentially American dessert with a Mediterranean twist. You can make the bars in advance and freeze them, and any berry can be swapped out for the blueberries.

Ingredients

 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature

 2/3 cup sugar plus extra

 1/2 teaspoon salt

 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

 2 cups flour

 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

 Zest of 1 lemon

1 1/2 cups fresh blueberries rinsed and patted dry and sprinkled with sugar

1/2 cup chopped pecans

Instructions

1. Set the oven to 350F

2. Cream the butter and sugar together. Beat in the salt and vanilla.

3. Mix in the flour, cinnamon, and lemon zest, just until combined.

4. Line an 8x8 -inch baking pan with parchment paper or foil with overhanging edges...this will make it easy to lift the bars out of the pan for cutting. Spray the pan and the paper with non-stick spray.

5. Using your fingers, pat 2/3 of the dough into the bottom of the pan. The dough will be soft and sticky, do your best to cover the entire surface of the bottom, but you don't need to compact the dough, just lightly pat it down.

6. Spread the blueberries and pecans out across the dough, sprinkle with additional sugar to coat. Crumble the remaining dough on top. Scatter pieces of the dough over the blueberries in a random fashion.

7. Bake for about 30-40 minutes until just beginning to get golden around the edges and cool on a rack.

Blueberry Citrus Clafoutis

Photo Courtesy of Living the Gourmet

Adapted from The Ultimate Mediterranean Diet Cookbook. This is a wonderful recipe to have on hand because it’s simple enough for novices to make yet impressive enough for experts to savor. Cherries, raspberries, pears, apples, plums, and prunes could all be used instead of blueberries.

¼ teaspoon unsalted butter

5 tablespoons (65 g) sugar, divided

2 extra-large eggs

½ cup (63 g) all-purpose flour

1 cup heavy cream

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 teaspoon almond extract

Pinch of unrefined sea salt or salt

1 cup (125 g) blueberries

Confectioner’s sugar, for dusting

Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Butter 4 (2-inch) baking ramekins. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons (26 g) granulated sugar over the bottom. Beat the eggs and the remaining 3 tablespoons (39 g) sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on medium-high speed, until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. With mixer running on low speed, add in the flour, cream, vanilla extract, almond extract, and salt.

Add the blueberries to the bottom of the baking dish, turn to coat in sugar, and pour the batter over the top. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until the top is golden and custard is set. Serve warm, sprinkled with confectioners’ sugar.

Fresh Blueberry Pancakes

Recipe from Quick Diabetic Recipes.

Prep Time: About 5 min.
Cook Time: 10 min.
Servings: 8
Serving Size: Two 4-inch pancakes

INGREDIENTS:
1 cup whole-wheat flour
1½ teaspoon baking powder
Zest of 1 lemon
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 egg white
¾ cup low-fat buttermilk
¼ cup fat-free vanilla yogurt
1 tablespoon canola oil
½ cup fresh blueberries, washed and drained

DIRECTIONS:
1. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, lemon zest, and cinnamon; set aside.
2. In a small bowl, combine the egg white, buttermilk, yogurt, and oil, and mix well. Add the wet mixture to the dry ingredients, stirring until moistened. Then gently fold in the blueberries.
3. Coat a griddle or skillet with cooking spray. Pour 2 tablespoons of batter for each pancake onto a hot griddle. Turn the pancakes when the tops are covered with tiny bubbles and the edges are golden brown.

PER SERVING: Choices/Exchanges: 1 Starch; ½ Fat; Calories 90 (from Fat 20); Fat 2.5g (Saturated 0.3g, Trans 0.0g); Cholesterol 0mg; Sodium 105mg; Potassium 120mg; Total Carbohydrate 14g (Dietary Fiber 2g; Sugars 3g); Protein 4g; Phosphorus 165mg.