Since there is still summer to celebrate before we’re back into the school season we are sharing this Blueberry Shortcake recipe from Jeanette’s Healthy Living blog. “These mini Gingered Blueberry Shortcakes are the perfect ending to a summer barbecue. A dollop of this Light Creamy Topping stands in for whipped cream with minimal fat. I’m always looking for ways to lighten up desserts, so today, I’m sharing our first of the season summer dessert – barely cooked fresh blueberries, topped with a gluten-free biscuit/scone, and finished with a generous dollop of a creamless creamy topping made with nonfat Greek yogurt and cottage cheese. Who doesn’t love creamy whipped cream on top of a summer fruit shortcake? The best part about this creamy topping is that it has no cream in it and it is very low in fat. The secret ingredients here are non-fat vanilla Greek yogurt and low-fat cottage cheese. Of course, if you really want to use some whipped cream, you can, I would just use half the amount of whipped cream you typically would use and fold in this yogurt and cottage cheese topping for the other half. You’ll almost cut the amount of fat in half.” Jeanette Chen
Gingered Blueberry Shortcakes with Light Creamy Topping Recipe (Gluten-Free)
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes
Yield: 15 small servings or 8 regular servings
Ingredients
Blueberry Topping
4 cups fresh blueberries
3 tablespoons organic sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Shortcakes
2 cups Pamela’s Gluten-Free Biscuit and Scone Mix
6 tablespoons Earth Balance Vegan Buttery Sticks, cut into slices
3 tablespoons minced crystallized ginger
3/4 cup low-fat milk
1 large egg white
1 tablespoon water
1 tablespoon organic sugar
Light Creamy Topping
1 cup non-fat vanilla Greek yogurt
1 cup low-fat (1% or 2%) cottage cheese
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 1/2 tablespoons honey
Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Combine blueberries, sugar, lemon juice and vanilla in a saucepan. Cook over medium-low heat for 3 minutes or until berries begin to pop, stirring often; set aside. Place scone mix and Buttery Stick slices in food processor. Pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add milk and pulse until just combined. Turn mixture out onto lightly floured surface (use more scone mix). Press dough into a 7 inch circle. Use round biscuit cutters, cut dough into pieces (I used a 1 3/4″ biscuit cutter which made 15 circles). Place rounds 1 inch apart on a baking sheet. Combine egg white and water in a small bowl. Lightly brush tops of biscuits with egg white mixture. Sprinkle with sugar. Bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown. Cool. Place yogurt, cottage cheese, vanilla and honey in a blender; blend until smooth. To serve, place a few spoonfuls of the blueberry mixture in the bottom of a small plate. Top with one biscuit. Put a few tablespoons of the Light Creamy Topping on top. Serve.
See more at: http://jeanetteshealthyliving.com/2013/06/gingered-blueberry-shortcakes-with-light-creamy-topping.html#sthash.lqeltTk2.dpuf
Jeanette Chen, a resident of New Canaan for 20 years, is the busy mom of 4 boys and author of a popular health and wellness food blog, Jeanette’s Healthy Living. She was recently nominated for Best Health Blog by Healthline and is always looking for ways to make healthier meals for her family and friends.
Elia’s Blueberry-Apricot Clafoutis Recipe
“In the summer, I find myself bringing a favorite dish to potlucks, or carrying a picnic dinner to the park, concerts, the beach… it’s great to have a few simple, crowd-pleasing dishes that will travel well up your sleeve,” says Johnson. This month, she shares one of her favorite summer desserts with Walter Stewart’s shoppers. “This clafoutis recipe is really easy, and really versatile,” says Eila Johnson, The Full Plate Blog. “I recently made it with blueberries and apricots, but you can use any fruit that’s in season, and you can serve it warm or room temp. Both kids and adults love it, and it just take a few minutes to assemble. My kind of recipe!”
Simple Blueberry-Apricot Clafoutis
(Makes 8 servings)
1 pint blueberries*
4 apricots, pitted and cut into 8 pieces each*
4 eggs
¾ cup sugar
1 cup whole milk (Stewart’s carries local Arethusa milk!)
2 Tablespoons vanilla
¾ cup all-purpose flour
pinch of salt
Preheat oven to 350. Butter an 8” baking dish or pie plate. Arrange the fruit in a single layer in the baking dish. In a blender, or using a hand-mixer, combine eggs, sugar, milk, vanilla, flour and salt. Pour the batter over the fruit. Bake for 45 minutes – 1 hour, or until the top is golden brown and the custard is firm (when a knife inserted in the center comes out clean). Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve warm or room temp.
*You may substitute 3 cups of your favorite fruit. Traditionally, clafoutis is made with cherries. I’ve also had it with pears, or raspberries. It’s delicious any way you make it!
Busy New Canaan mom, Eila Johnson, writes the full plate blog. The site, which was named to Forbes’ 2012 Top 100 Sites for Women, Forbes’ Top 10 Parenting and Homemaking Sites, and was ranked in the Top 5 “Foodie Mom Blogs” on a major parenting site in both 2012 and 2013, teaches busy parents how to make simple, nourishing recipes for their families and friends.