The Berry Boxes

We are BIG berry eaters in my house, the fridge is always stocked with them.  Blueberries and blackberries are jam packed with antioxidants. Blueberries, blackberries and strawberries are  rich sources of fiber, potassium, vitamin C and are low in fat and calories. Funny thing about berries though is you have to keep them fresh and from drying out. On a trip to the grocery store, while I was in the produce section, I spotted these cool little baskets.  They were very inexpensive, considering the money I would be saving by not throwing berries in the trash can after having them for 2-3 days.  My berries are lasting about 2 weeks in these containers, that's a long life for fresh berries.  Check them out!

I found them in four different colors, red, green and yellow in the square size.  The boxes are BPA free and dishwasher safe.

 (I recommend top rack)

They are three compartment containers that come taped together.

They consist of a bottom container, a basket and a lid for storing the berries and keeping them fresh. Put your berries in the basket, rinse, drain excess water off, drop basket into the bottom container, put on the lid and "burp" it, store in the refrigerator.

Take the three pieces apart, and they go back together for storing your berries.

This purple container is the other size basket.  It's rectangle shape is perfect for storing strawberries.

Blueberry Hill Muffins

Stocking up on the last of this season's blueberries, we go through a lot of berries in this house all year long.  Whether fresh or frozen, everyone here is always looking for berries to eat.  I just purchased 2 big containers of them at the grocery store, and before they disappeared I wanted to use some of them to make blueberry muffins.  These muffins are light, moist, packed with blueberries in every bite, and the secret, they're vegan.  Muffins are not just for breakfast anymore people, the worlds eating habits are changing, you can now eat them for a snack or dessert too, enjoy!

Recipe below.

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With just a few ingredients I made delicious muffins, and no mixer was required.

 I use this handy dandy tool for making perfect rounded muffins.

 Baking up just right.

 Makes 12 muffins, but I'm sure that will not be enough. Wow they look fantastic!

Let them rest for about 5 minutes in the pan, then loosen them a bit, and pop them out.  Look nothing stuck!

 Just the right size for snacking.   I love when blueberries burst open, they are so juicy!

 Couldn't wait for them to cool, so I broke one in half and shared it with my daughter.  We were taste testing to make sure they were good for everyone else to eat, hahaha.....and they were!

 Perfect little muffins, not overly sweet and they're vegan, a plus! Don't be afraid of the vegan label, all that means is I did not use dairy or eggs in the batter.

 Blueberry Hill Vegan Muffins

Ingredients

2 tablespoons Earth's Balance vegan butter, for greasing the muffin tin

2 cups unbleached flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

zest from 2 small lemons

3/4 cup cane sugar

1 cup almond milk

1/3 cup canola oil

1 tablespoon white vinegar

1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Thoroughly grease the muffin tin with the 2 tablespoons of vegan butter.  Be sure to coat every cup so the muffins do not stick, and remove any large clumps of butter.  

In a medium bowl,  whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt and lemon zest, set aside.  In a larger bowl, whisk together the sugar, milk, oil and vinegar, mix well.  Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir just until combined.  Do not over mix the batter, you will have tough muffins.  Gently fold in the blueberries with a spatula.  With a small ice cream scoop, fill each cup in the prepared muffin tin. You will have enough batter to make 12 muffins.

Bake until a cake tester or toothpick inserted into the center of each muffin comes out clean, about 22 - 25 minutes depending on your oven.  Remove from oven and let cool in pan for 5 minutes.  Pop them out on a wire rack, turn them over and let them cool completely.

The Summer Peach

There is no better fruit, to me at least, than a fresh summer peach.  Juicy and packed full of that peachy goodness I know and love.  I bought a box of fresh peaches on my trip to Trader Joe's this week, and let me tell you, they are so juicy that you need a handful of napkins when you eat them, or the juice will run down your arm and all over your clothes!

I have a lot of recipes using peaches, pies, jams, etc., but again it's just the two of us, so I made a small fresh peach and fresh blueberry crisp with some of my peaches.  It smelled so amazing baking, I couldn't wait to eat it!  It was not too sweet for those minding their sugar intake.  Topping it with a small scoop of vegan ice cream, makes this dessert totally vegan, or top it with a scoop of regular vanilla bean ice cream.

Recipe below.

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  This peach and blueberry crisp was served after a vegan meal I made for dinner,
 Vegan Bolognese Sauce with Pasta (recipe on this blog 1/6/16), check it out.

I used 3 fresh peaches and 1 cup of fresh blueberries and started layering them in a small casserole dish.  

I made two layers with the fruit.

Now the crunchy part - Oatmeal, brown sugar, a pinch of salt and vegan butter.

Spread the topping over the fruit, cover to the edges and bake.  Easy and simple, that's how I like it!

    

In 40 minutes, this fabulous dessert! Sweet peaches and puffed up blueberries that burst in your mouth!

Peach and Blueberry Crisp

Ingredients

3 fresh peaches

1 cup fresh blueberries

3/4 cup old fashioned oatmeal, uncooked

1/3 cup packed brown sugar

pinch of salt

3 tablespoons Earth Balance Vegan Butter, cut into cubes

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Spray a small casserole dish with non-stick cooking spray.  Cut peaches in half and remove the stone.  Leave the skin on if you like or peel them.  Slice each half into 5-6 slices. Layer the slices on the bottom of the casserole dish, and sprinkle on 1/2 of the blueberries.  Make another layer of peaches and the other half of the blueberries.

In a medium bowl, combine the oatmeal, brown sugar, salt and vegan butter.  Break up the butter with a fork mixing it into the oatmeal and brown sugar until its crumbly.  Spread the top of the fruit with mixture and cover to the edges of the dish.  Bake for 35 - 40 minutes (remember all oven temps are different).  Makes 4 servings.

I Love A Big Breakfast On The Weekend

My hubby's life revolves around food, he thinks about his next meal before he is done the one he is eating!  He lives to eat, not the way it should be, eating to live.  Three days before the weekend he is thinking about what he is going to have for breakfast!  I don't know why, I live in the moment of OK I'm hungry what shall I eat, that's when I figure out what I am eating.  His mind is on food 24/7, and I have never known anyone like that but him.

So, while he was conjuring up what he wanted to eat for our weekend breakfast, he thought, get this, that I should make a loaf of homemade blueberry bread and make French toast out of it, yeah right that's what I want to do, slave in the kitchen on the weekend and make homemade bread to cut up and use for French toast.  When I make bread, I spend all day in the kitchen to make a beautiful loaf of bread, that will last for a few days so we can feast off of it, enjoy it, not cut it all up and bake it again! He loves blueberries and eats them every day for breakfast in his cereal, so I came up with a better, easier version, of what he wanted for breakfast, Baked Blueberry French Toast.  It's a very easy, make ahead before bed, bake the next morning casserole of French toast.
  Recipe below.

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 Simple ingredients, fresh blueberries, half and half, eggs, cinnamon, vanilla, Texas toast.  I use Pam so nothing sticks to the pan.

 In a mixing bowl - Eggs and half and half.....

 cinnamon......

 and vanilla.

 I use my trusty old fashioned beater to mix it, I love this thing!  Don't have to drag out the mixer.

 It's all combined and ready to pour.

 I use Texas toast because it can stand up to the liquid mixture, it's a thicker cut of bread and I always use it making French toast.  Line up a few slices and cut on the diagonal.

 Wash and drain the berries.

 Sprinkle them in and behind the slices of bread, you want to them touch all the bread, and then toss some of them on top.

 It's now loaded with blueberries. Next, pour on the egg mixture, get behind and on top of the bread slices.

 There will be some in the bottom of the baking dish, that will soak up overnight and during baking.  WOW, that looks good already!

 Cover tightly with plastic wrap, put in the refrigerator overnight.

In the morning, take plastic wrap off ......

 cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees.

 While that was baking I started some maple sausages to go along with it.

Breakfast was served and we dug in to a wonderful French toast casserole with blueberries.  I dusted it with a little confectioner's sugar......

 served it with both blueberry and pure maple syrup and the sausages on the side.

 The French toast is crispy on the top with a smooth, light, custard texture in the center, perfect!

Baked Blueberry French Toast

Ingredients

Cooking Spray

1 1/2 cups fresh blueberries

4 eggs

1 cup half and half or milk

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon vanilla

8 slices Texas toast (thick cut bread)

Directions

Spray an 8 x 8 baking dish with cooking spray, set aside.  Wash the blueberries in a small colander, set those aside to drain.  In a medium mixing bowl, add the eggs, half and half, cinnamon and vanilla, whisk until all is combined.  Cut the bread slices on the diagonal.  Layer the slices crust side up in the baking dish. Layer the blueberries in between all the slices, front and back, then on the top last.  Slowly pour the egg mixture over the bread, be sure to get in between the slices and on top of the slices.  Some of the mixture will puddle in the bottom of the pan.  Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

In the morning, preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Take the plastic wrap off the baking dish and replace with foil.  Bake for 1 hour, as always all ovens are different and baking time will vary.  Uncover the dish for last 15 minutes of baking, so the top browns and crisps up. Serve with maple syrup. Makes 4 -6 servings.

NOTE:  This recipe can also be doubled, use a 9 X 13 baking dish.