Recipe of the Week: Blueberry Crisp

When summer hits, one of my favourite things to do is stock up on in-season fruits, especially blueberries! Here’s a simple but sweet recipe for blueberry crisp, one of my top-5 favorite desserts. It has a nice combination of carbs, fats and antioxidants. If you want to pack a bit more nutrition punch, you can add other fruits in as well, such as peaches or other berries. As a topping, you can add ice cream or yogurt.

Blueberry Crisp

Ingredients:

– 3/4 cup of white flour (you can try mixing in a bit of whole wheat, though it makes for a different texture)

– 1/2 cup of sugar

– 1/2 cup of butter at room temperature

– 1 cup of oats

– 1/2 cup chopped walnuts

– 4 cups of blueberries (I used frozen because they’re easier to get, but you can also use fresh)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a bowl, mix the flour, cinnamon and sugar.
3. Slice butter into the mix and blend until the mixture is crumbly. Get right in there with your hands! Just make sure you’ve washed them before!
4. Add oats and nuts.
5. Take out roughly 1/4 of the mixture and mix in a separate bowl with the blueberries.
6. Put blueberry mixture into a buttered baking dish.
7. Top with the rest of the crumble mixture.
8. Bake for about 40 minutes or until the top is browning. If you used frozen berries, you might have to cook it a bit longer to get the same consistency.
9. Maw down. It can be eaten hot or cold but I prefer hot with vanilla ice cream.

Blueberries – Antioxidant Powerhouses

– Blueberries are ranked among the highest source of antioxidants, which minimize the amount of free radicals in the body. Free radicals are unstable molecules in the body linked to the development of a number of diseases, including cancer, cardiovascular disease and other age-related conditions such as Alzheimer’s.

– They’re a good source of dietary fiber, which helps keep cholesterol in check, contributes to a healthy heart, and aids in digestion.

– They’re an excellent source of manganese, which plays a role in the development of bones and in the metabolism of protein, carbs and fat.