Month: June 2016

Driving home from work, munching happily on the couple of Blueberry PB&J Bites I saved for an early evening snack, I realized that these would make a neat cookie sandwich with a little fruit sorbet, or an equally cute little fruit tartlet with yogurt and fresh berries.

Anticipating another post-work treat, I couldn’t wait to try it out, so I rerouted to the store and got an orange and a small tub of plain yogurt (thanks to Summer, there’s plenty of berries at home). Some wonderfully fragrant zest and juice later, and the Bright Berry Summer Tartlets were born!

Start by rinsing and zesting your orange (if you don’t have a zester, use a vegetable peeler to take only the orange part of the rind, and chop it up). Then, peel the orange and squeeze the juice from 3-4 pieces into your yogurt (chop the remaining orange slices for garnish or do what I did and enjoy the rest of the orange as you assemble 😉).

Next, take half of a batch of Blueberry PB&J bites, based on the basic version listed here:

Blueberry PB & J Bites

Lay them on a platter, and divide the contents of the yogurt mixture to spread over the tops. Garnish with the zest, berries and/or berries & chopped orange.

These little bites are crunchy, sweet, savory and bright with a tangy citrus finish. Enjoy!

 

 

It’s finally Summer! The beautiful bright sun shines well past 8, long walks at the lake reveal all sorts of beautiful new flowers and plants, and fresh berries are everywhere from farm stands to your favorite market.

These treats capture a little of that summery cheer, sweet and a little savory, with a nice crunch from the nuts. However, if you prefer to go nut free, you can leave them out of the mixture and they still taste great! While I used blueberries here, your favorite berry (or mixture of berries) is also delicious.

Enjoy!

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Blueberry PB & J Bites
Copyright 2016 Lauren Bradford (aka The Food Puzzler)

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Total time: 15 minutes
Yield: 24-2 ounce bites (as pictured)*
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Ingredients:

1 pint fresh blueberries, rinsed and stems removed
1-12 ounce container of plain raisins
3/4 cup unsweetened 5-grain cereal (I use a brand by Old Wessex, with Oats, Triticale, Flax, Rye and Barley)
1/2 cup peanuts (optional)
4 tbsp chia seeds

Steps:

1. Place the first 4 ingredients in your food processor (or first 3 if omitting nuts) and pulse until the mixture is well blended.

2. Transfer the mixture to a bowl and stir in the chia seeds. Let rest 10 minutes.

3. Using a tablespoon, take 2 scoops and form them into a patty.

*If you prefer truffle-shaped, use 2 teaspoon-size scoops (you’ll have more than twice the yield stated above). If you prefer bar-size, use 4 tablespoon-size scoops (you’ll have half the yield stated stated above).

4. Store in an airtight container in either the refrigerator for one week or freezer for three months.