The little blueberries, often referred to as a superfood, are becoming increasingly popular and there’s no surprise why! With a deliciously sweet flavour, they are the perfect accomplishment to your morning porridge, pancakes and even smoothies. With blueberry day falling on Saturday the 13th of August BerryWorld explain the reasons why we should celebrate the little fruit that is bursting with fibre, anti-oxidants, potassium and vitamin C.
Blueberry benefits
- Blueberries are naturally low in calories, fat, saturates and salt.
- An 80g serving counts as one of your five a day.
- The same size serving contains just 46 calories.
- Snacking on blueberries is one of the easiest ways to add nutrients to your diet, with the list including zinc, sodium, potassium, copper, magnesium, phosphorus, and manganese.
- They are also a good source of vitamin C, which is essential for healthy skin as it helps us absorb iron and heal wounds.
- They’ve got the highest antioxidant capacity of any fresh fruit – 40 blueberries (80g) contain 7.5 times more antioxidants than a small banana.
- They’re a good source of fibre, which we all need to eat more of to help keep us regular.
Try these delicious recipes for an alternative way of incorporating blueberries into your diet.
Almond and blueberry cakes
Serves: 12
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 25 minutes
Ingredients:
o 140g unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing
o 35g plain flour
o 100g ground almonds
o 125g icing sugar
o 4 large egg whites
o ½ tsp almond extract
o 36 blueberries
o 6 tbsp of flaked almonds
Method:
Lightly grease a 12-hole non-stick muffin pan and set aside. Preheat the oven to 180C (160C fan).
Heat the butter in a small pan on a medium/high heat until the butter foams and the milk solids turn a golden brown, then immediately remove from the heat and pour into a small bowl.
In a large bowl mix together the flour, ground almonds and sugar. Add the egg whites and almond extract and mix together until smooth then pour in the butter and mix together until smooth and fully combined. Cover the mixture and refrigerate for an hour before baking.
Divide the batter evenly between the prepared muffin pan and top with three blueberries per cake and scatter the flaked almonds around the edges. Bake in the preheated oven for about 25 minutes or until golden brown around the edges and a little paler in the middle.
Allow to cool for a few minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Kept in a sealed container these little cakes will keep for up to three days.
Blueberry smoothie
These colourful fruit drinks are quick, healthy and delicious and make the perfect breakfast or pick-me-up at any time of the day.
Serves: 1
Prep time: 5 mins
Ingredients:
o 125g blueberries
o Juice of 1 orange and 1 lime
o Sugar to taste
o 6 tbsp natural yoghurt
Method:
Blend all the ingredients together in a blender or food processor until smooth, adding more sugar or honey to taste
Serve with ice, drink immediately.
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