July is national blueberry month! The teeny tiny berry is bursting with super fruit powers; they help fight free radicals in the body as one of the best antioxidant sources, plus they’re full of fiber and vitamins, including vitamin C, calcium, folate, and potassium, all combining to help protect your body against cancers, disease, high cholesterol and more.
One cup of fresh blueberries contains about 80 calories, 0 grams of fat, 21 grams of carbohydrates, 4 grams of fiber, 15 grams of sugar and 1 gram of protein.
Blueberries are the second most consumed fruit in America. Whether you eat them fresh from the pint, add them to yogurt, cereal, or oatmeal, or bake them into fresh muffins and pancakes, you can’t deny that blueberries deserve a month to be celebrated!
Here are a few delicious, healthy recipes to get you started:
Blueberry Protein Shake
1 cup unsweetened almond milk (or skim milk)
1 scoop vanilla protein powder
1 cup blueberries
2 cups spinach
½ frozen banana (or strawberries)
Directions:
Place all ingredients in a blender and add a few ice cubes. Blend, and add more ice cubes as needed.
3 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup applesauce
3 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 cups shredded zucchini
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup whole-wheat flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 pint fresh blueberries
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease 4 mini-loaf pans.
2. In a large bowl, beat together the eggs, oil, vanilla, and sugar. Fold in the zucchini. Beat in the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon. Gently fold in the blueberries. Transfer to the prepared mini-loaf pans.
3. Bake 50 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a knife inserted in the center of a loaf comes out clean. Cool 20 minutes in pans, then turn out onto wire racks to cool completely.
Topping
1/2 cup(s) light brown sugar
1/3 cup(s) all-purpose flour
2 tablespoon(s) unsalted butter, softened
1 teaspoon(s) cinnamon
Muffins
1 1/2 cup(s) plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
2 teaspoon(s) baking powder
1/4 teaspoon(s) baking soda
1/2 teaspoon(s) salt
1 large egg
3/4 cup(s) sugar
1 tablespoon(s) unsalted butter, melted
1 rounded cup sour cream
1 teaspoon(s) pure vanilla extract
3/4 teaspoon(s) finely grated lemon zest
1 rounded cup frozen blueberries
Directions:
1. Make the topping: Preheat the oven to 375°. In a medium bowl, combine the brown sugar, flour, butter and cinnamon. Rub with your fingers to form coarse crumbs. Refrigerate until ready to use.
2. Make the muffins: Butter a 12-cup muffin pan. In a medium bowl, whisk the 1 1/2 cups of flour with the baking powder, baking soda and salt. In a large bowl, using a handheld mixer, beat the egg at medium speed until frothy. Add the sugar and melted butter and beat until pale yellow, 1 minute. Beat in the sour cream, vanilla and lemon zest until blended. Add the dry ingredients and beat at low speed until almost blended. In a bowl, toss the blueberries with the remaining 1 tablespoon of flour. Using a rubber spatula, fold the blueberries into the batter.
3. Fill the muffin cups three-fourths full of batter and sprinkle with the topping. Bake for 25 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean. Remove the muffins from the pan and let cool on a rack.
1/2 cup whole-wheat pastry flour
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
3/4 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
1 large egg
1 large egg white
1/2 cup nonfat buttermilk
1 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 teaspoons canola oil, divided
3/4 cup fresh or frozen (not thawed) blueberries
Directions:
1. Whisk whole-wheat flour, all-purpose flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and nutmeg in a small bowl. Whisk ricotta, egg, egg white, buttermilk, lemon zest and juice in a large bowl until smooth. Stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until just combined.
2. Brush a large nonstick skillet with 1/2 teaspoon oil and place over medium heat until hot. Using a generous 1/4 cup of batter for each pancake, pour the batter for 2 pancakes into the pan, sprinkle blueberries on each pancake and cook until the edges are dry and bubbles begin to form, about 2 minutes. Flip the pancakes and cook until golden brown, about 2 minutes more. Repeat with the remaining oil, batter and berries, adjusting the heat as necessary to prevent burning.
Teriyaki Pork Chops with Blueberry-Ginger Relish
4 bone-in center-cut pork chops, (about 1 3/4 pounds), trimmed of fat
Marinade
3 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoons dry sherry, (see Ingredient Note)
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
Blueberry-Ginger Relish
1 cup fresh blueberries, coarsely chopped
1 shallot, chopped
1 serrano chile, seeded and minced
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon lime juice
1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
1/4 teaspoon salt
Directions:
1. To marinate: Place pork chops in a large sealable plastic bag. Whisk soy sauce, sherry, garlic, brown sugar and crushed red pepper in a small bowl. Add the marinade to the bag, seal and turn to coat. Marinate in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours or overnight.
2. To prepare relish: About 20 minutes before grilling the pork, combine blueberries, shallot, chile, cilantro, lime juice, ginger and salt in a small bowl.
3. Preheat grill to high. Remove the pork chops from the marinade (discard marinade). Grill the chops 3 to 5 minutes per side. Let them rest for 5 minutes before serving with the relish.
Blueberry Mojito
1 1/2 oz light rum
1/4 oz fresh lime juice
6 mint leaves
1/4 cup fresh blueberries
1 tsp sugar
Club soda
Garnish: lime slice and mint sprig
Directions:
Muddle mint leaves with sugar and blueberries in a mixing glass. Add light rum to lime juice and shake with ice. Pour into a tall glass. Add club soda and extra blueberries. Garnish with lime slice and mint sprig.