Feed Your Wild Side

MISSION, KS--(Marketwired - Apr 7, 2014) - (Family Features) If you love to cook, discover the wild advantage and fill your freezer with Wild Blueberries. Packed with more intense blueberry flavor and two times the antioxidants of regular blueberries, Wild Blueberries are wildly different from the cultivated blueberries you find in the fresh produce section. Don't be fooled by their small size, these berries pack more flavor and antioxidant power into their tiny blue bodies than any other blueberry on this big blue planet. This makes them the blueberry of choice for anyone interested in cooking, baking, making smoothies and more.

Here are four delicious recipes from four talented food bloggers with a shared love for tiny, potent Wild Blueberries and a passion for developing innovative, healthy and tasty twists on the classics everyone loves. Our suggestion is to try them all and feed your wild side.

For more delicious recipes, visit www.wildblueberries.com.

A Healthy Choice
A growing body of research is establishing Wild Blueberries as a potential ally to protect against cancer, heart disease and Alzheimer's disease -- so it's no surprise that more and more people are picking Wild Blueberries than ever before.

A Tasty and Easy Option
Convenience and freshness are frozen right in. Wild Blueberries are individually quick-frozen within 24 hours of harvest, locking in their intense blueberry flavor, nutrition and antioxidant power. Find them in your grocer's freezer in convenient re-sealable bags and make sure you get the wild ones.

Gluten-Free Orange Pancakes with Wild Blueberry-Orange Sauce
Recipe by Katie Heddleston, Healthy Heddleston, www.katieheddleston.com
Yield: 12 to 15 thin pancakes, depending on size
Wild Blueberry-orange sauce:
1/2	cup frozen Wild Blueberries
1	tablespoon freshly squeezed orange juice
1/2	teaspoon orange zest
1	teaspoon granulated sugar (or honey)
Orange pancakes:
1/2	cup plus 2 tablespoons gluten-free flour
1	tablespoon granulated sugar (or honey)
1/2	teaspoon baking powder
1/2	teaspoon baking soda
1/4	teaspoon salt
1/4	cup freshly squeezed orange juice
1/4	cup milk
1	egg
1/2	teaspoon orange zest
1	tablespoon melted butter or margarine

First make sauce. In small sauce pan, combine all ingredients and place on low heat while preparing pancakes. Stir occasionally. Smash Wild Blueberries to desired consistency.

To make pancakes, combine all dry ingredients in a medium mixing bowl. Then add in wet ingredients. Whisk everything together until well combined; batter will be thin. On griddle or electric skillet preheat to medium heat. Make sure pan is hot before scooping batter. Using 1/4-cup scoop, pour batter (but not whole scoopful into pancake shapes on griddle). Batter is thin so not much is needed for each pancake. Wait until pancake bubbles before flipping. Flip and cook other side. Continue process until all batter is used. Pour sauce over pancakes while warm.

Note: Only one orange is needed for fresh juice and zest for both pancakes and sauce.

Wild Blueberry Polenta with Grilled Onions and Sausage
Recipe by Mireya Merritt, My Healthy Eating Habits, www.myhealthyeatinghabits.com
Yield: 4 servings
Onions:
1 1/2	large onions, cut in half and thinly sliced, about 4 cups
1 1/2	tablespoons olive oil
Polenta:
4	cups water
1	teaspoon salt
1	cup yellow cornmeal
1 3/4	cups frozen Wild Blueberries
Sausage:
2	teaspoons olive oil
4	sausages, prepared according to package instructions

Saute onions in 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil until lightly caramelized, about 25 minutes. About 15 minutes before onions are ready, heat water in 4-quart saucepan until comes to a boil. Add salt and slowly whisk in cornmeal. Stir frequently until the polenta thickens up and texture is smooth. Carefully stir in frozen blueberries, trying not to break them. Cook one minute and then turn off the heat, cover the pot and allow polenta to rest 1 to 2 minutes.

To serve, place large spoonful of Wild Blueberry polenta on plate, top with grilled onions and then place one sausage, sliced or whole, on top of onions. Serve with sliced oranges or garden salad.

Wild Blueberry, Coconut and Ginger Smoothie
Recipe by Rachael Hartley, An Avocado A Day, www.anavocadoaday.blogspot.com
Yield: 1 serving
1	cup frozen Wild Blueberries
1	cup 2 percent plain yogurt
1/4	cup light coconut milk
2	tablespoons unsweetened, shredded coconut
1/2	teaspoon grated fresh ginger

Place all ingredients in blender and blend until smooth. Serve immediately.

Wild Blueberry Coconut Granola Bars
Recipe by Ashley Harper Evans, The Gypsy Dietitian, www.ashleyharperevans.com
Yield: 16 servings
Crust:
6	tablespoons warm water
2	tablespoons flax meal
1/2	cup almonds, ground into flour
2	cups gluten-free all-purpose flour
3/4	cup stevia in the raw
1 1/2	teaspoons baking powder
1/2	teaspoon coarse salt
1/4	cup unsweetened apple sauce
1/2	cup coconut oil, cold, cut into pieces
3/4	teaspoon pure vanilla extract
	Wild Blueberry Chia Jam (see below)
	Almond-Coconut Granola (see below)
Granola:
2	tablespoons coconut oil
3	tablespoons pure maple syrup
2	tablespoons water
1	teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1	cup old-fashioned rolled oats
1/3	cup slivered or chopped almonds
1/4	cup unsweetened shredded coconut
1/2	teaspoon cinnamon
1/8	teaspoon cloves
1/8	teaspoon coarse salt
Wild blueberry chia jam:
3	cups wild blueberries
1/4	cup pure maple syrup
2	tablespoons chia seeds
1	teaspoon pure vanilla extract

First prepare crust. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 9-by-13-inch baking dish with foil. Coat with cooking spray and set aside. Prepare flax egg by combining warm water and flax in small bowl and let sit for 10 minutes, whisking a couple of times until gel forms. Process almonds in food processor until finely ground. Add flour, stevia, baking powder and salt and pulse to combine. Pour into large bowl. Add applesauce and stir until evenly mixed. Cut in coconut oil until evenly distributed. Add vanilla extract to flax egg, then pour over flour mixture and mix until dough is formed. Pour dough into baking dish and spread until covering bottom of dish. Prick dough all over with fork and bake until edges are golden, about 25 minutes. Let cool.

Next, prepare granola. Preheat oven to 275°F. In small sauce pan over low heat, melt together coconut oil and maple syrup. Remove from heat and stir in water and vanilla extract. In separate bowl, stir together oats, almonds, coconut, cinnamon, cloves and salt. Pour oil mixture over oat mixture; stir until combined. Evenly spread out granola on large rimmed baking sheet. Bake, stirring frequently, until golden brown, 30 minutes. Set aside and let cool.

Lastly prepare jam. In medium sauce pan, over medium-high heat combine wild blueberries and maple syrup. Continuously stir and mash blueberries and bring to a simmer for about five minutes. Add chia seeds and continue to stir and mash. Turn heat to low-medium and let cook for about 10 minutes. Once jam has thickened up, stir in vanilla. Remove from heat and set aside.

Spread jam over crust and top with granola. Bake until jam is bubbling and granola topping is browned, about 15 minutes longer. Let cool, then and cut into 16 squares.

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