blueberry buckle ~vegan~

I know it’s almost the end of the month and I’m a little late to the game, but July is National Blueberry Month!!!

Blueberry Buckle ~vegan~ Whole wheat flour, coconut oil and slightly sweetened with pure maple syrup!

To celebrate the month of the antioxidant rich blueberry, I bring you a blueberry buckle that won’t make you want to loosen your belt buckle!

Made with coconut oil, whole wheat flour and loads of blueberries of course!  Slightly sweetened with maple syrup and topped with an oat crumble, this blueberry buckle would pair great with a cup of coffee on a hot July morning!

Blueberry Buckle ~vegan~ Whole wheat flour, coconut oil and slightly sweetened with pure maple syrup!

blueberry buckle ~vegan~
 
Print
Author:
Recipe type: Dessert
Cuisine: Vegan
Serves: 16
Ingredients
  • For the Oat Crumble Topping:
  • ¼ cup old fashioned oats
  • 3 tablespoons organic cane sugar
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 4 tablespoons coconut oil
  • For the Blueberry Buckle:
  • 2 cups whole wheat pastry flour (or 1 cup whole wheat flour and 1 cup white flour)
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ¾ cup pure maple syrup
  • ⅓ cup coconut oil (melted)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 3 cups fresh blueberries
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees, grease a 9 inch cake pan with oil or cooking spray and set aside.
  2. In a small bowl; mix together oats, sugar and cinnamon. Add coconut oil and mix until crumbly. Set aside.
  3. In a large bowl; sift together whole wheat pastry flour, baking powder and salt. In a separate bowl; whisk together maple syrup, coconut oil and vanilla. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix until well combined. Fold in blueberries. (note: cake batter is thick, similar to cookie dough. You may need to use hands to fold in blueberries, don't be shy!)
  4. Transfer batter to greased cake pan, add crumble topping and bake for 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
  5. Let cool and enjoy!
Nutrition Information
Serving size: 1 Calories: 220 Fat: 8 Carbohydrates: 37 Protein: 3

Blueberry Buckle ~vegan~ Whole wheat flour, coconut oil and slightly sweetened with pure maple syrup!

Hooray for Friday!  

Enjoy these beautiful July weekends while they last :)

blueberry crumble smoothie (balancing omega 3 & omega 6 fatty acids)

Balance, balance, balance…

In the nutrition and wellness world we talk a lot about balance.  Balancing calories in with calories out, balancing fluid intake, having a balanced diet, etc.

I have one more balancing act to add to the mix.  Balancing omega 3 and omega 6 fatty acids.

Both omega 3 and omega 6 fatty acids are essential, meaning our body can not produce them so we need to rely on food sources.  Both are important in their own right.  Omega 6 fatty acids are necessary for hormone production, inflammation (a good thing when talking about immune response), and blood clotting.  Conversely, omega 3 fatty acids are important for decreasing inflammation, lowering triglyceride levels and risks of developing diseases such as heart disease.

There is a fine line, an equilibrium that must be met for optimal health.

Unfortunately, the Standard American Diet (SAD) has an overabundance of omega 6 fatty acids.  Why you ask?  Because of our dependence on processed foods and fast food restaurants!!!  Omega 6 fatty acids are found in corn oil, peanut oil and safflower oil to name a few.  These are all inexpensive oils that are used heavily in cookies, crackers and packaged snack foods.  Too much omega 6 in a diet can lead to heart disease, auto-immune disease, cancer, obesity, depression and other mood disorders.  All these disease states stem from inflammation.  The SAD is said to have an omega 6 to 3 ratio of 10:1 or 20:1 when it should ideally be at 2:1 to 4:1, that’s a huge difference!

So, how to bring your omega 6 to omega 3 ratio back in balance?

First things first…cut out the junk!  Stay away from those drive through windows and perfectly packaged ring-dings.  Second, swap out your oils.  Use olive oil instead of vegetable oils when cooking.  Third, pump up the omega 3 superfoods like chia seeds, hemp seeds, flax seeds, green leafy vegetables and sea vegetables.

This smoothie recipe will deliver a healthy dose of omega 3’s from the hemp seeds, flax seeds and spinach.  Plus,  it tastes good!

blueberry crumble smoothie ~vegan, gluten free~

Blueberry Crumble Smoothie

(makes 2 servings)

2 cups almond milk

1 frozen banana

2/3 to 1 cup frozen blueberries

1/4 cup old fashioned oats

2 dates, pitted

2 tablespoons flax seeds

2 tablespoons hemp seeds

1 teaspoon vanilla

and a large handful of baby spinach for good measure!

~blend and enjoy~

www.beginwithinnutrition.com

lemon blueberry muffins ~vegan & gluten-free~

Happy Friday!

I never knew vegan, gluten free, dairy free muffins could be so fluffy, moist and light!  These don’t fall short of sweetness either thanks to little bit of pure maple syrup.

 I hope you all have wonderful plans for the weekend!  Start it off by making a batch of these to enjoy!

lemon blueberry muffins ~vegan, gluten & dairy free~

Lemon Blueberry Muffins

adapted from happy.healthy.life

mix these together:

1 and 3/4 cups gluten free all purpose flour (I used Bob’s Red Mill but regular flour works too!)

3 teaspoons baking powder

1 heaping tablespoon ground flax seeds

melt these together:

1/2 cup coconut oil

1/2 cup maple syrup

1/2 cup almond milk

Fold in:

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 tablespoons lemon juice + 1 teaspoon lemon zest

1 large ripe banana, mashed

1 cup fresh blueberries

top with slivered almonds

lemon blueberry muffins ~vegan, gluten & dairy free~

1.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Line a muffin tin with cups.

2.  In a large bowl, mix together gluten free flour, salt, flax seeds and baking powder.

3.  In a small sauce pan, melt coconut oil over low heat and remove from flame.  In a small bowl add coconut oil with maple syrup and almond milk.

4.  Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix until combined.

5.  Fold in vanilla, lemon juice, zest, mashed banana and blueberries.

6.  Spoon into muffin cups, top with slivered almonds.

7.  Bake for 20 minutes or until tops are golden brown and center of muffin is set.

8.  Let cool and enjoy warm!

lemon blueberry muffins ~vegan, gluten & dairy free~

~The original recipe says this makes 12 muffins however, it actually made enough batter for 14 muffins~

www.beginwithinnutrition.com