Blueberry Crumble

I asked my husband to bring home blueberries from Costco, days ago.  As each day went by, I thought of all those blueberries and what I was going to do with them but nothing happened.  I am rational and did not want to lose these beauties so I decided to make a Crumble.  Crumbles are basically the same and this one is no different.  They are usually good and this one is no different.

Blueberry Crumble 

I found the recipe on delish.com and made a few changes but basically this is it.

English: A pack of blueberries from a organic farm co-op program. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

• 2 1/2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries , or other fruit
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 tablespoon gluten-free flour mix
• 1 tablespoon(s) orange juice
• 1 cup Crumble  (below)

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Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 deg F.
2. Toss berries with sugar, flour and juice. 
3. Place in a casserole or pie plate and cover with the delicious crumble.

Ingredients for Crumble

• ---

  1 1/2 cup(s) old-fashioned rolled oats

• 3/4 cup walnuts, chopped
• 1/2 cup  brown sugar
• 1/3 cup(s) brown rice flour (your choice)
• 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 3 tablespoons canola oil

Directions

1. Combine oats, nuts, brown sugar, flour and cinnamon in a medium bowl and stir until well blended. Drizzle oil over the dry ingredients and stir until evenly moistened.  Place on top of berry mixture.

This is linked to Mop It Up Mondays              Mealtime Mondays           My Meatless Mondays       Slightly Indulgent Tuesday

Spinach, Mango and Strawberry Salad

Spinach, Mango and Strawberry Salad

Ingredients

1/4 cup blanched slivered almonds

1/8 cup white wine vinegar

1 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoons dry mustard

1 teaspoon brown sugar

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 teaspoon tarragon

2 cups baby spinach, rinsed, dried and torn into small pieces

3 strawberries sliced

1/2 mango – peeled, seeded and cubed                                                                                              

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Arrange almonds in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake 5 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until fragrant and lightly toasted.

In a small bowl, mix white wine vinegar,  balsamic vinegar, brown sugar, olive oil, dry mustard, tarragon, salt, and pepper.

In a medium bowl, toss the  vinegar mixture with the spinach, strawberries and mangos. Top with the toasted almonds.

This is linked to Allergy Free Wednesday      Real Food Wednesday    Cast Party Wednesdays           Pennywise Platter                     Made from Scratch Mondays        Scrumptious Sunday            Passionately Artistic               Hearth and Soul

 See Ya in the Gumbo

Full Plate Thursday 

Fit and Fabulous Friday

Lemon Blueberry Loaf

While, I am enjoying the cold weather fruits, I do miss our summer crops.  The beauty of blueberries is that frozen blueberries work in baking.  I am nervous, each time I use them, thinking there will be too much liquid in the batter but the blueberries stay intact and we get to bite into them and taste that juice.  It may not be exactly the same as fresh blueberries but they are good and we get to have our blueberries in the winter months.

The tartness of the lemon plays off the blueberries and makes for a favorite cake.  Usually, I turn my loaf cakes into muffins or mini-cakes but this time, I stayed true to the loaf form.  There is something to be said about slicing a loaf.  It is certainly easier than slicing a bundt cake.  I feel, I have more control over the size of the slices, but that may just be me.

I brought a little sunlight into our kitchen with this cake.

Lemon Blueberry Loaf   adapted from Joy of Baking

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups  gluten-free flour mix

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 1/2 teaspoons xanthan gum

1/4 teaspoon salt

6 tablespoons margarine, room temperature

3/4 cup  granulated white sugar

2 large eggs

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/2 cup milk

1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries

Lemon Glaze:

1/4 cup (50 grams) granulated white sugar

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Method:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F  and place the oven rack in the center of the oven. 

Spray with a non stick vegetable spray) the bottom and sides of a loaf  pan (9 x 5 x 3 inch).

In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt.

In the bowl of your electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, beat the butter until softened (about 1 minute). 

Add the sugar and continue to beat until light and fluffy.

Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Beat in the vanilla extract and lemon zest.

With the mixer on low, add the flour mixture (in three additions) and milk (in two additions) alternately, starting and ending with the flour. Mix only until combined. 

Gently fold in the blueberries.

Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 55 to 65 minutes, or until the bread is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, bring the 1/4 cup  of sugar and the 2 tablespoons of lemon juice to a boil, stirring until the sugar dissolves.

When the bread is done, remove from oven and place on a wire rack. Pierce the hot loaf all over with a wooden skewer or toothpick and then brush the top of the loaf with the hot lemon glaze.

 Cool the loaf in the pan for about 30 minutes then remove from pan and let cool completely on a wire rack.

This bread is best served on the day it is made.  (I don’t think it will last, longer than that.

Makes 1 loaf.

It Could Be Ice Cream – It is That Good

The food processor has taken on a life of its own.  How often does a recipe suggest you mix a dough in the food processor rather than the mixer?  A  lot!  I find that I make use of this handy gadget, more and more. Now that I also have the mini food processor, life has been made even easier.  I would not think to take out the big one to chop nuts or shred chocolate but the mini is easy to use, takes little space and cleans up quickly.

For this creamy dessert, it is an obvious choice and it worked beautifully and easily.  Three cheers for the food processor.

Strawberry –     It Could Be Cream (Ice Cream)

I had a pint of fresh strawberries and about 8 ounces of frozen strawberries.

2 ripe bananas

Procedure

Put fruit into food processor.

Turn it on and let it go and go and go.

You will see the changes as it rotates.

I took it out, the first time, too early and ended up with a nice strawberry sherbet.

I put the frozen sherbet in the microwave for about one minute until it was slightly softened.

I returned it to the food processor for about ten minutes.  I was afraid of burning out the motor, so I stopped every two minutes for a minute or so, to let it cool down.

After this time period, I had creamy “ice cream”.

I used my cookie scoop, rather than my ice cream scoop, to make balls.

I was still gun shy about this holding together but it did.

My husband took it plain and said it  could be sweeter and  he doesn’t like anything with sugar.  Depending on taste, you might want to add a little sweetener.

I had the chocolate syrup on mine so I didn’t have that problem.

)

This is linked to Weekday Potluck    My Meatless Monday at My Sweet and Savory    Your Recipe, My Kitchen at Frugal Antics of a Harried Homemaker       Midnight Maniac Meatless Monday at Midnight Maniac         My Meatless Monday at My Sweet and Savory        Mangia Mondays at Delightfully Dowling

 

Easy Eggless Strawberry Ice Cream

For the winter, the machine stayed in the freezer, waiting to be used, but we did not want ice cream in the cold winter.  We keep our home, cold by normal standards.  There was no desire on our parts for cold food, even a treat, like ice cream.  I would see recipes that appealed to me but they appealed in name only.  Even the yummiest sounding did not move that ice cream maker. (neither of the two ice cream makers.  I am one too.)

Then, this hot, oppressively hot summer came and what could be better than ice cream and I have been making the creamy delight, whenever possible.  The last flavor, I made was strawberry and I was really surprised how much better it was than store-bought.  The true flavor of strawberries came through.  I made it, leaving little flecks of strawberry, throughout and  we enjoyed hitting pure strawberry in the midst of the cream.

The other day, one of my grandson came over and I brought him homemade chocolate cookies and even better, some of the strawberry ice cream.  This is a grown-up grandson which made his reaction rewarding.  He looked at me, with a look that said, “Wow”, and asked if I really make my own ice cream.  After his first bite, he wanted to know what was in it.  I gave an ice cream lesson.

As food bloggers, we take for granted our own growth in cooking and even our personal expansion of our repertoire of recipes.  Others may not appreciate this or they may be in awe.

Easy, Eggless Strawberry Ice Cream  (I cut this down because my ice cream maker only holds 1 1/2 quarts but I

 am leaving the original measurements.)  (adapted from All Recipes)

 Yield 8 servings

Ingredients

• 2 cups whole milk
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 cups mashed fresh strawberries

 Directions

1. In a large bowl, combine the milk, cream, sugar, salt, vanilla, strawberries, and food coloring. Pour the mixture into the freezer bowl of an ice cream maker, and freeze according to manufacturer’s directions.

This is linked to Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays,        Bookmarked Tuesdays       -King’s Court 4     Foodie Wednesdays        What’s Cooking Wednesday,      Let’s Do Brunch at My Sweet and Savory      What’s on the Menu Wednesdays at Dining with Debbie   Gluten Free Wednesdays      Wandering Wednesdays       Whatcha Makin’ Wednesdays      Cast Party Wednesdays     This Chick Cooks
What I Whipped Up Wednesday          Ultimate Recipe Swap    Garden Variety Wednesday

You want delicious?

This is delicious.  This is a smoothie made from mango andstrawberrywith a littlevanillaand a little cinnamon.  Add the yogurt and you have a drink, most will want.  I can’t wait to make this again.  The mango rounded off the strawberry to blend smoothly into a vanilla yogurt.

Strawberry Mango  Smoothie

Ingredients

4 large strawberries, halved

1/2 mango, cubed

11/2 cups vanilla yogurt

1 – 2 tablespoons sugar, depending on your taste for sweetness

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon vanilla

3/4 cup ice cubes

Procedure

Put ice cubes, strawberries, mango, yogurt, sugar, cinnamon in the blender.  Mix on blend for 15 seconds.  Then pulse about 10 times.  Check for readiness.  I like it smooth.  If you like some small chunks, stop your blender earlier.  Mine had tiny red dots from the strawberries.

If it needs more blending, pulse it, until done.

Now the good part.  Pour into glasses and drink up.  You can also do what I did and buy strawberries for a blueberry smoothie with almond and maybe peaches.