Rainbow Salad with Grilled Chicken and Raspberry Walnut Dressing #30MinuteMondays

All the colors of the rainbow are represented in this quick paleo salad with a creamy, dairy-free raspberry walnut dressing.

I've been wanting to make a rainbow salad for a while now, but this seemed like an especially opportune moment. Summer produce is everywhere in all its resplendent hues, and more Americans are able to get married than ever before. Let's celebrate with this salad!

This healthy salad has pretty much all the colors of the rainbow (if you kind of merge indigo and violet together) plus pink. Pink is my favorite color and it's not really fair that it's not a part of the official rainbow, so I made sure it was included by making a nice pink dressing. Despite how creamy it looks, the dressing is dairy-free--the creaminess comes from the walnuts and shallots, and the color is thanks to the raspberries. It's inspired by the creamy shallot dressing from my pan-seared chicken, orange, and walnut salad, but this one's even better because it's pink.

Blueberry Buttermilk Ice Cream

The past couple of weeks have been a whirlwind. Last weekend I went to an amazing food photography and styling workshop in Plymouth, MA (more on that here), yesterday I took the comprehensive exams for my master's program, and somewhere in there I turned 30.

I actually love birthdays (especially mine), and so far I am feeling good about being 30. Ben's birthday is just a week and a half before mine, so we celebrated with a joint make-your-own ice cream sandwich party. It's hard to imagine anything more fun than smooshing ice cream between cookies with your closest friends!

This ice cream was not present at the party because it hadn't occurred to me yet--I was actually inspired to make this because of all the leftover buttermilk I had after making Ben's birthday cake. (He always wants a gluten cake for his big day, and who am I to deny a birthday boy? It's the only glutinous baking I do all year. I made him this chocolate cake and it was fabulous. The only change I made was using avocado oil instead of canola. The avocado oil is tasteless and worked great in the cake!)

For the party I made a classic vanilla ice cream in my ice cream maker and Nigella Lawson's no-churn coffee ice cream. If you don't have an ice cream maker (or even if you do!) you HAVE to try this no-churn business. I was blown away by the awesome, creamy texture and how easy it was to make. (It is, however, less healthy than what I normally make due to copious amounts of sweetened condensed milk. Worth it for a special occasion, though!)

Blueberry Frangipane Pie Bars

On the way to work the other day, I heard the Cheers theme song on the radio ("sometimes you want to go where everybooody knows your naaaaame...") and was overcome by nostalgia. I didn't watch Cheers as a kid, but I watched the show that was on right before it (Seinfeld, I think), and always left the TV on so I could hear the theme song. Even as a kid, it made me feel nostalgic.

I guess the idea with the Cheers song is that after a tough day, you can go to a bar where everyone knows you. But for me, it always felt like the song was really about going home, or going back to a simpler time. Because, as the song says, "making your way in the world today takes everything you've got".

If the modern world has you feeling a bit beaten down, I have a solution for you. Click the link in the first paragraph and listen to the Cheers song over and over while you make yourself a batch of pie bars. They are just the thing if "your third fiancé didn't show", "your shrink ran off to Europe and didn't even write", or if, like me, you've just had kind of a long week.

Banana Blueberry Muffins

I have been on a quest to make delicious paleo & gluten-free muffins, because I can't have eggs for breakfast every single day.  This is the third time I've tried, and I finally have what I want: a moist, sweet muffin with a beautiful domed top that is bursting with blueberries in every bite.  Best of all, these muffins taste like the real thing, not a gluten-free imitation.

Blueberry Pancakes with a Secret Ingredient

Okay, I know I've been posting a lot of pancake recipes recently.  But, I had to make these because I went berry picking yesterday, and all those adorable, sweet blueberries were begging to be made into pancakes.  And, I had to share this recipe with you because I snuck in one of my favorite secret ingredients.

It's green.  It's delicious.  Can you guess what it is?

Almond Blueberry Pie Bars (Paleo, Gluten-free)

One of my favorite recipes I've blogged about is almond blueberry pie bars.  They are amazing: a rich, buttery crust, a smooth, custardy filling studded with juicy berries, and a crumbly topping with crisp sliced almonds.  When my mom and I were trying to decide what to make to bring to our cousin's wedding, these bars came to mind.  I wondered if we could make a decent paleo version.

Luckily, the answer is yes!  These bars are just as delicious as the original.  They're not exactly the same--this version has a soft buttery crust, whereas the others had a crunchier crust--but you won't find me complaining.  We brought a huge platter of these to the wedding, and they disappeared fast, devoured by gluten free eaters and non-restricted eaters alike.  They are even more amazing with a scoop of vanilla ice cream--I recommend Blue Bell if you can get it.

It was a bit of an adventure baking these bars at my aunt's apartment, because she does not have a real oven!  I was nervous about using her combination (microwave and convection) oven, so I found the manual online and read the instructions carefully.  I found that the bars browned VERY quickly, but were still not done in the center, so I covered them with foil for the rest of the baking time.  You may or may not have that problem in a regular oven.

This was my first time using coconut flour and maple sugar, and I think they both worked very well in these bars.  The coconut flour is very fine and created a nice smooth crust in combination with the almond flour.  The maple sugar is granulated, so I didn't have to worry about adjusting the proportions of ingredients in order to use a liquid sweetener.  You won't taste any more than a very faint tinge of maple flavor, and that's really only if you're looking for it.  Enjoy!

Ingredients (adapted from Annie's Eats; makes 36 small but thick bars):

For the crust and topping:

1 and 1/2 cups coconut flour
1 and 3/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons almond flour
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons maple sugar (granulated)
1/4 teaspoon salt
Zest of one lemon
18 tablespoons grass-fed cold butter
1 cup sliced almonds, lightly crushed

For the filling:

4 eggs
1 cup grass-fed milk or coconut milk
1 and 3/4 cup maple sugar
1/2 cup coconut flour
Juice of one lemon
1 and 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
3 and 1/2 cups fresh blueberries

Preheat the oven to 350.  Line a 9x13 pan with tinfoil and grease it lightly.  To make the crust, combine the flours, sugar, salt, and lemon zest in a food processor (or by hand in a large bowl).  Cut the butter into cubes and pulse until the mixture is uniform.  If you're not using the food processor, it's easiest to mix the dough with your hands.  Reserve about 3/4 cup of the mixture to serve as the topping.  Press the rest of it into an even layer in the bottom of the pan.  Bake for about 12 minutes, until golden brown.

To make the topping, add the crushed sliced almonds to the reserved dough and mix until combined.

To make the filling, whisk together all ingredients except the blueberries until smooth.  Gently stir in the blueberries.

When the crust is baked, let it cool for 10-15 minutes, leaving the oven on.  Then, pour the filling over, sprinkle the topping evenly over the filling, and bake for about 45 minutes, until the top is golden brown and the middle is just set.  Cool completely before cutting--it helps to put them in the refrigerator to firm up.  Slice into squares or rectangles and enjoy!

You might also like:

Salted Maple Caramel Peach Bars (Gluten free, paleo)

Fruit & Frangipane Galettes

Banana Blueberry Muffins (Gluten free, paleo)

Almond Pancakes with Blueberry Compote (Paleo, Gluten-free)

Pancakes!  The perfect breakfast food.  When I spotted a recipe for almond flour pancakes in one of the paleo cookbooks I picked up, I was eager to try it.  Surprisingly, these pancakes are a lot like regular pancakes.  Since the batter is made in the food processor, it's nice and smooth without any noticeable chunks of almond.  These pancakes also make a hearty and high-protein breakfast since the recipe calls for four eggs.  With the blueberry compote and a few sliced almonds on top, you will be in your pancake happy place.  I'm starting to think regular flour is totally superfluous!

Ingredients (makes 6 large pancakes; serves 2):

For the blueberry compote:

1 and 1/2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries (I used frozen)
2 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon honey, or to taste
Pinch of salt
1/4 teaspoon vanilla

For the almond pancakes (adapted from Easy Paleo Diet Recipes):

1 and 1/2 cups almond flour
1/4 cup coconut milk
1/4 cup coconut oil
1 tablespoon honey
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Pinch of salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
4 eggs

Butter or coconut oil for cooking
Sliced almonds, for serving

To make the blueberry compote, place all ingredients in a saucepan.  Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until some of the blueberries have collapsed and the liquid is syrupy, 10-15 minutes.  Set aside to cool.

To make the pancakes, process all ingredients in a food processor until smooth.  Heat the butter or coconut oil in a skillet over medium heat, and add about 1/4 cup of batter.  Cook the pancake until the top is covered with bubbles.  Flip and cook until golden on the other side.  Add a little more butter or oil before cooking the next pancake.

Serve hot with blueberry compote and sliced almonds.

You might also like:

Blueberry Avocado Breakfast Cake

Dutch Baby

Blueberry Lemon Muffins with Almond Streusel

Triple Berry Almond Clafoutis

Berries and almonds go together well (see evidence here, here, and here).  So when I saw a clafoutis recipe that called for almond extract, I figured it would be even better with actual almonds, too.  And while I haven't tried this recipe without almonds, I'm pretty sure I'm right.

Wait!  Did I forget to tell you what a clafoutis is?  When Ben woke up this morning and I told him what I was making, he made some really good joke about doing Krav Maga in footie pajamas.  I think he thought I said krav footie?  Anyway, a clafoutis is a French cake that's basically pancake batter poured over fruit (traditionally cherries) and baked.  I guess it's a dessert, but I made it for breakfast.  With lots of eggs and fruit and just a little flour, sugar, and butter, I think it's totally healthy enough to be the first thing you eat in the morning.

Oh, and it's delicious!  It's almost like a custard, bursting with berries, and with a sweet almond crunch on top.  Bonus--it's really easy to make.  Without much trouble at all you can impress all your friends with your sweet culinary skills and knowledge of obscure dessert vocabulary in French.  Win-win-win (there was a third winning point in there somewhere, right?).

Ingredients (makes 8 servings; adapted from Bon Appetit and King Arthur):

3 cups mixed berries (I used frozen blueberries and fresh raspberries & blackberries)
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1/2 cup plus 2 teaspoons sugar, divided
1/2 vanilla bean
4 large eggs
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
3/4 cup milk (I used 2%)
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup sliced almonds
Powdered sugar and whipped cream*, for serving

Preheat the oven to 350.  Lightly butter a 9 inch round cake pan and put the berries in it.  If your cake pan is 2 inches deep, that's perfect.  If it's 1 1/2 inches deep like mine, put it on a baking sheet just in case.  I didn't have any overflow but it was close!  This thing puffs up a lot.

Melt the butter and set aside to cool.  Place the 1/2 cup of sugar in a medium bowl, and scrape in the vanilla bean seeds.  Use your fingers to rub them together to evenly distribute the vanilla--this will make sure you don't end up with a few huge chunks of vanilla bean seeds.  Add the eggs, salt, almond extract, milk, and butter and whisk to combine.  Add the flour gradually, whisking until most of the lumps are gone.  Pour the batter over the fruit.  Top with the sliced almonds and then the two teaspoons of sugar.

Bake for 50 minutes to an hour, until the custard is set and the top is golden brown.  Let cool in the pan for a few minutes, then run a sharp knife around the edge to loosen the clafoutis.  Cut into wedges and serve warm or at room temperature, with powdered sugar and whipped cream if desired.

Refrigerate any leftovers you don't plan to eat within a few hours.  While clafoutis will keep in the fridge for two or three days, it's best on the day it's made.

*My new favorite way to whip cream is in a mason jar!  Put about 2/3 cup of heavy cream, a tablespoon of powdered sugar, and 1/4 teaspoon of vanilla in a jar.  Screw the lid on tightly and shake til it's ready (3-5 minutes).

Fruit & Frangipane Galettes with Raspberry Swirl Ice Cream

Happy Fourth!  I'm sitting on my couch, listening to all the illegal fireworks popping down on my street, feeling full and happy.  

My mom and my good friend Annetta came over today.  Ben grilled hamburgers, Annetta brought pasta salad, my mom brought brie, and I made red, white, and bleu macaroni and cheese.  The best part was that Annetta came early and helped me make these galettes.  We had so much fun!  Galettes are like pies but easier since you don't have to fit the dough into a pan or trim it or anything.  I actually think they're prettier, too!  These galettes have a layer of delicious frangipane inside, and you can make them with pretty much any kind of fruit.

I made the galette dough and the frangipane last night, so it was easy to roll out the dough and assemble the galettes this afternoon.  It's great to be able to prep the components in advance and then throw it all together right before dinner.

Galettes need ice cream on top, at least in the summer.  I was going to just make vanilla bean ice cream, but then I saw the extra raspberry coulis that I made to go with my panna cotta sitting in the fridge.  That stuff was begging to be swirled into the ice cream!  In the end, I think it was the best ice cream I've ever made.  You have to try it!  There wasn't even quite enough raspberry coulis left for my tastes--next time I'm going to put in more.

The galette recipe is adapted from Alexandra Cooks and the ice cream is adapted from David Lebovitz's The Perfect Scoop via Annie's Eats.

Ingredients for the galettes (serves about 8):

Dough (recipe below)
Frangipane (recipe below)
4 small or 2 large stone fruits or 2 cups of berries, or a combination
2 tablespoons melted butter
4 teaspoons sugar

For the galette dough (makes two 9-inch galettes):

2 1/2 cups flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 sticks (16 tablespoons) butter, cold
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons ice water, plus extra if necessary

To make the dough, pulse the flour, sugar, and salt in a food processor until well mixed.  Cut the butter into chunks and add them to the bowl of the food processor.  Process using short pulses until the butter is the size of peas.  Add the ice water and stir with a fork until the dough comes together into a mass, adding more ice water a little at a time if necessary.  Divide the dough into two even balls, flatten slightly, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate until ready to use (dough can be made up to a week ahead).

For the frangipane (makes about a cup; you'll have extra):

1 cup ground almonds (almond flour) and/or pecans (I used a mix of almond flour and pecans I ground in the food processor)
1/4 cup sugar
Pinch of salt
4 tablespoons butter, softened
1 egg
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon rum, brandy, or bourbon (optional)

Pulse all ingredients in the food processor (bonus: you don't have to wash it out if you just made the dough in it) until smooth.  Store in the refrigerator for up to one week until ready to use.

To assemble the galettes, preheat the oven to 400.   Roll out one piece of dough on a lightly floured surface until it forms an 11-inch circle, adding flour as needed so it doesn't stick.  Transfer the dough to a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper, and refrigerate while you roll out the other piece in the same way.

Switch the cookie sheets so you're working with the chilled circle of dough and the one you just rolled out is in the fridge.  Spread about 1/4 cup of frangipane on the dough, leaving a two inch border around the edge.  If using stone fruits, pit them and slice them 1/2 inch thick.  Layer the fruit on top of the frangipane.  We used 2 plums for one galette and a heaping cup of blueberries for the other.  Moving around the edge of the dough, fold in overlapping segments of dough to encase the filling (it's easy to do because these galettes are supposed to look rustic!).  Refrigerate that galette while you prep the other.

Brush the dough of both galettes with melted butter, and sprinkle about two teaspoons of sugar over the fruit and dough of each galette.  Bake for about 20-30 minutes, until the crust is golden brown on top but not burned on the bottom.  Cool on the cookie sheets for a few minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.  Cut into wedges and serve with ice cream on top.

Ingredients for the ice cream (serves 6):

2 cups heavy cream, divided
2/3 cup sugar
Pinch of salt
1 vanilla bean
1 cup milk (I use 2%)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup raspberry coulis

In a medium saucepan, stir together half the cream with the sugar and salt.  Cut the vanilla bean in half lengthwise, scrape the seeds into the mix, and throw the pod in, too.  Heat over medium heat, stirring often, until the sugar is all dissolved.

Stir in the rest of the cream, the milk, and the vanilla.  Refrigerate the mixture until it's totally chilled (I'm impatient, so I usually stick mine in the freezer for about an hour).  Remove the vanilla bean and freeze in your ice cream maker.

In the bottom of an airtight container (freezing this container beforehand is a nice touch on a hot day), spoon a layer of raspberry coulis.  Top with a layer of ice cream, and continue to layer the coulis and ice cream until they're all packed up.  This will create beautiful raspberry swirls when you scoop your ice cream.  Freeze for at least two hours before serving.

Patriotic Panna Cotta with Raspberry Coulis and Blueberries

Have you ever had panna cotta?  It's a really simple Italian dessert and its name means "cooked cream".  It comes out kind of like a cross between a flan and a vanilla pudding (read: delicious).

The first panna cottas I made were delicious, but a total fail aesthetically--there wasn't enough gelatin to unmold them in a shapely manner, and the fruit curds I layered in weren't helping at all.  But, this version is just as delicious and much nicer to look at.

Here I've paired panna cotta with a delicious raspberry coulis and some fresh blueberries for a special Fourth of July treat.  Panna cotta is also delicious on its own, or with chocolate sauce.  There are lots of other flavors of panna cotta that I'm dying to make (well, mainly mocha!) but that's all for another day.

For now, impress your friends with this elegant and easy Independence Day dessert!

Ingredients for the panna cotta (makes 4-6 servings; adapted from David Lebovitz):

1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1/2 cup 2 % milk (or use all cream)
1/4 cup (4 tablespoons) sugar
1/2 vanilla bean
3 tablespoons cold water
1 packet plain gelatin
Butter for greasing ramekins

Ingredients for the raspberry coulis (makes about 1 cup):

1 1/2 cups fresh raspberries
1/3 cup sugar
Pinch of salt
1/4 cup water
1 teaspoon kirsch or framboise liqueur
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon cornstarch (optional)
1 tablespoon cold water (optional)

For serving:

2 cups fresh blueberries

Place the cream, milk, and sugar in a medium saucepan.  Scrape in the seeds from the vanilla bean, and drop the pod in, too.  Cook over medium heat, stirring often, until the sugar is melted and the mixture is hot but not boiling.  Turn off the heat, cover the pot, and let the mixture infuse for half an hour.

Lightly grease individual ramekins with a little butter if you're planning to unmold your panna cotta to serve (this is not necessary if you plan to serve it still in the cups).  If your molds hold half a cup, you will need four of them.  If they're smaller, you might be able to fill 5 or 6.

In a medium bowl, sprinkle the gelatin over the cold water.  Let it sit for about five minutes.

Meanwhile, remove the vanilla pod and heat the cream back up until hot.  Pour the mixture (through a sieve if desired) into the bowl with the gelatin and stir until the gelatin is completely dissolved.  Divide the mixture among your molds and refrigerate, covered, for at least two hours before serving.  Panna cotta will keep in the fridge for up to a week.

To unmold, dip the bottom of each ramekin in hot water for ten seconds, run a thin knife around the edge, then invert onto a plate.

To make the raspberry coulis, place the raspberries, sugar, salt, and water in a saucepan over medium heat and cook until the sugar is dissolved. Strain the mixture, discarding the solids, and stir in the liqueur and vanilla.  If you would like a thicker coulis, mix together 1 tablespoon cornstarch with 1 tablespoon cold water until smooth.  Return the raspberry mixture to the saucepan, add the cornstarch paste, and bring to a boil while stirring constantly.  Cook and stir for one more minute, then remove from the heat.  Cool to room temperature before serving with panna cotta.  Store coulis in the refrigerator for up to one week or until ready to use.

To serve, invert the panna cotta onto a plate, surround with coulis, and sprinkle with fresh blueberries.

Blueberry Avocado Breakfast Cake

Cake for breakfast!  That's what it's all about.  Did you read Maurice Sendak's In the Night Kitchen when you were a kid?  Mickey has to fly all over the city looking for "milk for the morning cake".  I think morning cake is totally legit, and something we should all have more of.



My mom got me a bunch of organic blueberries when they were on crazy sale at Whole Foods.  I came across a recipe for buttermilk blueberry breakfast cake on Alexandra's Kitchen, and really wanted to try it.  Then I remembered (sigh) that the blog and I are supposed to be eating healthy.



So, I decided to try an experiment.  In Gaby Dalkin's book Absolutely Avocados, she has several dessert recipes (brownies, cookies, pound cake) where she substitutes avocado for half the butter.  I wanted to see how that would go in this morning cake.  I also reduced the sugar a bit and added some cinnamon.



The results were wonderful!  I would recommend this to anyone who wants to have their cake (for breakfast) and their avocado, too.

Ingredients (serves 6-8; adapted from this recipe on Alexandra's Kitchen):

1 avocado, peeled and seeded
1/4 cup butter (4 tablespoons), at room temperature
Zest of one lime or lemon
2/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar, divided
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups flour, divided
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
2 cups fresh blueberries
1/2 cup buttermilk*

Preheat the oven to 350.  Grease an 8 x 8 baking pan.

In a large bowl, combine the avocado, butter, lime or lemon zest, and 2/3 cup of sugar.  Cream with a fork or mixer until well-blended.  Add the egg and vanilla and beat until smooth.

Toss 1/4 cup of flour with the blueberries.  In a medium bowl, whisk to combine the remaining flour with the baking powder, salt, and cinnamon.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in three parts, alternating with the buttermilk and mixing by hand just until combined.  Fold in the blueberries.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan, and sprinkle the remaining tablespoon of sugar on top.

Bake for 40-50 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.  Let cool for 15 minutes, then cut into squares and serve warm or at room temperature.

* Make your own buttermilk!  Place 1 tablespoon vinegar or fresh-squeezed lemon juice in a liquid measuring cup.  Add milk (I used 2%) until it reaches the 1 cup line.  Let sit for five minutes.  Use half your homemade buttermilk in this recipe and save the rest for something else!

Blueberry Lemon Muffins with Almond Streusel

So, I mentioned that I'm really into Stevia, right?  The kind I've been using in my coffee is much sweeter than sugar, so you just need to add a little bit.  I hadn't tried baking with Stevia, but then my boyfriend brought home a big thing of Stevia that's designed for baking and measures cup for cup like sugar.  I decided to experiment by putting the stuff into some blueberry muffins.

The other healthy thing about these muffins is that they are made with whole grain pastry flour.  But, that part is pretty much an accident...I was totally tricked by deceptive labeling.  I was at Whole Foods looking for cake flour, and couldn't find any.  All I could find was pastry flour, and the only indication that it was whole grain was a tiny, vertical label on the left-hand side.  When I got home and saw this, I was not happy.  But since these muffins are an experiment anyway, I decided to throw that in.  I have to use it up somehow! (Note: I actually used this flour for half of the flour in these cupcakes since I ran out of all-purpose flour, and did not notice any difference.  Who knows what 100% would be like in cupcakes, though?)

Turns out these muffins were a successful experiment!  To me, the Stevia did not cause any noticeable difference.  The whole wheat flour did change things a bit, but I still wanted to (and did) gobble up several muffins.  If you are not completely ready to jump on the healthy muffin bandwagon, I understand.  You should try this with half Stevia and half sugar, and half whole wheat and half white flour.  They are not noticeably "healthy-tasting" at all when made like that.

I am a big fan of almonds, and of blueberries and almonds together.  If nuts are not your thing, these would be delicious without, too.  This recipe makes 12 muffins.

Muffin Ingredients (highly adapted from A Bitchin' Kitchen):

2 1/4 cups whole grain pastry flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 rounded tablespoon baking powder
1 egg
3/4 cup Stevia (use the kind designed for baking)
4 tablespoons butter
1 1/4 cups buttermilk
Zest of one lemon
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon pure almond extract
2 cups frozen blueberries (or use fresh)

Streusel Topping Ingredients (adapted from Annie's Eats):

1/4 cup brown sugar
2 rounded tablespoons flour
2 tablespoons cold butter
1/2 cup raw sliced almonds

To make the muffins, melt the butter and set aside to cool.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line a muffin pan with paper liners (or if you don't want to use paper liners, just butter the muffin cups).

Sift together the flour, salt, and baking powder.  In another bowl, beat the egg.  Add the sugar and beat again.  Add the cooled butter a bit at a time while whisking constantly.  Add the buttermilk the same way, then stir in the lemon zest, lemon juice, and almond extract.

Add the blueberries to the dry ingredients and toss to coat (this helps keep them all from sinking to the bottom of the muffin cups while baking).  Fold in the wet ingredients just until combined.

Spray some cooking spray on an ice cream scoop, and use it to fill your muffin cups.  It's okay if the batter comes all the way up to the top.

To make the streusel, cut the butter into small cubes.  Crush the almonds in your hand to break them up a bit.  Combine all the ingredients, and mix with your hands until the butter is incorporated and the mixture is crumbly.  Sprinkle evenly over the filled muffin cups.

Bake for 25-35 minutes, or until muffin tops are golden and a toothpick comes out clean.

Is your muffin buttered?  Would you like me to assign someone to butter your muffin?

P.S.  Tomorrow I am leaving for a week-long trip to Jamaica!  I had this big plan to save up posts to publish while away, but turns out I can't wait to publish a post once it's finished.  So I'm thinking maybe I can write up a post or two about the local foods I've tried, and post some pictures of that.  Is that something you'd like to see?  I'm thinking about tropical cocktails, lots of jerk chicken, and something involving conch.  When I get back, maybe I can try to learn to cook some Jamaican food!

Berry Coconut Smoothie

I like to start my day with a smoothie, since it’s easy to make and gives me lots of energy.  I’ve made a lot of smoothies in my day, but this is the best one!  It’s very creamy and the shredded coconut gives it great texture.  If you have some coconut milk left over from making chocolate mousse, this is the perfect way to use it up.  You can use whatever fruit you have on hand.  If you use fresh fruit, add a handful of ice cubes to your smoothie to get that frozen feel. This recipe makes one very generous serving—I usually drink a full glass at breakfast, then save the rest for an afternoon snack.  If you use soy protein instead of whey protein, this can be vegan.  Refrigerate leftovers, or freeze them and blend again before serving.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup coconut milk
1/2 cup cold water, plus more as needed
1 scoop vanilla protein powder (I use Jay Robb's Vanilla Whey Protein Powder, and one scoop has 20 grams of protein.  Use soy protein for a vegan smoothie.)
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
2 tablespoons unsweetened shredded coconut
3/4 cup frozen strawberries
1/2 cup frozen blueberries
Dash of nutmeg

Blend first four ingredients.  Add remaining ingredients and blend until smooth, adding more water if necessary.

Nutritional Information (I only share this for recipes where seeing the nutritional info won't discourage you from making it):

Calories-333
Fat-17 grams
Protein-18 grams
Carbohydrates-28 grams

I use sparkrecipes.com to calculate nutritional information, and can't guarantee that it's totally accurate.

I hope you enjoy this smoothie!  If you have your own go-to smoothie recipe, leave me a comment and let me know so I can try it.

Almond Blueberry Pie Bars

So, I picked up fresh blueberries at the store today, thinking I’d make the muffins I’ve been wanting.  But then, I saw this post with a recipe for Blackberry Pie Bars on Annie’s Eat’s, one of my favorite blogs.  (The recipe is originally from The Pastry Queen by Rebecca Rather).  I was inspired to try them with blueberries instead, and to give them a nutty twist by adding almonds to the streusel topping and a light almond flavor to the filling.  This makes about 16 small but thick square bars.  They are insanely delicious, and much easier than blueberry pie!  Plus, you don’t even need a fork to eat them.

Ingredients for the crust and topping:

1 1/2 cups flour

3/4 cup sugar

Zest of one lemon (about a teaspoon)

Pinch of salt

12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, cold

1/2 cup raw sliced almonds

Ingredients for the filling:

2 large eggs

1 cup sugar

scant 1/2 cup buttermilk 

8 tablespoons flour 

Juice of half a lemon

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

12 ounces (2 small containers) fresh blueberries, or a little more (if you want to use frozen, defrost and drain well)

Preheat the oven to 350.  Grease and flour an 8 x 8 or 9 x 9 baking pan.

To make the topping, process the flour, sugar, and lemon zest in a food processor.  Cut the butter into small cubes and add it gradually.  Once it’s crumbly and well-mixed, reserve 3/4 cup of the mixture for the topping.  Press the remainder of the mixture into the pan to form an even crust that covers the bottom of the dish.  Bake the crust for about 15 minutes, until light golden brown.  The crust will be very bubbly while it bakes—don’t worry!  Let cool for about 15 minutes before adding the filling.  

To make the topping, crush the sliced almonds in your hand, add them to the 3/4 cup of reserved mixture, and mix well.

To make the filling, whisk together the eggs, buttermilk, sugar, flour, and extracts until smooth.  Gently stir in the blueberries.

Once the crust has cooled somewhat, pour the filling on top.  Crumble the topping on top of that and bake for about 45 minutes, until the top is starting to brown and the mixture is just set.  Let cool completely on a wire rack, then chill to firm things up before cutting into squares.