Kolpona

Fun with NAAN! Garlic Naan and dessert Naan

I love Naan. The word Naan means “bread”. In fact, the name describes the type of bread, which is a leavened flat bread. So, whenever I hear people say “Naan bread”, I cringe inside. Naan is very popular not only in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh but in Afghanistan as well. There are different varieties of Naan based on the region and even individual cooks. Unlike other flat breads like chappati, roti, paratha or puri, Naan is usually cooked in a small clay oven called a Tandoor that can reach temperatures of up to 1000 degrees Fahrenheit. It heats from all sides so it only takes minutes to cook, creating a beautiful char on the outside while keeping the inside of whatever is cooked (like Tandoor chicken, kebobs, or naan) nice and tender. Cooking Naan in the Tandoor creates wonderfully crispy yet slightly smoky edges with a soft and tender middle. I don’t own a Tandoor oven (I’d love one!) and the highest temperature my oven reaches is 500 degrees when it is set to broil. To mimic the effect of the tandoor, I have used a pizza stone in the past, which works quite well.

Not too long ago, I had to make about 30 naan and serve it fresh and hot for a party. I knew that trying to make them all on a pizza stone would take forever. The solution was fairly simple. I used a skillet and the oven. Using a skillet, especially a cast iron skillet to cook one side of the naan is a brilliant time saving idea and allows me to “half” cook several naan ahead of time when I am having a party or guests over. When everyone arrives, I just pop in the naan under the broiler to finish the cooking process. I finish off the process by dabbing a stick of cold butter on the surface of the hot naan and it’s ready to be enjoyed. When the weather turns warmer, I make naan on the grill all the time. It only takes about 2 minutes on each side. Naan is so versatile that it can be used to make naan pizza or dessert style by adding dried fruits, nuts, maple syrup, honey and even dark chocolate chunks and goat cheese. It’s really up to your creativity. This is a popular dish to make for some of the classes I teach at the University and in the community. I hope you have fun with it. By the way, a note of caution, try not to substitute the full fat yogurt with non-fat yogurt. The fat actually helps to tenderize the naan and to brown properly under the broiler.

Roll out the naan into a tear drop shape

Place garlic naan in hot skillet with the garlic/cilantro side up

Cook until bottom is nicely browned (about a minute)

Place in preheated oven, about 6 inches away from broiler unit at top.

To make a dessert version, top with nuts, coconut and dried fruit

Drizzle with warmed honey or maple syrup

Here’s the recipe:

Garlic Naan

6-7 Naan

3 cups all purpose flour

½ cup warm milk (I prefer whole milk)

½ cup full fat plain yogurt (room temperature)

1 tsp sugar

2 ¼ tsp yeast

¼ cup warm water

1 tsp salt

½ tsp baking powder

Garlic and chopped cilantro

Butter

In a small bowl, mix together warm water, yeast and sugar and set aside until yeast is bubbly (3-5 minutes). In a large bowl mix flour, salt, and baking powder together. Make a well in the center of the mixture and pour in yogurt and milk along with the frothy yeast mixture. Begin kneading together to form a soft dough. Dough should incorporate well but be slightly sticky.
Form the dough into a ball and rub a little oil over the top. Cover with plastic wrap and let it rest in a warm place for about 1 ½ hours or until doubled in size.
After dough has doubled, punch it down and make 6-7 equal sized balls out of dough.
Adjust rack in oven to be 6 inches away from the broiler. Turn on the oven to broil (most ovens that should be 450-500 F). Take a non-stick or cast iron skillet and heat over medium heat.
On a clean countertop, sprinkle some flour and roll out dough to an oblong or tear drop sized shape. Press in some chopped garlic and cilantro and place naan with the garlic/cilantro side up on the hot skillet until it begins to puff around the sides and gets nice dark brown color on the bottom. Do not flip over.
Place Naan on a baking sheet. Repeat the process until the baking sheet has enough Naan. Usually 3 Naans are the maximum amount that will fit on a sheet. Place under the broiler for 1-3 minutes, keeping an eye on the bread. When the top gets nicely browned and slightly charred, take it out of the oven.
While the Naan is still hot, brush with a little butter or use a cold butter stick with half the wrapper off and dab over the hot naan. Serve warm.
To make dessert naan, add pistachio, almonds, coconut, dried fruits (such as apricots, golden raisins, dates), dot with butter and cook in the same fashion. Add additional butter and either warmed honey or maple syrup while still hot. It’s delicious.

Japchae – Korean style sweet potato noodles

Even though I love eating food from all over the world, I feel as though I could cook food from Asia and never run out. That is because Asia is a huge continent. Almost 80% of the entire world’s population resides in Asia. It is also a very diverse continent, not only in culture and people but with food as well. Even though I grew up eating a lot of South Asian food (from Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan), I love food from other parts of Asia as well. Korean food is one of the cuisines that I have really enjoyed the last few years. The sheer amount of side dishes that can be prepared is delightful and the taste range varies from spicy hot to fresh and mild. I especially love to make meals that are tasty, looks gorgeous and has lots of vegetables. Which is why I have been making a lot of Japchae lately. It is a Korean dish made with sweet potato noodles. I love the texture of sweet potato noodles, it is a lot like glass noodles or cellophane noodles (made with Mung beans) – it is slightly chewy, absorbs flavors well and can be eaten hot or at room temperature. This makes it perfect for picnics, pot lucks or summer days at the park. It is also a dish that can be easily made completely vegetarian by substituting Shittake mushrooms for the beef. I guarantee that if you make this for your next get-together, you will be the hit of the party. You can buy sweet potato noodles at most Asian markets or online. Here’s the method:

Blanch the spinach then place in cold water

Japchae

Korean style sweet potato noodle stir-fry

Serves 4 – 6 (depending on appetite)

Beef Marinate:

4 – 6 ounces eye of round beef, cut into ¼ inch wide and 2½ inch long strips (The butcher can use a slicer to do this for you)

OR if you would like to make this a vegetarian dish, substitute dried Shittake mushrooms for the beef strips

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1/2 tsp ginger, grated

1 tbsp rice wine

1 tbsp soy sauce

1 tsp rice syrup (can substitute corn syrup or raw sugar)

1 tbsp applesauce

½ tsp cracked black pepper

1 tsp sesame oil

Mix all ingredients together. Make sure all the beef strips are well coated. Cover with plastic wrap and place in fridge for 1 hour or up to 24 hours.

Japchae stir-fry:

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 tbsp soy sauce

1 tbsp and 1 tsp sesame oil

1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds

2 large eggs

½ tsp rice wine

1 bundle of spinach, washed and drained

1 bundle of Sweet potato noodles or glass noodles

3 green onions, cut crosswise into 2 inch long pieces

1 medium onion, thinly sliced

5 -6 button mushrooms, thinly sliced

¾ cup julienned carrots (match sticks)

1 red bell pepper, cut into thin strips

ground black pepper

salt to taste

oil as needed

Method:

Crack the eggs into a bowl. Beat in a pinch of salt and ½ tsp rice wine with a fork.
Add 1 teaspoon of vegetable oil to a heated nonstick pan. Swirl the oil around so it covers the pan, pour in the eggs and tilt the pan so the mixture spreads thinly. The eggs will cook quickly, about 1 minute. Flip the eggs over and let it sit on the pan for 1 more minute. Remove from heat, cool and cut into strips. Set aside.
Bring a 4-5 quart dutch oven of water to a rolling boil. Add the bunch of spinach and blanch for about 30 seconds. Using tongs or a slotted spoon, take out the spinach and place in a large bowl of cold water to stop the cooking process. Squeeze out all the excess water. Season with 1 tsp soy sauce and 1 tsp sesame oil and mix well. Place in a large mixing bowl. Keep the water in the pan boiling to cook the sweet potato noodles.
Break the noodles into 3 inch section and drop into the boiling water and stir. Cook for 5-7 minutes until noodles are nicely cooked, yet slightly chewy. Place the noodles into the large bowl next to the spinach and add 2 teaspoons sesame oil, 1 teaspoon soy sauce. Mix together while the noodles are still warm so all the flavors are well absorbed.
Heat a 12” skillet over medium high heat. Add 2 teaspoons vegetable oil, when it begins to shimmer, add the onion, the green onion, and a pinch of salt. Stir-fry about 2 minutes until the onion are translucent. Place the onions over the noodles.
In the same skillet pour another 1-2 tsp of oil then add the mushrooms with a pinch of salt. Cook until mushrooms soften and begin to release a little water, about 1 minute. Add to the bowl of noodles.
Heat up the skillet and add 1 tsp vegetable oil. Place the carrots and stir-fry for 30 to 40 seconds. Add the red bell pepper strips and a pinch of salt and stir-fry another 30 seconds. Transfer to the noodle bowl.
Return the pan to the heat source for the final time and add 2 tsp of oil. Add the marinated beef (discard any extra liquid). Stir-fry until beef is fully cooked and no longer pink. Place the cooked beef in the noodle bowl.

In the noodle bowl add 2 minced garlic cloves, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, ½ teaspoon ground black pepper, and 2 teaspoons of sesame oil and about 2 tsp of toasted sesame seeds and mix all together by hand. Top with additional toasted sesame seeds and egg strips. You can serve this at room temperature or hot. The noodles are very versatile.

Mixed Veggie Niramish

Niramish is the Bengali word for mixed vegetables. There are of course, a million ways to cook niramish depending on the cook. I decided to make some last night using frozen mixed veggies because I was in a hurry. Normally, I love using a variety of fresh vegetables, especially picks from the local farmer’s markets. There are some nights though, speed is of the essence. Given the choice of eating something unhealthy or making something fast and tasty out of frozen veggies…Well it’s no contest. It ended up tasting great and it was quick!

Stir fry eggs right in the middle of the onion and bell pepper mixture

Add turmeric at the end to add more incredible nutrients (it’s a powerful anti-inflammatory) and color

Serve with rice or flat bread or spaghetti squash

It’s quick and delicious

Here’s the recipe:

Mixed Vegetable Niramish

2 pound bag of frozen mixed vegetables

1 small onion, chopped

1/2 red bell pepper, chopped

2 eggs

1 1/2 tsp garam masala

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp kosher salt (or to taste)

1 tsp turmeric

1 green chili, seeded and slit lengthways

5 tbsp oil

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

Heat oil in a large skillet and stir fry the onions and bell peppers along with cumin seeds. When the onions and peppers are tender and the cumin seeds are popping make a well in the middle and add the eggs. Scramble the eggs then add garam masala, salt, garlic and stir fry a few minutes. Add in the vegetables and mix well. Cover and lower heat to let the vegetables cook and become tender for 6-7 minutes (stirring in between). Add in turmeric last and mix well so that there is a nice golden color. Cook about a minute for the turmeric to incorporate. Serve with rice or flat bread.

Vietnamese Style Spring Rolls

There is nothing I like better than making and eating fresh spring rolls. They are tasty, they are healthy, they have delightful textures AND they are portable. But what I really, really, absolutely LOVE (as in a twirl my dress and spin around kind of giddiness-love) is the peanut dipping sauce. I could eat it by the bucketful. To tell you the truth, the spring rolls for me are sort of a Peanut Sauce delivery system. I have been known to eat the peanut sauce on ice cream (try it, you will love it, I promise), with apples and pears, even bananas. Sometimes, if I think nobody is watching, I will lick my plate of any residual peanut sauce (don’t judge me). It is my “green eggs and ham”

Let’s start with the recipe for the sauce:

peanut sauce — Mix in ingredients into the oil and garlic/ginger saute.

Peanut Dipping Sauce

1 tbsp canola oil

2 cloves of garlic (minced)

½ inch piece of ginger grated

OR just one tablespoon of ginger garlic paste you’ve blended together

5 tbsp water or chicken broth—may add more as needed

5 tbsp hoisin sauce

½ cup peanut butter

1 tbsp Sirarcha sauce or Sambal Oelek

1 tbsp Palm sugar or brown sugar (Palm sugar adds a wonderful depth of flavor that is not to be missed)

Heat oil in a small pan and add the garlic and ginger. Saute until fragrant. Add in the hoisin sauce and water or broth and stir for a minute or two. Next add the peanut butter, Sriarcha or Sambal Oelek and Palm sugar and stir until well blended and sugar dissolves. Add additional water if needed. Sauce should be smooth but thick. Take off heat and top with additional crushed peanuts and diced Thai chili if desired or more Sambal Oelek.

To make this sauce Vegan or soy free:

1 Tbsp canola oil

2 cloves garlic

¼ inch piece of ginger grated

5 tbsp vegetable broth or stock

½ tsp salt

½ cup peanut butter

2 tbsp tamarind paste

1 tbsp Sriarcha sauce or Sambal Oelek

1 Tbsp Palm Sugar

3– 4 tbsp of water

Heat oil in a small pan and add the garlic and ginger. Saute until fragrant. Add in all the remaining ingredients except for the water. Stir until well blended and heated through. Add the water (more or less depending on consistency). Sauce should be slightly thick and smooth. Top with additional crushed peanuts and diced Thai Chillis if desired.

Choose the size of rice paper you like (bigger is easier to work with)

Glass noodles — soak the rice stick noodles in water to soften (10 minutes)

Veggies — Get all veggies ready to begin rolling

Shrimp — Slice shrimp into halves (they nestle nicely in the roll)

spring rolls — Place veggies 1/3 of the way into paper and tuck in

Vietnamese Spring roll — Tuck in the edges before the next revolution

Spring roll — Place shrimp cut side up and tucked along the edges

vietnamese spring rolls — The shrimp shows through the paper

Spring Rolls

Rice spring roll paper (12 sheets)

Warm tap water (several cups in a bowl to soften rice paper)

Romaine lettuce, thinly sliced

Cabbage, shredded

1/3 package of thin rice vermicelli noodles, cooked

cucumbers, thinly sliced horizontally

1 Shredded carrot

1 cup bean sprouts

twelve pieces of long chives

handful of Cilantro

handful of fresh mint (peppermint variety – found in Asian markets)

Cooked shrimp, deveined and sliced in half

Or you can use Chinese style BBQ pork (Char Shu)

Or chicken

Or use only vegetables without any proteins

Thoroughly wash all the vegetables and prepare them as listed above. Soak the rice vermicelli noodles for 6 to 10 minutes in hot water then rinse them under cool tap water. I buy the pre cooked shrimp that’s already deveined and cleaned and then slice them in half (usually at Costco). I also buy all my produce at the Asian Market because they are a LOT cheaper.

There are a million brands of rice paper. Choose the cheapest one. They are pretty much the same.

Dip the paper in warm water, turning it in a circle as you dip and gently press in the middle to get the whole paper wet. Avoid sticking the whole paper in a bowl and letting it float around. It just needs to get wet – not soaking wet. Gently shake off excess water and place the sheet on a cutting board or plate in front of you. On the top third of the paper closest to you, place a small bundle of romaine lettuce and cabbage, next put the vermicelli noodles on top followed by the carrots, sprouts, cucumber, a few leaves of mint, one frond of chives and two small leaves of cilantro. Fold the paper closest to you over the vegetables and tuck tightly under. Once you’ve rolled one revolution, tuck the left and right side into the roll. There should be some paper still left in the front, place the shrimp cut side facing up (like inverted “u”) next to the roll and finish rolling up the spring roll. You should be able to see the Shrimp from the outside . Serve with peanut dipping sauce. Serve at room temperature. Avoid making ahead and refrigerating since the rice paper dries out or gets too soggy. If you must take it somewhere to eat/serve it, wrap each roll in plastic wrap so they do not stick to each other and serve within 2-3 hours.

Hummus – quick and tasty

Hummus has been around for a long, long time. It was the ultimate “fast” food that was easy to carry. When Bedouin tribes traveled with their herds from place to place, carrying dried grains that were ground up was a lightweight and economical option. It also was a great source of protein. I am so glad that it has become one of the “in” foods. High in protein, good quality monounsaturated fats and delightful flavor…what’s not to like? Here’s a fast, easy and very budget friendly version.
What makes it especially economical is the use of whole sesame seeds instead of Tahini in a jar. Tahini is a paste made of sesame seeds that adds tremendous flavor to this dish and It’s rich in minerals such as phosphorus, lecithin, magnesium, potassium and iron, not to mention essential amino acid Methionine, which aids in liver detoxification. It is also high in Vitamin E and a host of B vitamins and calcium. It’s the ultimate brain food.

Ingredients: good quality olive oil, garbanzo beans, fresh garlic cloves and lemon

Use sesame seeds instead of tahini paste

Drizzle a little olive oil before serving

So let’s get to the recipe.

2 cans (15 oz) of garbanzo beans (chickpeas), drained
1 1/2 Tbsp sesame seeds
juice of half a large lemon
2 cloves of fresh garlic, roughly chopped
kosher salt to taste
1/2 cup good quality olive oil

In a food processor, dump in the garbanzo beans and pulse a few times. Add the sesame seeds (you pulse the garbanzo beans first so the sesame seeds don’t fall to the bottom of the processor) and garlic and pulse 3 or 4 times. Add in lemon juice and turn on the food processor. As the processor is doing its work, begin to drizzle in the olive oil through the lid opening until the mixture begins to get nice and smooth. Add salt to taste and pulse a few times. Pour into a bowl and drizzle a bit more good quality olive oil. Serve with Pita bread, vegetable strips or Pita chips and enjoy. Makes 2 1/2 cups. Serving size 1/2 cup. Cost per serving 48 cents.

Peach Tart for Dummies

I love things you can make that are visually stunning, tastes amazing and takes little or no effort to make. Like this Peach tart. It is gorgeous and people will rave about it and it takes just a few minutes to put together. I love it! All you need is a package of store bought puff pastry sheets (you can be a Martha Stewart and make your own, but why?) and some fresh ripe peaches and you’re golden. ANYBODY can make this. Literally the peach tart for dummies. Try it for your next get together and watch the rave reviews come in!

Place peaches on puff pastry sheet and sprinkle with sugar

Peach Tart for Dummies

1 sheet puff pastry dough, defrosted

1/4 cup sugar

2 ripe peaches, thinly sliced

1/4 cup apricot jam

1 tsp water

Pre-heat oven to 400°F. Defrost puff pastry dough in the refrigerator. Take out one sheet and place on a silpat or parchment lined cookie sheet. No need to roll out. Pierce the puff pastry with a fork. Thinly slice two fresh large peaches and layer them in three rows on the puff pastry sheet leaving a half-inch clearance on all four sides. Sprinkle sugar on top of the peach slices. Bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown. Cool slightly. In a small microwave safe bowl heat apricot jam and water together for about 45 seconds. Brush over the peaches until shiny. Serve cooled.

Pulled Pork Empanadas

There’s nothing tastier than a pork butt or shoulder roast slow cooked in a crockpot or in the oven. It’s one of those things that can cook in the background while you go about your business. I usually season my pork butt or shoulder with a rub of fresh garlic, sea salt, cumin, a little ground coffee and onion powder (with a little olive oil thrown in). I know you’re thinking ground coffee? What the heck? But it really is tasty. Not too much just a few teaspoons but it really amps up the other flavors. It’s a pretty basic rub down because I like to add other spices to the pulled pork later on to make different dishes out of the same piece of roast. A good size pork roast can yield BBQed pulled pork sandwiches, or tacos and burritos. I’ve even made pulled pork momos, tamales and potstickers. Who can go wrong with a well done pig?

This time I decided to make pork Empanadas out of the pulled pork. It was fast and worked well for a weekday dinner with a fresh slaw made with red cabbage. The leftovers are great for lunch the next day too. Everybody at your work will want some of your lunch as soon as you start heating it up. Guaranteed!

On a side note. Today, July 6th, I finally finished off the Master Cleanse. I was so excited to eat real food. I was thinking about it last night going to bed and dreaming up what I’d make for breakfast. I thought of eating these Empanadas but didn’t feel like that for breakfast. So, I decided to make an egg white frittata with caramelized onions and asparagus spears and fresh basil. I was super excited. I took two bites and couldn’t eat another thing. I got kind of nauseous. I guess I have to slow down and eat a few little things. Let my body catch up slowly. I ate only raw vegetables and fruits yesterday so today I should be able to ease into real food. We shall see. On the bright side, I do feel really, really good and I think I will try this again next year some time, maybe not for the whole 21 days though.

Place pork mixture on one end of the rolled out dough

Pulled Pork Empanadas

Empanada dough:

2 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon sugar

6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

1 large egg yolk (save the egg white for the egg wash)

1/3 cup ice water

1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar

Pulled Pork Filling:

1 1/2 pound of cooked, pulled pork

1/2 onion, diced

4 tbsp oil

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 bunch fresh cilantro, chipped

1 jalapeno, chopped

1 tsp cumin

1/4 cup water

Egg wash:

egg white, beaten

1 tsp water

For the dough: Combine the flour, salt, and sugar in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until combined, add butter and pulse a few times until it resembles coarse meal.

Mix together the egg yolk, water, and vinegar in a measuring cup. Add the mixture to the dough, pulsing until just combined. Turn the dough out onto a work surface and gently knead until it just comes together. Form the dough into a disk, wrap with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before rolling out.

For the filling: Heat oil in a sauce pan and saute the onion, garlic and jalapeno together until onions are translucent and the garlic is flavorful. Add in cumin and water and simmer over low heat for about 3 minutes. Toss in cilantro leaves before turning off the heat.

Assembly: Roll out the Empanada dough into 5 – 6 inch circle (I was making a little larger ones because it was for dinner). Place 1/4 cup (or more if you want it fuller) of meat mixture on one end of the dough. Bring the other half over the meat mixture and using a fork crimp the edges. Place on a parchment lined cookie sheet. Whisk together egg white and water and brush each empanada. Bake at 400°F for 20 minutes or until golden brown.

Blackeyed Pea, Corn and Mango Salsa with Homemade Chips

There’s nothing like a refreshing and hearty dip on a hot summer day. I’m always looking for fun new ways of making salsas and dips that are not heavy and creamy. The Caribbean side of my family love eating Pigeon Peas. In fact it’s a staple of most Caribbean rice dishes. Pigeon peas are hard to find fresh here and I have to go to specialty stores to get the canned version. The closest cousin I have found to the Pigeon Pea is the Blackeyed Pea. I love the texture and mild flavor of Blackeyed Peas. The skin is not thick and it has an almost creamy mouth feel. Perfect for a salsa. I used canned Blackeyed Peas and canned Corn in this salsa. You can definitely use roasted fresh corn and pressure cook some Blackeyed peas. Since this was one of many items I was cooking yesterday, I decided to just go with the canned. It turned out great and saved me some time. With the fresh ingredients, you don’t really notice that the peas and corn are canned. The heat from the chilies are nicely balanced with the sweetness of the Mangoes. Paired with fresh home-made BIG tortilla chips as a scoop, this salsa is “da bomb”!

Mix the dressing ingredients together (LOVE the Pomegranate vinegar)

Pour dressing over the dip ingredients and mix well before chilling in the fridge

The extra large “scoops” are fantastic with this salsa

Blackeyed Pea and Corn Salsa

2 cans (14 oz) of Blackeyed Peas (rinsed and drained)

1 can (14 oz) sweet corn (rinsed and drained)

1 red bell pepper, diced

1/2 red onion, diced

1-2 Thai chilis, take the seeds out if you want it less spicy

1 jalapeno pepper, diced

1/2 bunch cilantro leaves, minced

15 or so green spanish olives, chopped

2 roma tomatoes, chopped

2 mangoes, diced

Dressing:

1/4 cup olive oil

zest and juice of one lime

1/2 cup pomegranate vinegar

fresh cracked pepper

1 tsp kosher salt

1/2 tsp dried oregano

1/2 tsp dried basil

2 tsp sugar or honey

In a large bowl place the washed and rinsed canned Blackeyed peas and corn. Add all fresh chopped ingredients and toss lightly. Mix together the dressing ingredients and pour over the dip and mix well. Cover and refrigerate at least an hour before serving. Great with large home made tortilla chips.

Homemade Tortilla Chips

12 inch uncooked (or cooked) flour tortilla chips

Oil for frying

Cut the tortillas into fourths and fry in oil until golden brown, drain over paper towels. Can be made a day ahead and stored in airtight container or zip lock bags before serving.

Blueberry Crumble Bars

I’m still on my blueberry kick. I already made some scones so I decided to try some crumble bars. I wanted them to have a nice crust on the bottom, sort of like a lemon bar but have the moisture of a coffee cake and the crunch of a streusel topping all rolled into one. There are a huge variety of crumb bar recipes out there. I decided to combine some of the things I liked about a few of the old stand by recipes I had for cherry crumb bars and lemon bars to come up with this one. It turned out very nicely. I didn’t even have to add nuts to the top to give it the satisfying “crumb” texture, the blueberries kept their integrity without turning into a gooey sauce and the bottom crust was fantastic, holding it all together. This thing can be eaten as a bar, but I’m telling you it’s unparalleled with a scoop of good vanilla ice cream on top! (Or at least that’s what everyone else who ate them up told me. Only 4 more days to go on this cleanse…)

Blend in the cold butter to the flour mixture with a pastry blender

Press half of the dough into a 9 x 13 pan

While the crust is baking prepare the blueberries

Spread the blueberries evenly over the crust

Sprinkle the remainder of the crust mixture along with the rolled oats on top

Serve warm with ice cream or cool and cut into bars

Blueberry Crumble Bars

3 cups all purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 cup sugar

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cold and cut into chunks

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp salt

zest of one lemon

1/2 cup old fashioned rolled oats (save to add to the mixture later)

Fruit Preparation:

4 cups fresh blueberries

juice of one lemon

3 tbsp corn starch

1/2 cup sugar

Pre-heat oven to 375°F. Line a 9 x 13 pan with parchment paper or spray with cooking spray. In a bowl, mix together 1 cup sugar, flour, salt, lemon zest and baking powder. Using a pastry blender cut in the butter with the flour mixture until a crumbly mixture forms. Whisk egg and vanilla together and pour into the flour mixture and blend well. Mixture will be crumbly. Press half of the flour mixture into the bottom of the prepared 9 x 13 pan and bake for about 18 minutes.

In the meantime, add the rolled oats to the remaining flour mixture and set aside. In a medium bowl, mix the blueberries with lemon juice, corn starch and sugar, taking care not to smash any of the berries. Take the crust out of the oven, it should be a light brown color, spread the blueberry mixture evenly on top and sprinkle the flour/oat mixture on top of the blueberries. Return to the oven and bake an additional 40 minutes until golden brown on top and berries are nice and bubbly. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream or cool completely and cut into bars.

Lemon Blueberry Scones

It’s blueberry season! They are abundant and delicious and to top it all off, they are a superfruit, full of antioxidants and nutrients. I found an awesome deal on blueberries today…80 cents a pound. I came home with 6 pounds of blueberries. I’m going on a blueberry kick for the next few days. I’m going to be making blueberry preserves, crumb bars, muffins, sauce…I’m doing a happy dance in my head. But first I think I’ll start with the basics….A wonderful lemon blueberry scone. Scones are great with coffee anytime. As a dessert or as a breakfast or brunch item. They also freeze really, really well which means I can have some when I get off this Master Cleanse (I just had a food porn moment).

Blend in the butter with a pastry blender

Fold in cream and egg mixture with blueberries

Pat dough into a square on a well floured surface

Brush each scone with some heavy cream and sprinkle top with some raw sugar

Lemon Blueberry Scones

2 cups all purpose flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 tsp kosher salt

1/3 cup sugar

1 egg

zest of one lemon

1 stick of unsalted butter, cold and cut into cubes

1 cup fresh blueberries

1 cup heavy cream

a little extra cream and some turbinado (raw) sugar for brushing and sprinkling on top

Sift together the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Add lemon zest to the flour mixture and mix together. Using a pastry blender or two forks cut the cold cubed butter into the flour mixture until it’s a coarse mixture. Beat together egg and heavy cream and pour into the flour mixture and fold the mixture together, when it’s fairly well mixed, gently mix in the blueberries taking care not to smash the blueberries. Don’t over work the dough. On a floured surface, press the dough dough gently to form a square about 1 inch thick. Cut into half then into half again so there are four squares. Cut the squares at a diagonal to get the triangle shape. If you want smaller pieces cut the triangles again so you get a total of 16 pieces. Place on a ungreased cookie sheet. Brush the tops of each triangle with some heavy cream and sprinkle with some turbinado sugar. Bake for about 20 minutes at 400°F. Let the scones cool on a cooling rack before serving.