She’s A Foodie: The Blue, Berry

by Nadya Logan | Jul 18, 2015 | Lifestyle+Culture

In celebration of July being National Blueberry Month, I will be writing one article a week for the fabulous month! This week I am going to help you plan an entire meal filled with blueberries. From the appetizer to the dessert, there won’t be a piece of your meal that will not include the delicious fruit.

Drink—Blueberry Lemonade (4-6 servings)

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup of fresh lemon juice
• 3/4 cup of sugar
• 1 cup of fresh blueberries
• 1 cup of hot water
• 3 cups of cold water
• Ice

Directions:

1. In a blender, blend together the lemon juice, sugar, blueberries, and hot water until the berries are pureed and the sugar is dissolved. Pour into pitcher.
2. Add cold water.
3. Chill for at least an hour.
4. Serve over ice.

Appetizer—Fresh Fruit Salad (10 servings)

Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup of fresh orange juice
• 1 small cantaloupe, cut into chunks
• 2 cups of fresh strawberries, sliced
• 2 cups of green seedless grapes, halved
• 2 bananas, sliced

Directions:

1. Combine the fruit in a large bowl.
2. Pour the juice over the fruit.
3. Toss the mixture to coat the fruit with juice.
4. Cover and refrigerate for 4 hours
5. Then serve.

Main Course—Grilled Chicken House Salad with Blueberry Balsamic Vinaigrette (2 servings)

Salad Ingredients:

• 4 ounces of croutons
• 2/4 cup of cucumbers, chopped
• 2/4 cup of carrots, chopped
• 1 cup of grilled chicken, diced
• 4 cups of iceberg lettuce, chopped

Vinaigrette Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons of lemon juice
• 4 tablespoons of honey
• ½ cup of balsamic vinegar
• 1 cup of olive oil
• 2 cups of fresh blueberries, mashed
• A pinch of salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Mix all of the ingredients together in a bowl.
2. Add vinaigrette on salad as desired.
3. Enjoy!

Dessert—Blueberry Muffins (12 servings)

Ingredients:

• ½ teaspoons of kosher salt
• 2 teaspoons of baking powder
• 2 tablespoons of turbinado sugar (optional)
• ½ cup of milk
• ½ cup of unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• ¾ cup of granulated sugar
• 1 ½ cups of blueberries
• 2 cups of all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
• 2 large eggs

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375° F.
2. Line 12 muffins cups with paper liners (or coat the cups with nonstick cooking spray).
3. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
4. In a medium bowl, mix granulated sugar, butter, milk, and eggs. Then add the mixture of flour, baking powder, and salt into the second bowl. Carefully, fold in the blueberries.
5. Divide the batter among the 12 muffin cups as evenly as possible. Then sprinkle the turbinado sugar on top of the batter.
6. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes (or until a toothpick comes out of the center of the muffin clean).
7. Let it cool in the pan for 5 minutes, and then serve.

Be sure to comment below to  share your blueberry recipes or to let us know how you liked our suggestions!

Nadya