I Got the Blueberry Blues
It’s no news to you, Darling, that summer is officially here, and the longest day of the calendar year is nigh. June is soon a memory. And blueberries will be making their post solstice appearance in the northern states.
So if you must skip to the recipe- do so now– who am I to hold you back, to deny you even one more minute of partaking in this modest indulgence?
But I confess, I am in a waxing mood today. Listening to bird calls in the yard. Learning how to age gracefully. Measuring time not in coffee spoons, but tea spoons.
I believe in the here and now (more than the promise of ever-after). Not that ever-after doesn’t hold enduring, magnetic charms. The swath we name Eternity is threaded through and through with everyday blinks as brief as a silk worm’s life.
Which, as it turns out, is perilously close to a single, fleeting summer. Even one spent indoors, isolated from friends and family.
In my view, if I am honest with myself and paying attention, Eternity can be found inside a simple act. Refilling the bird feeder. Remembering a child’s hand clasp. Laughing into a tea cup.
All that I long for, wish for, dream of, has already happened, and will return, this I know.
In some far off starlit part of me that remains forever untouchable and true, Eternity is happening now, and breathes within the tiny beating bud of even my fears and pain. It knows no boundaries, or Gregorian demarcation. It is patient. And full of music. If we listen.
I see it flicker in a favorite photograph of my sons’ eyes.
This gift of time.
And the moment I spot it, it is already gone, light years away, clean and immaculate.
So. Be well.
Now go bake some blueberry crumble.
Nothing evokes the pleasures of summer like a fresh blueberry crumble, warm and purple and sweet. I used quinoa flakes and millet flour for the gluten-free crumble-crisp topping. Quinoa flakes have a light, delicately nutty flavor that pairs beautifully with brown sugar, cinnamon and blueberries. Blueberry crumble-crisp is a gluten-free family favorite (you may remember this recipe), now made even tastier with new ingredients. And no xanthan gum.
Ingredients:
2 pints fresh blueberries, washed
1 tablespoon turbinado or raw sugar
2/3 cup quinoa flakes
2/3 cup GF millet flour
2/3 cup organic light brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/2 cup virgin coconut oil
Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Rub the inside of a 9-inch baking or gratin dish with a dab of coconut oil.
Place the blueberries into a bowl and sprinkle with the turbinado sugar. Toss to coat. Pour them into the greased baking dish and distribute evenly.
In a separate bowl, combine the quinoa flakes, GF millet flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and sea salt. Add the coconut oil. Stir in or rub the coconut oil and dry mixture together to create a sandy, crumbly texture.
Sprinkle the crumble topping over the blueberries.
Bake in the center of a pre-heated oven till browned and slightly bubbling. Check for desired tenderness with a fork. I baked mine for 25 minutes because I like my berries tender but not soft. If you prefer your fruit traditionally soft, bake it for 35 minutes.
Set the crumble aside on a rack and allow it to cool a bit before serving. I love it slightly warm from the oven.
A scoop of vegan Coconut Vanilla Ice Cream is entirely optional.
Serves 6.
Recipe Source: glutenfreegoddess.blogspot.com
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Recipe Notes:
This is a vegan gluten-free recipe (dairy-free) but if you prefer using butter, use butter instead of coconut oil.
Quinoa flakes are found in the hot cereal section of many natural markets. They are light, nutty tasting, and packed with protein.
To substitute millet in this recipe I’d use sorghum flour. Or try GF buckwheat flour (if you enjoy the taste of buckwheat).
Please make sure the millet flour you use is indeed gluten-free. Some brands of gluten-free flour are testing with higher than acceptable levels of gluten cross contamination. If cross contamination is an important issue for you and your family, I suggest you subscribe to Gluten-Free Watchdog, like I do.
I don’t add nuts to my blueberry crumbles or crisps- but if you love a good nut with your berries, darling, add a half cup chopped nuts to the topping.
An earlier version of this Gluten-Free Goddess® recipe originally appeared in Allergic Living.
