Sunday, January 10, 2010

Wild Blueberry Fool with Lemon and Bourbon


Tonight for dinner we had black bean soup and a baby spinach salad with avocado, cucumber and grape tomatoes dressed with vinaigrette made of fresh lemon juice, flaxseed oil (for omega 3) and dried oregano. It was an easy dinner that was tasty and filling. That is beautiful thing about beans. They cook with little attention and keep you full a long time.

After the dinner we had an equally quick wild blueberry fool. I used chia seeds to help the tofu firm up. The also provide omega 3 fatty acids which are anti-inflammatory. Lemon zest was included in the tofu mixture since it works well with blueberries. Since I didn’t want the acidity from the lemon juice I used the zest instead. As I reaching for the almond extract I thought of bourbon and changed my mind. A few years ago I had a blueberry julep and remembered the combination so I went with a tablespoon of bourbon. It adds more aroma than anything else. You can substitute vanilla if you wish but I like the bourbon.  This recipe is a healthier version of one I posted here.  Here is what we had tonight for dessert.

Wild Blueberry Fool with Lemon and Bourbon
Serves 3 (a double for Dan and a single for me)

Ingredients:

1 tablespoons white chia seeds, freshly ground
12.3 ounces firm organic silken tofu
1 lemon, zest only
1 tablespoon bourbon (substitute: ½ teaspoon of vanilla and 2 ½ teaspoons water)
1 scoop stevia (or to taste)
1 cup frozen wild blueberries

Directions:

Grind the white chia seeds in a spice mill. I use a coffee grinder that I reserve just for grinding seeds.

In your food process combine the ground chia seeds, tofu, lemon zest, bourbon, and stevia and process until smooth. Stir the wild blueberries into the tofu until combined. Taste for sweetness before storing. You may need to add more sweetener to your taste. Refrigerate until cold.

Serve cold topped with a few sliced almonds if desired.

Nutritional Information:

Amount Per Serving
Calories - 129.84
Calories From Fat (27%) - 34.85

Total Fat - 3.94g
Saturated Fat - 0.56g
Cholesterol - 0mg
Sodium - 42.51mg
Potassium - 232.96mg
Total Carbohydrates - 12.45g
Fiber - 1.31g
Sugar - 1.56g
Protein - 8.99g

Comments:

This dessert was very fast and tastes more complex than it should. Both the hubby and I enjoyed this dessert. In fact he told me I could make it again any time. I would say that means it was a success.

Unrelated Note:

Tomorrow is another hectic day at our house. However, I should be back after lunch. I hope you all have a good evening. I will be back as soon as I can.

18 comments:

  1. Your pictures really suck me in! Everything looks so tasty - and this fool sounds delicious! You are such a creative cook!

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  2. Hi Alicia,
    Your dessert looks and sounds oh so good! I'm always amazed by your nutritional info. I've never thought of having dessert which is full of potassium and protein like this before. How wonderful!

    Oh,the black bean soup and baby spinach salad sound fantastic and super easy, YUM!

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  3. Holla,

    Thanks! My hubby really liked this. The concept works with any fruit. There is also a variation on the blog with peach. The chia seeds add just enough thickness to make the texture of the base different from tofu.

    Oraphan,

    When I first started calculating the nutrition of everything we eat I was surprised to. I have learned a lot about what is in the specific ingredients by looking at the recipes everyday. Having that knowledge makes it much easier for me to plan more nutritionally complete meals.

    talk to you later, got to run and get ready to leave here,
    Alicia

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  4. Ok, that dessert looks so tasty. I am a sucker for a treat after dinner.

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  5. That looks lovely! We love berries for dessert too:)

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  6. Heather,

    This was my variation of the tofu mousse from the last issue of Oxygen. I hope you like it.

    Alicia

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  7. Oh cool. You had mentioned you were going to try doing something with that recipe!

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  8. Janet,

    Sorry for the delay in replying. I was out of the house and am still trying to figure out the new phone. I am not too good with technology.

    We eat a lot of berries for dessert too, but this way I could get a little protein in the mix. It was quite good. I really liked the bourbon aroma (but I am just that way) ;)

    talk to you later,
    Alicia

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  9. Heather,

    The chia seeds go a good job of tightening the tofu to make it thicker. I have been trying quite a few chia experiments recently. They are much more versatile than I originally anticipated.

    Alicia

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  10. Looks wonderful! I'm eating eat with my eyes.

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  11. Rose,

    It was good. I think even John might like it. ;)

    Alicia

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  12. The fool sounds spectacular! And I could even eat this version (minus the bourbon, that is) ;)

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  13. Ricki,

    Thanks! Your mousse the other day reminded me to make this again. :) My earlier versions used light coconut milk and low fat silken tofu resulting in a similar overall fat percentage.

    Alicia

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  14. Not only does this sound delicious, but I love the title.

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  15. Beatrice,

    Thanks! Was it the fool or the bourbon that pulled you in? For me it is definitely the bourbon, just a touch. ;)

    Alicia

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  16. Yum--that fool sounds amazing! Do you think it would work with flax in place of the chia seeds?

    Courtney

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  17. Courtney,

    I think it may work with flaxseeds but I haven't tried it. I used white chia since I thought it would be less obvious in the final dessert. If you try the flax please let me know if it works.

    Alicia

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  18. As soon as I get some frozen blueberries I will let you know--this is on my "to make" list for sure!

    Courtney

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