Blueberries!

I went blueberry picking FOUR times this season. I just can't get enough of these things. I recently read an article in the Parade Magazine about "foods that make kids smart" (click on link to read) and it went on and on about blueberries! I had to go blueberry picking again the very next day after reading the article. I forced/bribed my kids into coming with me to help me pick the brain power and memory enhancing, antioxidant rich, great tasting, little blue balls! After all, it is for their brain power benefit! I think my kids are probably so happy to be back at school--but I am missing my little helpers!
After eating so many blueberries I was about ready to pop I started mixing them in my smoothies, pancakes, muffins, yogurt etc. I still had a lot of blueberries, so I tried out some new recipes. I made, pie, tart, cobbler, salad dressing and salad. My favorite was the blueberry salad dressing with blueberry Cobb salad. With my history of taking pictures of my food I, of course, have some pictures of some of these things!

Salad:
4 cups spinach or mixed greens.
1 large fresh tomato, diced
1-2 ripe avocado, diced
1/2 cup fresh blueberries
1/3 cup crumbled blue cheese
1/2 cashews or other nut of your choice
1/3 cup shredded Swiss cheese
1/4-1/2 red onion, diced
can also add or replace other ingredients with boiled and diced eggs, sunflower seeds, grilled chicken, diced, grilled shrimp or whatever else you like on Cobb salad and what you have available.

Dressing:
1/2 cup fresh lime or lemon juice

1/3 cup splenda or sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup fresh blueberries

1 tablespoon olive oil

a few grinds of pepper
Mash up blueberries with a fork or in a blender if you want it finer. Add all the other ingredients, mix and enjoy!

Blueberry cobbler

with ice cream--yum!

Blueberry Tart was a yummy creation of cooked and fresh blueberries.

Fresh Blueberry Tart

Crust:

1 cube butter, softened

1/2 cup sugar

1 cup flour

(you can add some chopped nuts or oatmeal)

press into a tart pan and bake at 350 for about 10-15 minutes or until very lightly browned.

cool completely

melt 1/2 cup of white chocolate chips and spread evenly over crust (this prevents filling from making crust soggy)

Chill until ready to use

Filling:

3 1/2 cups fresh blueberries, divided

3/4 cup sugar

4 tbsp cornstarch

2 1/2 tbsp water

Combine 1 1/2 cups of the fresh blueberries with 3/4 cup sugar in a medium sauce pan. Whisk together water and cornstarch in a small bowl and stir into blueberry mixture. Cook, over medium-high heat, until berry mixture comes to a simmer and begins to thicken. Stirring occasionally, boil for about 1 minute. Transfer berry mixture to a large bowl to cool to room temperature.When berry mixture has cooled, stir in remaining fresh blueberries. Pour blueberry mixture into prepared crust and spread into an even layer. Refrigerate until ready to serve.