Blueberry recipes: From blueberry muffins to blueberry soup!

Winter Colors — Blueberry fields at Blinn Hill, between Pittston and Dresden, Maine. Oil painting is by Kevin Mizner.

You still have blueberries left and want to try a new recipe. You’re in luck because I found some to share — healthy and delicious!

Blueberry Lemon “Long Morning” Muffins

BLUEBERRY LEMON “LONG MORNING” MUFFINS

From Fia Fortune

1 cup oat bran
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 cup non-fat Greek yogurt
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest (or lemon extract)
2 tablespoons chia seeds
1 cup fresh blueberries

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Combine all ingredients — except blueberries — and mix well. Fold in blueberries and portion out into a lined muffin tin. Bake approximately 15 minutes or until cooked through and the tops begin to brown slightly. For an extra crunch, add a sprinkle of coarse sugar before baking.

Note from Fia: The oat bran and chia seeds help you stay satisfied longer on those days when breakfast and lunch seem impossibly far apart.

Illustration by Teresa Lagrange

BLUEBERRY SOUP

From the cookbook Always in Season written by Elise Richer and published by Islandport Press.

Serves 4 to 6

6 cups blueberries
3 Tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp lemon zest
1 stick cinnamon
3 Tbsp sugar or honey
1/4 tsp salt
1 to 2 Tbsp cornstarch mixed with 2 Tbsp water
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 cup plain Greek yogurt
Unsweetened heavy cream, whipped or not, or more yogurt for serving

Combine blueberries, lemon juice, lemon zest, cinnamon stick, sugar, salt, and 1 1/2 cups water in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, then reduce heat to low and simmer gently for about 5 minutes, stirring often, until berries are completely tender. Whisk in cornstarch mixture and continue heating a few more minutes, until soup thickens slightly.

(Note: The amount of cornstarch you use will determine the thickness. I like to use about 1 1/2 tablespoons, but some like their soup thinner. Keep in mind that the soup will set up more when chilled.)

Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Let soup cool for 15 minutes. Remove cinnamon stick.

If you choose, puree part or all of the soup to make it smooth (I don’t usually bother). Whisk in yogurt, and chill.

Serve soup topped with a splash of cream or a dollop of whipped cream (traditional) or more yogurt.

Image courtesy Sprouting Wholeness

BLUEBERRY KANTEN (VEGAN JELL-O)

From Lisa Silverman, who runs Five Seasons Cooking School in Portland, Maine, which focuses on macrobiotic and gourmet whole foods. Send Lisa an email if you’d like to know about upcoming events.

2 quarts organic apple juice or cider
2 pinches sea salt
1  1 ounce package agar flakes or kanten (seaweed from the health food store — basically 1 Tb per cup of liquid)
1 TB kuzu diluted in 1/4 cup cold water (can also use arrowroot)
2 TB rice or maple syrup (optional)
5 cups fresh wild Maine blueberries

Bring apple juice and salt to a boil. Stir in agar flakes and simmer without the lid for about 10 minutes. When the flakes have dissolved, add the rice or maple syrup and then the diluted kuzu and cook one minute. (You must dilute kuzu or arrowroot in cold liquid first before adding to hot pot otherwise it clumps.) Pour over fresh berries in a shallow glass cake pan. Cool to room temperature or let set in fridge about one hour. When serving, you can blend a small amount to serve as a cream on top. Garnish with fresh berries.

What is kanten? A natural alternative to animal-quality or chemically produced gelatin, these snow- and sun-dried kanten (agar agar) flakes are made from an odorless, flavorless sea vegetable. High in calcium and one of the lowest in sodium of all the sea vegetables, it is the best gelatin available for making fruit or rice syrup kantens (gelatins), vegetable aspics and pie fillings.

Blueberry Muffins

BLUEBERRY MUFFINS THAT EVEN SOMEONE WITH DIABETES CAN LOVE!

From Robin Follette, an outdoors and agriculture writer. 

1 cup coconut flour
1/2 cup coconut oil, melted
12 eggs (not a typo, use a dozen)
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup Agave or honey
1 tsp. cider vinegar
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup blueberries

Combine all dry ingredients. Combine all wet ingredients. Mix until the eggs are incorporated. I use a combination of duck and chicken eggs. Duck eggs are wonderful for baking. Add dry ingredients, except blueberries, to wet ingredients, stirring as you go. The mixture will look thin at first; don’t add more flour. It will thicken as the flour absorbs moisture. Fold in blueberries. Unlike when using white flour, the blueberries won’t sink to the bottom and do not need to be coated in flour to keep them throughout the muffins. Lightly spray the muffin tins with Pam or olive oil.

Hint: This recipe makes 14 muffins if you fill the cups to level with the tin. Leave one cup empty to make removing the tins from the oven without touching a muffin easier. Bake at 400*F for 15 minutes. Let the muffins sit for 5-7 minutes after removing them from the oven. They’ll come out easily.