Super food feature: Blueberries - GujaratiKanudo

This week's superfood features blueberries, quite possibly the ultimate superfood. Some nutritionists have even go as far to stay that if you make one change to your diet, it's to add these to it.

The blue fruit is packed with antioxidants, phytoflavinoids, potassium and vitamin C - perfect to help you build up your immune system in this weather.

Not only can they lower your risk of heart disease and cancer, they are also anti-inflammatory - which is the key driver of all chronic conditions.

Just 100g of blueberries contain the same amount of age-defying antioxidants as five servings of other fruit and vegetables. These help to guard against a range of cancers, heart disease, asthma, arthritis and cataracts, Alzheimer's and age-related neurological diseases.

Not only all of this, research has found that they will break down your existing fat and stop the production of more fat cells, which are exactly the sort of thing that's need in a battle against the bulge.

When selecting berries, note that the darker they are, the more anti-oxidants they have.

You should eat them in fruit salads or sprinkled on yogurt or porridge. Bake them in muffins - see the recipe below - and remember to keep a bag in the freezer, so you always have some to hand.

Femalefirst Taryn Davies

RECIPE - Blueberry Muffins
Makes 12
Cooking time: 20-25 minutes

Ingredients:
250ml milk
50ml vegetable oil
½ tsp vanilla extract
1 large egg, lightly beaten
75g caster sugar
250g plain flour
3 tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
200g blueberries
Streusel topping:
25g plain flour
2 tbsp Demerara sugar
15g cold butter
you will also need a 12 hole muffin tin lined with 12 muffin cases

Method:
Pre-heat the oven to 200ºC/fan 180ºC fan oven/gas 6.
First of all, you need to prepare the streusel topping by rubbing together the flour, Demerara and butter until you have a crumble consistency.
To make the muffins mix together the wet ingredients (milk, oil, vanilla extract and beaten egg).
Add the sugar, flour, baking powder and salt. Mix briefly, just enough to moisten the flour, giving you a lumpy batter. Keeping it slightly lumpy will ensure lighter muffins once cooked. Fold in the blueberries and then divide the mixture between the 12 muffin cases.
Scatter the streusel mixture over the top of each muffin and then place in the oven to cook for 20-25 minutes until they are golden. Once cooked, cool slightly before leaving to cool further on a wire rack.
Recipe provided by Jo Pratt and Leisure
RECIPE - Lemon and Blueberry Pancakes
Makes 6
Ingredients:
1 pack of Aunt Bessie’s Perfect Pancakes
For the filling:
250g/9oz cream cheese
Grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
25g/1oz butter melted
50g/2oz caster sugar
For the sauce:
150g/5oz caster sugar
60ml/2 fl oz water
150g/5oz fresh blueberries
Method:
Put the cream cheese into a bowl, add the lemon zest and half of the lemon juice and 25g/1oz of caster sugar, then mix together.
Warm the Aunt Bessie's perfect pancakes as directed on the packet.
Place a dessert spoon of the cream cheese mixture in the centre of each pancake, roll it up then place in a buttered baking dish.
When all the pancakes are in the baking dish, brush them with melted butter and sprinkle the remaining 25g/1oz of caster sugar over them.
Place under a medium hot grill to warm through for 3-4 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the sauce like this:
Dissolve the 150g/5oz of caster sugar in the water over a medium heat and boil for 2 minutes until syrupy.
Add the blueberries, bring to the boil then simmer for a minute until the juice begins to run.
Then add the rest of the lemon juice left over from the filling.
Serve the cream cheese pancakes with the blueberry sauce spooned over.

-FnF_GK