Blueberry Ricotta Muffins Recipe

On cold, rainy Vancouver days like today, the long, hot sunny days of summer seem far way indeed. Thankfully, during the summer we froze at least 5 lbs of plump, succulent local blueberries! They are perfect in recipes like this one for blueberry ricotta muffins. Maybe summer isn't that far away afterall.

Ingredients 

2 c all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/3 c white sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cardamom (optional)
2 eggs, large
1/3 c honey
1/3 c milk
2 tsp vanilla
1/2 c ricotta
1 tbsp lemon or orange zest
1-1/2 c blueberries (fresh or frozen)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Spray or grease 12 muffin tins.
3. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, sugar, cinnamon, and cardamom.
4. In another large bowl, whisk together eggs, honey, milk, zest and vanilla.
5. Stir ricotta into the egg mixture.
6. Gently fold in the berries.
7. Add the flour mixture into the egg mixture.
8. Gently, combine until just mixed.
9. Divide equally among 12 muffin tins.
10. Bake for 20-22 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
11. Place on wire rack.Remove muffins after pan has cooled for 10 minutes.

Blueberry Mango Smoothie

Another  much anticipated  installment in our "Salute to Smoothies"! Today's smoothie is a blueberry-mango blend that will be a hit with kids and adults. I've added chia seeds for fibre and extra nutrients but if you don't have chia seeds you could use flax meal or even oats.

Ingredients

2/3 frozen blueberries
1/3 frozen mango
1 cup coconut water
1 tbsp ground chia
2 tbsp vanilla yogourt

Instructions

Blend until desired consistency is reached. Extra water can be added if too thick.

Blueberry Banana Tofu Smoothie

This is my 7 year old son's go to smoothie. Have you ever tried soft tofu? It's great in smoothies. You can use the plain variety of a flavoured dessert type such as our mango-peach variety. It's great if you can't handle dairy (though you'd also have to sub out the yogurt too) but want the creamy quality dairy brings to smoothies. It also adds a few grams of protein to your breakfast or snack. Enjoy!

Makes 1 large or two small smoothies.

Ingredients

150g or about 1/2c soft tofu or a flavored dessert tofu (we used mango peach dessert tofu from Sunrise Soya Foods)
1/4 frozen blueberries
1/2 c yogurt
1/2 banana
1 cup water, juice or coconut water

Instructions

Place everything in blender or Nutribullet. Blend  for 90 seconds.

Blueberry Coffee Cake

I have to be honest, I don’t like plain blueberries. Plain blueberries just don’t work for me. I don’t like the texture. But when blueberries are added to a pie, or a muffin, or a cake they turn into a delicious, mouth-watering treat!

This recipe is incredibly easy and mess free! Everything gets dumped into a big bowl and mixed up (a great recipe when kids want to play sous chef!). Sprinkle some blueberries, cinnamon and sugar on top and you get a delicious coffee cake that your friends, guests and family will love.


Adapted from : “Marie Nightingale’s Favourite Recipes”


Ingredients


Batter:
2 cups flour
1½  cups sugar
½ teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 eggs
2/3 cup butter, room temperature
1 cup milk


Topping:
1 cup blueberries (fresh or frozen)
¼ cup granulated sugar
1/3 teaspoon cinnamon


What to do:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In large bowl, mix 1st six ingredients. Blend them at a low speed until just moistened and then mix at medium speed for 3-4 minutes.
3. Pour mixture into a 9 x 13 greased pan.
4. Sprinkle blueberries on top.
5. Combine the sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle over berries.
6. Bake for 40 – 50 minutes.
7. Cool and enjoy!

Blueberry Apple peach Muffins

These delicious blueberry apple peach muffins were made with the same basic recipe as this recipe but I added a golden delicious apple and blueberries to go with the peaches. I also added 1/2 teaspoon of almond extract to go with the vanilla and took out the cinnamon. Finally, I didn't use the glaze. Instead I sprinkled some coarse sugar to the tops for a great crunch. Enjoy!