Wild Blueberry Crisp

Become loyal to your innermost truth. Follow the way when all others abandon it. Walk the path of your own heart.
— Unknown

I made this crisp a few days ago, with the blueberries leftover from last year's late harvest. If you want to see exactly where my berries came from see this post from last year, and this one from last week. There's some gorgeous Alaskan photos!

I'm not at all ashamed to admit that I ate half this pan of crisp the day I made it, and the other half the next day. This is why I don't post a lot of dessert recipes on the blog, in case you ever wondered. Dreams of this crisp still fill my head at night.

Produce On Parade - Wild Blueberry Crisp

I'm staunchly anti-cobbler. Not sure why, really. You know how sometimes you just plain and simple don't like something when you know you should but you just don't. It's like that. I'm the same way with root beer floats and donuts. Every few years I will try a root beer float to see if I'll like it. Nope. Still hatin' on them for 20 straight years. Crisp is far superior to cobbler in every way. 

However, crisp can be a very fastidious and personal dessert. It might not seem that way with regards to how easy it is to throw to together, I know what you're thinking. But some people like it dry, and some like it soupy and sloppy (like me). Some like it sweet, and some not-so-sweet. I love the tartness of a little lemon juice to cut through the flavors, but others won't have it. It really depends on your preference.

Then there's the ice cream debate. I'm in the no-ice-cream crowd. Ice cream should be consumed all on it's own...in my opinion. 

To make thing worse, berry crisp can have a dramatically different texture if made with frozen berries or non-frozen. A different flavor, if using supermarket berries or wild. Whether the berries are super ripe and sweet, or underripe and tart will influence the taste. And finally, whether or not the berries are juicy will affect the amount of liquid in the crisp. Yep, it can definitely be a roll of the dice sometimes. 

Let's be real for a second though. Blueberries, maple syrup, oats, butter, pecans, and spices all mixed together will never ever be a bad thing, no matter how it turns out. You need this delightful end-of-summer crisp. There's even a little flax thrown in. Vegans are obsessed with flax. 

Produce On Parade - Wild Blueberry Crisp
Produce On Parade - Wild Blueberry Crisp
Produce On Parade - Wild Blueberry Crisp
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Wild Blueberry Crisp
A fresh, wild blueberry crisp with lemon, maple syrup, flax, and pecans. You won't be able to resist it's deliciousness!
Ingredients
  • Non-stick cooking spray
  • 1 lb. 4 oz. frozen, wild blueberries (keep frozen)
  • 3 Tbsp. ground flax seed, divided
  • 2 Tbsp. maple syrup
  • 1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
  • ½ tsp. vanilla extract
  • ½ cup whole wheat white flour
  • ½ cup packed brown sugar
  • ½ cup old-fashioned rolled oats, dry
  • ¼ cup whole pecans
  • ¼ tsp. kosher salt
  • ¼ tsp. ground cinnamon
  • dash of freshly ground nutmeg
  • ¼ cup chilled vegan butter, rough chopped
Instructions
Spray an 8x8 inch square glass baking dish with a nonstick cooking spray and preheat oven to 375 F.In a large bowl, add the frozen blueberries through and including the vanilla, using 2 Tbsp. of the ground flax. Mix well and spread evenly in the baking dish.In a food processor, add the flour through and including the nutmeg, using the remaining 1 Tbsp. of the ground flax. Pulse a few times to mix. Now, add the butter and pulse several times until it resembles a coarse meal and the butter chunks are no bigger than a pea size. Spread the mixture over the berries evenly.Bake in the oven for 40 minutes. I like to place a baking sheet under the crisp in case it boils over, but it rarely happens. Remove from the oven when the liquid is boiling around the edges and the top is browned.Once done, allow to rest for 10 minutes. This is very important, especially if you’ve got a soupier crisp. In addition, the leftovers will firm up quite a bit. Serve warm.
Details
Prep time: Cook time: Total time: Yield: 6
Produce On Parade - Wild Blueberry Crisp
Produce On Parade - Wild Blueberry Crisp

After half a pan of bluberry crisp on a dark and blustery evening, it felt right to just lay in bed and read. #noshame

Produce On Parade

German Word of The Day

Blueberry --> Heidelbeere (Highdel-bearah)

Good Deed of The Day

This is absolutely heartbreaking. Palm oil producers are poisoning pygmy elephants. Help take a stand. Call on the Prime Minister of Malaysia to protect the unique wildlife and stop the further destruction of rainforests, and restore the forest corridors to allow elephants to wander their remaining habitat. As a consumer, vote with your fork. Stop contributing to these monstrosities by refusing to buy products with palm oil. Many peanut butters, butter spreads, and snacking chips along with many other food products contain palm oil. 

Spiced Rum, Caramel, Cardamom Banana Ice Cream

It’s not a requirement to eat animals, we just choose to do it, so it becomes a moral choice and one that is having a huge impact on the planet, using up resources and destroying the biosphere.
— James Cameron

Let us take this time to thank Mr. Cameron for Avatar, Titanic, and his words of wisdom regarding veganism. Amen. Now, it's time for sweets! Did I mention this ice cream is salted too?! I couldn't fit it in the title...but everything is better salted. It's science.

Produce On Parade - Spiced Rum, Caramel, Cardamom Banana Ice Cream

I may have just had bananas and rum for dinner the other night. What?? Don't look at me that way. I'm fairly certain I remember one of the vegan food groups being banana and the other being rum. Okay, so that might be a bit of a fabrication, but bananas-runneth-over in our house right now and I had to think of something to do with them all.

Todd had ultimate frisbee the other night so it was sweets night for Katie and banana bread didn't feel right. Ice cream, however, always feels right. I kept this recipe very simple which allows the rum, cardamom, and banana flavors to really shine. Creamed dates lend a sweet, caramel flavor and if the ice cream sits over night, the cardamom mellows.

Spiced Rum, Caramel & Cardamom Banana Ice Cream 

Serves 4

Notes: The rum can be omitted but the ice cream will freeze harder without it. I recommend freezing it overnight unless you want it to be a sort of soft-serve consistency. 

Ingredients

  • 4 bananas, frozen and sliced
  • 2 dates, pitted
  • 2 Tbsp. spiced rum
  • 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
  • 1/4 tsp. xanthan gum (optional)
  • 1/4 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 1/8 tsp. ground cardamom

Instructions

Pulse everything in a food processor until creamy and smooth, scraping the sides as necessary. Store in an airtight container in the freezer. 

Produce On Parade - Spiced Rum, Caramel, Cardamom Banana Ice Cream
Produce On Parade - Spiced Rum, Caramel, Cardamom Banana Ice Cream

German Word of The Day

Ice cream headache --> Hirnfrost (hiln-frost)

Good Deed of The Day

Read this article about how the University of Oxford college voted for vegan meals to help fight climate change! Pretty cool! 

German Chocolate Cupcakes

Hello! How was your Father's Day weekend? I hope it was wonderful!

We had a little shindig involving cornhole (holeyboard) and Todd and I made some pretty awesome German Chocolate Cupcakes. Oh, there's one here!

Produce On Parade - German Chocolate Cupcakes

I did a pen and ink of a Chickadee for my dad on his very special day. He says he's been asking for a piece for a lifetime. I cannot recall such beseeching, but regardless...he has one now! It's come to my attention that I tend to be especially and excessively desirous of possessing all works of art I produce. It's just so difficult to give them away. I'm like Gollum. My preciousss. Just look at me below. "Fight me for it, Dad!" Just kidding, that didn't happen. 

Never have I sold any of my work, though I had a follower ask about such an arrangement and I might actually try it! For a long time I've had a kind of soaring of my imagination to have my work in one of our local coffee shops, Vagabond Blues, where different artists are showcased. Alas, I've never inquired about it. I do acrylics and watercolor too.

Produce On Parade
Produce On Parade
Produce On Parade
Produce On Parade
Produce On Parade

I didn't actually take a photo of it on the big ol' camera, but I did take one with my phone. Check Produce On Parade out on social media to see more!

Produce On Parade
Produce On Parade

Okay, now onto these unbelieveable cupcakes. My dad's favorite cake is German chocolate. Always with the German chocolate cake. Every daughter, wife, grandma, aunt, sister, and girlfriend of any directly related family member knows how to make this cake. It's also my Grandpa and my brother's must have dessert for any special occasion. It gets made a lot 'round these parts. 

So, for Father's Day, there was clearly no choice in the matter. Because there are so many different women who know how to make said cake, the duty kind of rotates every few years. This year though, instead of a cake, I thought I would seriously mix things up and go with cupcakes. Super ballsy of me, I know. It was a real curveball. But guess what else? They had to be vegan, of course! But guess what else?? I stuffed them with the frosting! Oh yes, my friends. Tradition breaker over here!

Produce On Parade - German Chocolate Cupcakes

These little dudes are so easy to make and they will seriously impress. The cake is completely scrumptious all on it's own as evidenced by my little brother who just dumped off the frosting and ate the chocolate cupcake plain. Thanks, Frosting-Hater. But really, the cake is one of the best around and the frosting is well...packed full of shredded coconut and crunchy pecans! These are loved by one who is ridiculously overenthusiastic about German chocolate cake, so you know they're the real deal. 

If you don't want to fill them with the frosting you don't have to, that's up to you! 

Produce On Parade - German Chocolate Cupcakes
Produce On Parade - German Chocolate Cupcakes

German Chocolate Cupcakes

Makes 12

Notes: If not filling the the cupcakes, cut the frosting recipe in half. Adapted from PetitChef. 

Ingredients

  • Batter
  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup vegan sugar
  • heaping 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1 tsp. baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
  • 1/3 cup coconut oil, melted (unrefined or refined)
  • 1 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 1 tsp. white vinegar
  • 1 cup room-temperature coffee (or water)
  • Frosting
  • 1 1/3 cups soy or coconut milk
  • 1 1/4 cups vegan sugar
  • 1 tsp. vanilla extract 
  • 1 tsp. coconut extract (optional)
  • 1/3 cup cornstarch
  • 1/4 cup cold water
  • 2 cups shredded coconut
  • 1 cup pecans, chopped finely 

Instructions

Cupcakes

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour through to and including the salt. In a small mixing bowl or blender, whisk together the remaining, wet batter ingredients. 

Slowing stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until the batter is smooth and shiny. 

Preheat the oven to 350 F and arrange a cupcake pan with 12 cupcake liners. Evenly distribute the batter into the liners. Don't worry if they seem a bit full, they won't expand too much I promise! Bake at 350 F for about 25 minutes until fragrant and the tops bounce back when lightly pressed. 

Remove from pan and allow to rest on a wire cooling rack. 

Frosting

While the cupcakes bake, in a medium saucepan over medium high combine the milk, sugar, and vanilla. Heat until almost boiling, whisking frequently. 

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk together the cold water and cornstarch. Slowly whisk the cornstarch liquid into the milk and sugar mixture. Continue to whisk until very thick and difficult to stir. 

Remove from heat and stir in the coconut and pecans. Allow to cool for about 30 minutes before spreading onto the cupcakes. 

To Fill With Frosting

If you want to add a bit of awesomeness to these cupcakes, feel free to stuff them with the frosting! If you've never done it before, never fear, it's super easy. Here's how. With photos to boot!

When the cupcakes have cooled, cut a square into the top of the cupcake down to the bottom with a paring knife. Wiggle out the square with the knife blade and fill the hole with frosting. Cut off the top of the square and push it back into place, covering the frosting cave. Then, spread more frosting all over the top of the cupcake. Voila! Eat the little bits of leftover cake.

And there you have it. Amazing German chocolate cupcakes, vegan-style!

Produce On Parade - German Chocolate Cake
Produce On Parade - German Chocolate Cake

I know you love little informative infographics so here's one on how to fill a cupcake. Yay!

Produce On Parade - How To Fill A Cupcake

German Word of The Day

Chocolate cake --> Schokoladenkuchen (shockolaaden-koohen)

Good Deed of The Day

Am I the only person who is completely shocked that pets are still sold in stores? It's pretty f-ed up with happens to them. Let's put an end to it, eh? Please help stop the grisly pet trade. It only takes five seconds!