Christine Tizzard in St. John’s, Newfoundland, June 7 – 11 for In-Studio Segment Demonstrations

May 2, 2017

St. John’s, Newfoundland native and lifelong lover of wild blueberries, Christine Tizzard is a chef, healthy-eating advocate and founder of The 3-Way Chef, a YouTube Channel where each week she invites viewers into her kitchen to demonstrate how to cook one ingredient or one recipe three ways.

Wild blueberries are Christine’s personal favourite as they’re not only delicious but they pack a powerful punch of protection and rank number one in antioxidant activity in more than 20 fruits.  Just a half cup a day of these tiny but potent berries can help reduce the risk of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.

Christine will be in St. John’s, Newfoundland from Wednesday June 7 – 11 and is available for in-studio segments to do cooking demonstrations and to share her knowledge and love of wild blueberries and their numerous health benefits.

See below for two of Christine’s delicious wild blueberry recipes.  More are available on the Wild Blueberry Association of North America’s website.

Vegan Wild Blueberry Lemon Seed Loaf
Makes: 1 loaf pan or 1 8 X 8 square pan
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes

This spiced up version of lemon poppy seed is bright, tangy and speckled with a variety of super seeds. The added kick of spice makes a slice of this loaf the perfect companion to afternoon tea. I use coconut oil, nut milk and ground flax to make this vegan. If the mild licorice tones of anise seem too adventurous for you, try cardamom. Cardamom will lend a lightly floral fragrance and minty flavour.

Ingredients:
1 cup milk or unsweetened milk alternative
Juice of 1 lemon
Zest of 1 lemon
3/4 cup honey, warmed in pot if super thick
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/3 cup melted coconut oil
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 Tbsp    ground flax
1 Tbsp    ground pumpkin seeds
2 Tbsp    chia seeds
2 Tbsp    hemp (hearts) seeds
2 Tbsp sesame seeds
1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour of choice (spelt, organic, gluten-free)
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp ground anise or cardamom
Pinch salt
1 cup frozen wild blueberries

Method:

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F and grease pan with coconut oil.
  2. In large bowl stir together wet ingredients with all seeds and lemon zest. Set aside for a few minutes to thicken.
  3. In a medium sized bowl whisk remaining dry ingredients together.
  4. Stir dry into wet ingredients until just combined. Fold in wild blueberries.
  5. Pour into greased pan and bake 40 minutes or until cake tester comes out clean.

Saved My Life

I don’t know how many times I have gone to bake something to realize that someone has put an empty milk carton back in the fridge and eaten all the eggs. Having flax and chia seeds in the pantry along with a tetra pack of shelf stable almond milk means that I always have back up.

 Tips:
Lesson Learned Here: Substituting flax or chia for eggs
1 Tbsp of ground chia or flax mixed with 3 Tbsp water = 1 egg 

Wild Blueberry Pie
Makes: 8 servings
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook time: 40–45 minutes
Total Time: 1 hr 15 minutes

Ingredients:
1 single crust or double crust pastry dough
6-8 cups frozen wild blueberries
1/2–3/4 cane sugar
3 Tbsp cornstarch
Juice of half a lemon
1 Tbsp pure vanilla extract or scraped seeds of 1 vanilla bean
Pinch salt
Optional flavourings: 1 Tbsp orange or lemon zest, 1 tsp ground cinnamon, 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg, 2 tsp grated fresh ginger or 1/4 tsp ground allspice
1 Tbsp butter
For double crust: 1 egg, beaten, for egg wash

 Method:

  1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
  2. Roll out 1/2 of pie dough into a 12-inch circle then refrigerate dough in pie plate while preparing fruit filling.
  3. Place all prepared fruit into large bowl. Toss with sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice, vanilla, salt and any other additional flavourings. Let sit for 15 minutes.
  4. If making double crust pie, roll out second disk at this time.
  5. Fill pie crust in plate with fruit and any juices. Dot with butter.
  6. Cover with second crust, trimming any overhang more than 1/2 inch beyond lip. Tuck double overhang underneath itself, flute edges or use fork to crimp. Make sure you provide at least one vent by making a few slits with a knife. Brush with egg wash.
  7. Place pie on baking sheet to prevent any bubbling fruit from dripping. Bake 20 minutes then, reduce heat to 350°F, and continue to bake an additional 20 minutes or until juices are bubbling and crust is golden. Transfer to a wire rack for at least 1 hour to cool before serving.

Tips:

  1. Dotting the fruit with butter adds an extra later of richness to your pie.
  2. Pie is better after it has cooled. I like to bake my pies first thing in the morning to let everything firm up a bit, but if not, nobody seems to ever mind a runny pie.