Food

Blueberries add an unexpected jolt of fresh berry flavour to cornbread, making each bite that much more satisfying. By breaking out the muffin pan, you’ve got a bounty of preportioned cornbreads to make mealtime that much more of a breeze. Don’t forget to keep the soft butter handy. The cornbreads are best served warm—reheat them in the oven or microwave. If following a gluten-free diet, you can replace the whole wheat flour with an all-purpose gluten-free flour blend.

Nutrition boost

The Sicilian icy delight known as granita is the ultimate summer refresher. This one uses sun-kissed blueberries that are now at their flavour peak and trendy kombucha for a little fizzy tang. If using a flavoured kombucha, choose one that will complement the berry mint flavour, so maybe not turmeric. It’s important not to skip stirring the granita every hour or so while it’s freezing or you’ll end up with a huge blueberry popsicle.

It might be blue, but there is definitely nothing sad about this smoothie. Tasters will be none the wiser that it includes the most unlikely of ingredients: cabbage. Compare brands of cottage cheese to spot the ones with the least amount of sodium. Greek yogurt can serve as a protein-rich stand-in for cottage cheese if desired.

Blueberry season is the perfect time to use your juicer to upgrade one of summer’s most iconic treats: the root beer float. Consider sprinkling with a whisper of grated nutmeg. Source some quality coconut or regular ice cream if you don’t have an ice cream maker to make your own.

This is a fun way to add some colour and sneak a few veggies into a brunch favourite. It’s great with roasted, steamed, or even pickled beets. Feel free to serve these waffles with yogurt and honey instead of the usual maple syrup. Make waffles ahead and freeze until ready to use. You can pop them in the toaster or reheat under the broiler.

A sweet sauce with punchy balsamic vinegar. Perfect over ice cream, yogurt, or cakes, it’s also magnificent drizzled over meats such as duck or pork, or as a condiment for cheese. Convert it to a dressing with a few tablespoons of olive oil and pair it with peppery arugula.

Most overnight oat recipes use rolled oats, but the same time-saving method can also be used with the heartier steel-cut variety. The ricotta berry topping will make each spoonful seem oh-so indulgent. This recipe can easily be scaled up to give you several mornings’ worth of easy-breezy meals.

Hidden hacks

Fresh basil lends its distinctive bold flavour to this refreshing beverage. Basil is a warm-weather herb that can quickly turn black when exposed to the cold air in your refrigerator. Protect basil from spoilage by loosely wrapping it in a dishcloth and storing it in your crisper.

Purple-stained and pillowy soft, these ricotta balls are delicate and delicious with a hint of blueberry. Once assembled, they cook quickly, so prep gnudi ahead of time for a quick and satisfying meal! Instead of olive oil, finish this dish off with a drizzle of honey and transform this dish from savoury to sweet! Gnudi are best enjoyed the day they’re made.

These stuffed bite-sized pancakes will have the little ones jumping for joy and adults feeling like a kid again. The mini pancakes can be made up to three days in advance, allowing for quick assembly when hunger calls. 

This is a spin off the classic, without the Grand Marnier. The depth of orange is derived from a generous piece of orange peel simmered in the tea.

If your mornings are harried, this make-ahead berry good pudding is your ticket to enjoying a lightning-fast meal without sacrificing sound nutrition. When soaked in liquid, the chia forms a gel and provides a pudding-like texture.

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Forget flipping individual flapjacks; this pancake-banana bread hybrid lets you get everything on the table at once. Perfect for languid weekends, both wedges of the pie and the blueberry sauce reheat well for busy weekday breakfasts. For the most banana flavour, you’ll want to use fruit with plenty of brown spots on the skin. Almond flour infuses the pancake pie with a nutty taste, but if it’s not available you can replace it with more oat flour. 

With antioxidant-rich blueberries and fibre-filled quinoa flakes, these bites stand up to the traditional sugar-heavy fruit cream variation. Try strawberries or raspberries in place of blueberries—it’s hard to go wrong with berries and cream!    

Eating a rainbow of colourful foods, including dark blue and purple, is essential to good health. Considered the king of antioxidant-rich foods, the rich blueberries in this delectable tart are especially amazing health givers.

There’s a lot of umami going on in this salad. From the fresh taste of blueberries coupled with nutrient-rich greens to crispy toasted nuts paired with creamy tahini dressing—it’s flavourful and fresh. Plus the added pungency of crumbled blue cheese on top gives it that extra wow. Give your health an antioxidant blue boost this season.

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Raw broccoli and cauliflower are detox superstars, containing nutrients that cleanse, restore, and nourish the body—skin included. Blueberries are known for their antiaging nutrient density and offer natural sweetness to cut the broccoli’s pungency. You can snack to your skin’s content or add this “caviar” to a larger meal!

There’s a lot of umami going on in this salad. From the fresh taste of blueberries coupled with nutrient-rich greens to crispy toasted nuts paired with creamy tahini dressing, it’s flavorful and fresh. The added pungency of crumbled vegan blue cheese on top gives it that extra wow. Give your health an antioxidant blue boost this year.

Samey-samey

Lime, vanilla, and soothing honey turn Greek yogurt into a special occasion-worthy dessert. This treat is akin to a fruit-topped no-bake cheesecake, but comes together so much faster.

Raw broccoli and cauliflower are detox superstars, containing nutrients that cleanse, restore, and nourish the body—skin included. Blueberries are known for their antiaging nutrient density and offer natural sweetness to cut the broccoli’s pungency. This “caviar” can be left to marinate for up to two days, so you can snack to your skin’s content or add it to a larger meal.

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Sun-kissed blueberries, silky tofu, and fragrant edible lavender team up to make a bowl of flavourful nutrition to breathe new life into your breakfast routine. You can even add a few spoonfuls of muesli to the topping for a more substantial meal. The pudding also works as a healthy dessert or even a post-workout recovery snack. Culinary lavender is typically cultivated from Lavandula angustifolia plants and has a lot less oil than the aromatic lavender used in perfumes or soaps, which you should not use in recipes.

The best thing about scooping your pancake batter into a muffin tin instead of a skillet is that these little gems will be ready to go for harried mornings—and you don’t have to man the stove to flip your flapjacks. Plus, they’re completely portable. The duo of sweet potato and blueberries provides plenty of natural sweetness. Eat them on the go or reheat and serve topped with a drizzle of maple syrup or a dollop of Greek yogurt.

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