Blueberries are in Season!
My daughter is working at the local blueberry stand. We have so many delicious blueberries in the refrigerator. Plus our garden blueberry bushes are producing juicy berries. I don’t mind as blueberries are a favorite food and more than that they provide excellent health benefits.
Blueberries' deep purple color is teaming with polyphenols, in particular anthocyanidins and proanthocyanidins, which are responsible for their antioxidant properties. They provide protection from cancer cells by promoting the death of the cancer cells and stopping the growth of new blood vessels that feed the cancer cells.
Their work doesn’t stop there. They are known to impact memory. In a study done in April 2005, it was found “…that various fruit and vegetable extracts, particularly blueberry (BB), were effective in reversing age-related deficits in neuronal signaling and behavioral parameters following 8 weeks of feeding, possibly due to their polyphenolic content.” Anthocyanins in aged blueberry-fed rats are found centrally and may enhance memory. Nutr Neurosci. 2005 Apr;8(2):111-20
Another study done by the Center for the Study of Botanicals and Metabolic Syndrome, Pennington Biomedical Research Center at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge found that drinking one blueberry smoothie with 22.5 grams of blueberries a day increased participants insulin sensitivity.
“Insulin sensitivity was enhanced in the blueberry group at the end of the study without significant changes in adiposity, energy intake, and inflammatory biomarkers. In conclusion, daily dietary supplementation with bioactives from whole blueberries improved insulin sensitivity in obese, nondiabetic, and insulin-resistant participants.” J Nutr. 2010 Oct;140(10):1764-8. Epub 2010 Aug 19.Bioactives in blueberries improve insulin sensitivity in obese, insulin-resistant men and women.
So what are we waiting for! It’s time for a blueberry recipe.
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BLUEBERRY TART
Adapted from Clean Start, by Terry Walters
Preheat the oven to 350˚
Prepare one 9 inch tart pan .
Serves 8
Ingredients:
Date Paste: (makes just over ½ cup of date paste)
20 pitted dates
¼ cup of raisins
1 1/4 cups of warm water
Crust:
2 cups almond meal
2 tablespoons date paste
1 tablespoon coconut oil
Pinch of sea salt
1 teaspoon almond extract
Filling
1 cup of date water from the soaked dates
2 tablespoons arrowroot powder
½ cup date paste
2 tablespoons lemon juice
¼ teaspoon almond extract
Pinch of sea salt
2 cups of large blueberries or 4 cups of small wild blueberries
Directions:
Date paste: Place 20 dates and a ¼ cup of raisins in 1 1/4 cup of warm water; soak until till soft. This isa bout 1/2 hour to an hour. Strain off the water and set aside. In a fo0d processor blend dates and raisins until smooth. If needed add a few tablespoons of the date water to make it smooth.
Crust: Melt coconut oil in a pan over medium heat. Add salt and almond extract. Mix the almond meal and date paste in a bowl. Pour the oil mixture over the almond meal mixture and fold in until all the ingredients are incorporated. Pat into the lightly oiled tart pan to form a crust. Bake the crust for 15 minutes or until nicely browned. Remove the crust and gently pat down any bubbles that may have formed.
Filling:
Mix together ½ cup of the water reserved from the dates and the arrowroot, set aside.
In a Dutch oven over medium heat, combine the ½ cup of date water, ½ cup of date paste, lemon juice, almond extract and salt. Bring to a simmer. Add 1 cup of blueberries and stir until they start popping. Keep stirring and lower the heat. Whisk the arrowroot mixture into the berry mixture and keep whisking until the mixture thickens. Once thick, remove mixture from the heat and fold in the remaining blueberries. Pour into the crust and spread evenly. Refrigerate for an hour. Top with homemade whipping cream.
Enjoy!
