Blueberries, the second most popular berry, (second only to the very famous strawberry), is equally popular for being nutrient dense, meaning they have a notable amount of fiber, vitamin C, vitamin K, and potassium. Blueberries are also low in saturated fat and contain plant compounds know to aid in fighting chronic disease.
It is Blueberry Season in Eastern North Carolina and there are so many ways to incorporate blueberries into your diet. The simplest way to enjoy blueberries is fresh as a snack, one of my favorite things is to freeze then and enjoy them slowly for breakfast!

• Add frozen or fresh blueberries to smoothies for fiber and flavor.
• Top off your breakfast cereal or oatmeal, drop frozen blueberries on top of oatmeal before cooking, this will enhance the flavor of the fresh blueberries.
• Sprinkle over a salad, simply wash and toss them on top to add sweetness and extra added nutrition. Super easy.

Certainly, one of the most popular ways to use them is in baked goods, there are so many ways to bake berries into pies, cobblers, muffins, breads, and so much more.

One of the most popular combinations and also one of my favorites are blueberries and lemon, give this Lemon Blueberry Smoothie a try,

Lemon Blueberry Smoothie

• 1 cup frozen blueberries, more for garnish if desired
• 1 medium ripe banana, peeled and frozen
• 1 cup packed baby kale
• ½ lemon, (about 2 tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice)
• Zest from one lemon
• 1/8 teaspoon almond extract
• ½ cup dairy free milk, add more if mixture is too thick

In a high powered blender or bullet add in all ingredients and blend on high for 1-2 minutes or until all ingredients are well combined. Add additional milk if necessary to thin the smoothie.
Garnish with lemon zest and additional blueberries.
Serves 1, serving contains; Calories 205, Carbohydrates 49g., Protein 3g., Fat 3g., Fiber 8g.,
Sugar 27g.

Blueberry Basil Frozen Yogurt

• ¾ cup fresh basil leaves, whole
• 2 cups half-and-half
• 3 cups plain Greek yogurt
• ½ cup sugar
• ¼ cup corn syrup
• 1 ½ teaspoons pure vanilla
• ¼ teaspoon sea salt
• 1 ½ cups fresh blueberries
• ½ cup blueberry preserves
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
• 1 tablespoon lemon zest

Combine ¾ cup whole basil leaves and half-and-half in a bowl, chill 24 hours. Strain, discarding basil. Whisk together yogurt, sugar, corn, syrup, vanilla, salt, and half-and-half, let stand 5 minutes. Whisk until sugar dissolves. Chill at least 2 hours or until very cold.

Mash together blueberries, blueberry preserves, chopped fresh basil, lemon zest in a bowl. Add to yogurt mixture and stir to combine.

Pour mixture into bowl of an electric ice-cream maker, and process according maker’s directions.

Freeze for 1 hour before serving. Store up to 1 week. Serves 8.

Blueberry Crumble Ice Cream, No Churn

(Modified from Sally’s Baking blog, it is definitely a splurge)

For the Sauce

• ½ teaspoon cornstarch
• 2 teaspoons water
• 1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries, do not thaw
• 1 tablespoon sugar

For the Crumble

• ¼ cup all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
• ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

For the Ice Cream

• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1 14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla

To make the blueberry sauce, mix the cornstarch and water together in a very small bowl. Set aside. Combine blueberries and granulated sugar together in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Stir constantly, bursting the blueberries against the sides of the pan. Once the blueberries have released some liquid, add the cornstarch and water mix. Turn the heat up to medium, stir and cook for 3 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool completely. Mixture will thicken as it cools.
For the crumble, mix the brown sugar and cinnamon together with a fork. Add the melted butter and mix until crumbles form. Set aside.

For the ice cream, with a hand or stand mixer, beat the heavy cream on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form, about 4 minutes. Add the sweetened condensed milk and vanilla, then beat on low speed until just combined. Using a large spoon or spatula fold in the crumbles. Finally, fold in the ¼ – 1/3 cup of the blueberry sauce creating swirls. If you have leftover sauce use as a topping.
Pour the ice cream mixture into a deep freezer-safe container, like a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan. Cover tightly and freeze for at least 6 hours and up to 2 weeks. To serve top with leftover blueberry sauce and crumbles. Yields 1 ½ quarts.

Blueberry Peach Galette

(A galette is basically a pie with a freeform crust)
(Behind lemon, the second best blueberry match is fresh peach)

For the Crust

• 1 ½ cups flour, plus more for rolling
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 11 tablespoons cold butter, cut into ½ tablespoon pieces
• 1 egg yolk
• 3 tablespoons milk
• (it is possible to use a roll out pre made crust)

For the Filling

• 2 cups peeled and sliced fresh peaches
• ½ cup fresh blueberries
• ¼ cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons flour
• Pinch of salt
• 1 egg white, beaten
• 2 tablespoons sugar

To make the dough, combine the flour, sugar and salt in a food processor and pulse to combine.

Add the butter to the flour and pulse until the butter is broken into small pieces and mixture has a cornmeal texture.

Mix together the egg yolk and milk and add to the dough. Pulse till the dough comes together.

Pour onto a piece of plastic wrap and press flat into a disk. Wrap and cool for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

For the filling, carefully toss the peaches and blueberries with the sugar, flour and salt.

Roll out the dough to a 12-inch round on a lightly floured surface. Carefully move the dough to the baking sheet. Arrange the fruit in the center of the dough, leaving about an inch of the perimeter uncovered.

Fold the outside edge of the dough over the fruit, pleating as needed. Brush egg white over the exposed crust. Sprinkle the coarse sugar over the dough and fruit.
Bake the galette until the crust turns a light brown and the filling bubbles, about 50 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes then cut and serve warm with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream, if desired.
Serves 6.

Miniature Blueberry Cheesecakes

• 8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 pint blueberries
• 24 vanilla wafer cookies

In a food processor pulse cream cheese, sugar, zest and vanilla to combine. Add blueberries and pulse until mixed.
Cut 24 small rounds of waxed paper and fit each into a cup of a 24-cup miniature muffin tin.
Divide blueberry mixture among cups, spooning in mixture on top of waxed paper. Gently smooth with an offset spatula or back of a teaspoon. Place 1 vanilla wafer, flat side up, on top of each cup, pressing gently to adhere. Cover with plastic and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.
To remove cheesecakes, run a warm, thin knife around each, then slide tip of knife under and lift out.
Yields 24, each serving contains; Calories 80, Fat 5 g, Protein 1 g, Carbohydrate 9 g, Fiber 1 g, Cholesterol 10 mg, Sodium 47 mg.