Thyme and Lime Flavored Blueberries with Tofu Avocado Cream

Blueberries are BEAUTIFUL…DELICIOUS…and HEALTHY! No wonder they are one of my favorite foods!

For a comprehensive and authoritative summary of the many health benefits of blueberries, see the excellent Huffington Post article (published online in 2011) by Leo Galland MD.

This post is about an awesome blueberry dessert — one that reminds me of a mixture of blueberry pie and key lime pie – but guilt-free! And, yes, this recipe involves parchment paper, which might make it seem difficult and complicated, but trust me, working with parchment paper is easier than wrapping a present! And the results are dramatic and delicious! This dessert will delight you and wow your guests! I guarantee it!

And…if you have kids at home…you might want to ask them to help you — or let them make it all by themselves. This recipe is really EASY and FUN to make!

So let’s get cooking!

Thyme and Lime Flavored Blueberries with Tofu Avocado Cream

Serves 4

Ingredients
4 cups fresh (or frozen) blueberries
2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons fresh squeezed lime juice
2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons honey
2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons cold tap water
3 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves, chopped

1, 10-ounce block of firm tofu
1/2 medium-size, ripe Hass avocado
2 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves

For garnish: fresh blueberries and fresh thyme leaves

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Cut 4 pieces of parchment paper, each 12 x 12 inches. Place each square of parchment paper over a small bowl (for example, a cereal bowl). Carefully place 1 cup of the blueberries into the center of each piece of parchment paper. (Note: This takes two hands, because with one hand you need to make a well in the center of the paper for the blueberries.) Set bowls with blueberries aside.

In a cup (or small bowl), mix lime juice, honey and water until fully mixed. Spoon 2 tablespoons of this mixture over each serving of blueberries. Then sprinkle the fresh thyme leaves evenly over the blueberries.

Using 4, 18-inch pieces of raffia or kitchen twine, tie each bundle of blueberries tightly and finish it off with a little bow.

Place the 4 packets of blueberries onto a baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees F. (Note: I tested the time with frozen blueberries, and it was the same!)

While the blueberries cook, place tofu, avocado, honey, vanilla extract, salt, and thyme leaves (2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves) into the work bowl of the food processor fitted with the metal blade. Process for 30 seconds; scrape down the sides with a spatula; process again for 30 seconds to 1 minute; scrape again, and process again if needed, until fully blended and smooth. Using a spatula, remove the tofu avocado cream from the food processor and place the cream in a small bowl. Garnish with fresh blueberries and a sprinkling of fresh thyme leaves.

When the blueberry packets have finished baking, remove the baking sheet from the oven and let the packets of blueberries cool on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes.

To serve, place each packet of blueberries in a small shallow bowl and then place each bowl on a plate. As you can see, the packets are very dramatic and beautiful! So this is how I like to serve them at the table. But to make it easier to eat, it’s good to trim the packets to within about an inch of the tie. So I pass a pair of scissors around the table and let everyone do their own trimming.

After a little trimming — and a lot of laughing about how this reminds everyone of kindergarten — it’s time to open the packets. (Be prepared for “oohs” and “ahs”!) Then pass the bowl of Tofu Avocado Cream so everyone can top their blueberries with a dollop or two.

Ingredient notes

• Blueberries –  This recipe should be made with highbush (cultivated) blueberries (not the small wild blueberries).
• Lime juice – If you don’t have fresh limes, use store-bought organic lime juice which comes packed in glass jars. A really nice product to have on hand!
• Thyme leaves – You can store fresh thyme leaves (on stems) in your freezer so it’s ready when you need it.
• Tofu – For this recipe, use the tofu that comes packed in water and found in the refrigerated section.

Equipment notes

• Parchment paper – The unbleached parchment paper (kraft or light brown color) can be found at health food stores and it is a much better choice than the bleached (white) parchment paper. Who wants bleach leaching into their food?!
• Raffia – I like the look of raffia (what you see in the photos) but plain kitchen twine will do. If you choose raffia, make sure it’s the natural raffia – not plastic. Plastic will melt in the oven.

Recipe note

• I have entered this recipe into the “Make It – Blog It – Win It! Blueberry Recipe Contest for Bloggers.” Results will be announced on or before 20 September! (I will let you know how it turns out…) Meanwhile, if you would like to leave a message about this recipe, please do. I’m sure the contest judges would like to know what you think!

Enjoy and be healthy!

~Leni

Applesauce Made in the Crock Pot!

 

Apples, pears and apricots waiting to be made into applesauce

This is a very easy recipe, and the applesauce is absolutely delicious — a lot tastier than store-bought applesauce. It’s also much less expensive than most organic, store-bought applesauce, especially if you buy apples at a good price. (I find that Trader Joe’s 2-pound bags of organic apples are usually available at a reasonable price. These apples are the smaller size ones, but that’s just fine!)

I shared some of my homemade applesauce with my friends at work today and they loved it!  Unfortunately, I had none left when one of my colleagues came into the kitchen foraging for a snack and left with a plate of potato chips and a bottle of orange soda…his fruits and veggies! : – (

BASIC RECIPE

Ingredients

4 pounds of apples – any you like. Here is what I used:

• 3 pounds of organic honey crisp apples (or another rather sweet apple with thin skins)
• 1 pound of organic Granny Smith apples (or another rather tart apple)

Notes:

• If you can, use only organic apples. That’s because apples are one of the most pesticide-laden fruits according to EWG’s Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides – a reliable resource.
• You might not want to make applesauce with all Granny Smith apples because it would be too tart. And I found that the skins of the Granny Smiths were quite thick and more noticeable in the applesauce than the skins of the Honey Crisp apples.

1 cup of filtered water

1 tablespoon lemon juice (or less if you prefer a less tart applesauce)

Directions

Cut the apples (skins and all)  into chunks. Put the apple chunks into the crock pot, add the water, and lemon juice; cover and cook on low for 8 hours. Remove the lid and use a potato masher to lightly mash the apples until they turn into a chunky applesauce. But keep mashing if you want a less chunky sauce.

RECIPE VARIATIONS

Instead of just apples, use apples plus:

• Pears
• Frozen organic berries
• Dried cranberries
• Dried chopped apricots (I like the unsulfured apricots. That’s why you see brown-looking apricot pieces in the photo.)

You may want add:

• Ceylon cinnamon . Sprinkle cinnamon on the individual servings, as desired.
• Agave nectar. Some people like tart applesauce, as I do, without any added sweetener! But for those who like their applesauce a little sweeter, just mix in a little agave nectar.
• Mix some ground flax seeds into the applesauce.
• Top with yogurt.
• Top with walnuts.

More information….

• Heirloom apples in the USA – Many hairloom apples are in danger of extinction… See what the Ark of Taste program sponsored by Slow Food USA is doing to keep these apples and other heirloom fruits and vegetables from going extinct.
• Grow your own organic apple trees! Learn how from Michael Phillips of Lost Nation Orchard, author of The Apple Grower.

Enjoy and be healthy!

~Leni

Baby Romaine and Arugula with Tomatoes, Blueberries and Mango

Did you know that…

• Baby romaine lettuce comes in absolutely gorgeous deep red and green leaves?
• Arugula is a cruciferous vegetable and therefore has the same anti-cancer properties as broccoli and cabbage?

This salad of Baby Romaine and Arugula with Tomatoes, Blueberries and Mango is stunningly pretty, absolutely delicious, and wonderfully HEALTHY — a great way to enjoy summer’s bounty.

BABY ROMAINE and ARUGULA with Tomatoes, Blueberries and Mango

For each serving of salad

1. Fill a dinner plate with a couple handfuls of Olivia’s Organics Baby Romaine (absolutely gorgeous green and red leaves) and one handful of Olivia’s Organics Baby Arugula.
2. Scatter 1/2 cup of each of the following over the salad greens on the plate:

• bite-size chunks of tomato
• bite-size chunks of peeled mango (I used a champagne mango.)
• fresh blueberries

3. Scatter 1 tablespoon of chopped walnuts over the salad greens.

4. Scatter 2 teaspoons of fresh thyme leaves over the salad greens. (See tips about fresh thyme leaves below.)

5. If desired, sprinkle about 2 tablespoons of Fresh Lime Salad Dressing (see recipe below) over each serving.

Ingredients – Fresh Lime Salad Dressing

To make 1 serving (about 2 tablespoons):

2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
1/8 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/8 teaspoon agave nectar
freshly ground black pepper, to taste

To make 4 servings (about 2 tablespoons per serving):

2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon agave nectar
freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Directions – Fresh Lime Salad Dressing

Place the salad dressing ingredients into a little bowl and mix with a fork or a little whisk until fully mixed.

TIPs: Fresh thyme leaves

1. If the thyme  is very tender and you are using the tips of the plant, then you really do not need to take the leaves off the stems. Just use a pair of kitchen scissors and cut the stems and the leaves into small pieces.
2. If the thyme is not that tender, then you will want to take the leaves off the woody stems. Here’s a nice trick for doing that easily!

• Wash the fresh thyme and spin dry it.
• Place the spun-dry thyme into a quart-size plastic bag for the freezer and freeze.
• When the thyme has frozen, remove the bag with the thyme from the freezer, and without opening the bag, take hold of the sprigs of thyme and rub them vigorously against each other. Very soon, almost all of the leaves of thyme will fall off the stems and end up in the bottom of the freezer bag!
• Now when you need a teaspoon of fresh thyme, just spoon it out of the freezer bag!
• Note: To be kind to the environment, re-use the plastic bag — without washing it. When you’ve used up all the thyme leaves and only the stems remain in the bag, keep the stems for your next pot of soup. Also keep the empty plastic bag, as is, in the freezer until you have some more fresh thyme to put into it.

Enjoy and be healthy!

~Leni

Why blueberries?

For a summary of the many health benefits of blueberries, see this Huffington Post article by Leo Galland MD (integrated medicine physician and author).

Blueberries are antioxidant powerhouses. See this 2004 article listing the foods highest in antioxidants. Note: Wild blueberries are higher in antioxidants than cultivated blueberries (larger ones).

And I’ve always wondered if wild blueberries were essentially organic. Unfortunately they are not organic. For an explanation, see the FAQ: “Does Wyman’s offer organic wild blueberries?”

MONAMIFOOD BLUEBERRY MUFFINS

Made with whole wheat flour, bananas, blueberries, almond meal (ground almonds), ground flaxseeds, and lots of cinnamon, these muffins are chock-full of anti-cancer healthy foods. But how do they taste? Just slightly sweet (very little sugar), but awesome!

Makes 24 regular size muffins and 24 mini-size muffins

Ingredients

Olive or canola oil for greasing the muffin pans

4 medium-size ripe or very ripe bananas

2 cups skim milk

1/2 cup canola or extra virgin olive oil

½ cup dark brown sugar, very tightly packed

2 eggs (preferably eggs with omega 3’s), lightly beaten

2 tablespoons agave nectar

•Why agave nectar? How does agave nectar help your body to prevent cancer?

2 tablespoons vanilla extract

• Vanilla brings out the sweet taste of food, so you can use less sugar in the recipe. According to the food experts, the best vanilla is produced under the brand, Nielsen-Massey. It’s quite expensive, but I think it’s worth splurging on.

3 ¾ cup white whole wheat flour

3/4 cup almond meal (finely ground raw almonds)

• I like the almond meal at Trader Joe’s. It’s not expensive and it includes the almond skin (dark brown part) which is high in fiber.

½ cup flaxseeds, ground

• Why flaxseeds? How do flaxseeds help your body to prevent cancer?

• For freshness, buy whole flaxseeds and grind them yourself — in either a coffee grinder or a mini food processor fitted with a metal blade. To keep flaxseeds fresh, store them in the freezer. I particularly like the golden flaxseeds.

1 tablespoon non-aluminum baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons ground Ceylon cinnamon

• Why cinnamon? How does cinnamon help your body to prevent cancer?

1 pound (16 ounces) frozen blueberries, almost defrosted (you don’t want blueberries and blue water)

• I use Trader Joe’s Wild Boreal Blueberries. These are very small blueberries that, according to the packaging, are “grown naturally with no pesticides.” Not all wild Boreal blueberries are grown without pesticides; many are grown from wild bushes but are treated with pesticides just like regular blueberries. Unfortunately, I think organic frozen blueberries are just too expensive to use most of the time.

•Why blueberries? How do blueberries help your body to prevent cancer?

Directions

Arrange the oven racks so that you have two racks in the middle of the oven, equidistant from the top and bottom of the oven. Preheat oven to 350 degree F.

Using a pastry brush, brush the inside of each muffin cup with a little canola or olive oil. (I used two regular size metal muffin pans and two silicone mini muffin pans. Use whatever you have available.)

In a large bowl, mash the bananas very well. (A simple old-fashioned potato masher will do the job.) Add the skim milk, canola or olive oil, brown sugar, lightly beaten eggs, agave nectar, and vanilla extract. Set aside.

Into a medium-size bowl, add the white whole wheat flour, almond meal, ground flaxseeds, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon.  Mix these dry ingredients very well.

Take the large bowl with the wet ingredients (that you set aside earlier) and mix the wet ingredients well. Then dump the dry ingredients on top of the wet ingredients. (I know this is unorthodox, but I think it works better than the orthodox way of adding the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients.) Mix the dry and wet ingredients until they are almost mixed. (It’s best if a few small patches of dry ingredients remain as there is more mixing coming in the next step and you do not want to over mix.)

Now dump the defrosted blueberries onto the batter and gently stir the blueberries into the batter. (You will end up with a batter that’s slightly blue and that’s OK.)

Using a medium size ice cream scoop (or whatever you have on hand), fill the regular muffin cups about 7/8 of the way to the top with the batter; fill the mini muffin cups to the top with batter.

Place the 2 filled regular size muffin pans on the upper shelf and the 2 filled mini muffin pans on the lower shelf of the preheated oven.

Bake for 40 minutes or until a thin skewer inserted into the center of the muffin comes out clean.

Remove the muffin pans from the oven and set them aside to cool for 5 to 10 minutes. Remove the muffins to a wire rack to cool completely. When completely cool, store covered in the refrigerator or freeze to use later.

Enjoy and be healthy!

~Leni