Makes one cocktail

A refreshing use of local produce.

• 8 basil leaves
• 4 mint leaves
• 1 tsp raw sugar
• 1 Tbl lime juice
• 12 local blueberries
• 1 1/2 oz rum
• Top with soda water
• Garnish with more blueberries

1. Muddle basil, mint, sugar, and lime juice in base of a shaker glass.  Add blueberries, and continue to muddle.
2. Add rum and ice and shake.
3. Fill tall glass with ice and and strain muddled rum mixture into the glass and top with soda water.  Garnish with more blueberries.

• 1 1/2 cups + 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour (if you’re skipping the fruit, you can also skip the last tablespoon of flour)
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 cup plain whole-milk yogurt
• 1 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar
• 3 extra-large eggs
• 2 teaspoons grated lemon zest (approximately 2 lemons)
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 1/2 cups blueberries, fresh or frozen, thawed and rinsed (miniature wild blueberries are great for this, and pose the least risk of sinking)
• 1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease an 8 1/2 by 4 1/4 by 2 1/2-inch loaf pan. Line the bottom with parchment paper. Grease and flour the pan.
2. Sift together 1 1/2 cups flour, baking powder, and salt into 1 bowl.
3. In another bowl, whisk together the yogurt, 1 cup sugar, the eggs, lemon zest, vanilla and oil. Slowly whisk the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients.
4. Mix the blueberries with the remaining tablespoon of flour, and fold them very gently into the batter. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 50 (+) minutes, or until a cake tester placed in the center of the loaf comes out clean.
5. Meanwhile, cook the 1/3 cup lemon juice and remaining 1 tablespoon sugar in a small pan until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is clear. Set aside.
6. When the cake is done, allow it to cool in the pan for 10 minutes before flipping out onto a cooling rack. Carefully place on a baking rack over a sheet pan.
7. While the cake is still warm, pour the lemon-sugar mixture over the cake and allow it to soak in (a pastry brush works great for this, as does using a toothpick to make tiny holes that draw the syrup in better). Cool.

Preheat oven to 350°.
Mix the vanilla and 1 tablespoon flour with the blueberries and place them in an 8×8 pan. If you use frozen berries, use 2 tbsp of flour.
In a separate bowl mix oats with brown sugar, cinnamon, 1 tbsp flour and butter (added last). Using your hands to mix these ingredients helps to keep the oats in tact and thoroughly mix in the butter.
Once the oats mixture is combined to a crumbly texture, spread it evenly over the top of the blueberries in the pan.
Bake 30-40 minutes, serve warm or hot. Optional: top with ice cream, whipped cream or yogurt.

It’s Sunday morning, and in our household, if we’re in town, and not in the office, that means PANCAKES! I’ve been drooling since last Thursday at the prospect, since picking  up the beautiful perfectly round wild blueberries we got in our fruit share at Co-op.  To what finer purpose could one appoint these plump little gems?  I thought you, and perhaps members, might enjoy the recipe I developed for what I call Dr. Owen’s Pretty Healthy Pancakes.  The family calls them Dad’s Tearjerkers, becauselegend has it that when I first “perfected” the recipe and made them, I was practically in tears.

Serves four people, or about 20 four-inch cakes

• Dry Bowl:  Sift together -
• 3/4 cup white flour
• 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1 1/2 to 2 tsp. salt

• Wet Bowl:  Mix together -
• 1 1/2 cups buttermilk
• 2 (1/2 cup) Egg beaters (or similar egg white product)
• 3 TBSP. honey
• 3 TBSP. canola oil
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

1) Pour wet into dry and mix until everything is wet, but some lumpiness remains.  If you let it sit a while the pancakes get thicker and fluffier.

2) When your griddle is prepared and you’re ready to cook, add (all more or less to taste, of course) either: 2 bananas thin sliced, 1 cup blueberries, or 1 cup room temperature cooked corn kernels.

3) The batter will be quite thick. I drop it into the pan from a large spoon, a little less than a quarter cup at a time, and shape them on the pan with the back of the spoon.  Also, these will not form bubbles to signal they’re ready to be turned.  You just have to watch and peek underneath until you’ve cooked a few.   If you don’t have fruit in the batter, it keeps nicely in the fridge for next Sunday.

4) Finally, for an over-the-top low glycemic addition, chop a handful walnuts and add the pieces to some maple syrup, warming the mixture a little in the microwave.  As James Brown might have said, “Good Gawd!”