Blueberries

Blueberry pancakes browning on the griddle. — We ate them too quickly to get a picture of them being served.

Blueberries get their color from the flavonoid class called anthocyanins. They contain 15 different types of these anthocyanins which are powerful antioxidants that are as strong in your frozen blueberries as they are in freshly picked.^[1] So freeze away! The anthocyanins are what makes blueberries a functional food, which means they contain biologically active compounds that contribute to their health-promoting properties and aid in the prevention of disease. Blueberries are known for their cardiovascular protection, antidiabetic properties, vision improvement properties, and they decrease free radical damage to DNA that can lead to cancer. They also decrease growth and stimulate self-destruction of mouth, breast, colon and prostate cancer cells.^[2]

If you thought blueberries were only in season in spring, you’ll be as surprised as I was to find out they were ready to pick last weekend. I was back out at the Blueberry Gardens and Healing Center in Ashton, MD, and there was a u-pick sign for the back rows of blueberries.

I wanted to make blueberry granola pancakes but I was out of granola so I put a cup of Kashi Go Lean Crisp (Toasted Berry Crumble) cereal in a zip bag and squashed it with a rolling pin. Even though my buttermilk had a “sell by” date in the past, it hadn’t been opened and was still good. The pancakes came out perfect. It’s important not to have the pan too hot so the blueberries don’t burn before the pancakes brown. My griddle was at 325. This recipe made 11 pancakes for me, so you may need to double it.

Blueberry Kashi Pancakes
1 C flour
1 T organic coconut palm sugar
1 t baking powder
1/2 t baking soda
1/4 t salt
1 C buttermilk
1 egg
2 T melted butter
1 t vanilla
1 C crushed Kashi (Go Lean Crisp) cereal
1 C blueberries
Mix the dry ingredients (flour through the salt) in a large bowl. In a small bowl whisk the buttermilk and egg. Melt the butter in a cup in the microwave and stir in the vanilla; whisk into the buttermilk mixture. Stir the wet ingredients into the flour mixture just until combined. Fold in the cereal then the blueberries.

Spray a pan or griddle on medium-low heat. When batter starts to bubble in the pancakes, gently flip them over.

[1] “The Change of Total Anthocyanins in Blueberries and Their Antioxidant Effect After Drying and Freezing,” V. Lohachoompoi, G. Srzednicki, and J. Craske, Journal of Biomedicine and Biotechnology, Dec. 1, 2004; Issue 5, pgs. 248-252.