Blueberry Vinaigrette

So, I don't know about you, but when blueberry season arrives Ashlyn and I do a little dance in our living room and yes Mark just sits back and rolls his eyes with a little grin on his face. I can't help it because to me blueberry season should be celebrated! I am obsessed and I am sure I am taking my daughter with me. Ashlyn can't get enough of these little treasures although she prefers the raw approach of just grabbing handfuls out of the fridge. The funny thing about her and blueberries is that she can tell just by tasting them that blueberry season is over. Last year around her 2nd birthday I bought some blueberries at the end of the season, OK probably way after the season ended, and she refused to eat them after tasting one. But, this year when the season started again she has been seen with a little ring of purple around her mouth.

Especially this year once I saw the blueberries pop up in stores and started to go on sale all of these ideas swirl in my head of blueberry syrup on pancakes, blueberry muffins, and blueberry cheezecake. Today, since it is my first recipe and I wanted to keep it simple I settled on a blueberry vinaigrette and I am so glad I did. I have to give credit to all those food bloggers out there because I did not realize how long the whole process takes until I did it myself.

Now when I settled on this recipe I did remember that in my first post I made a comment about not being a rabbit. All of a sudden the song "Isn't it Ironic" popped into my head. Of course it is ironic that I make a comment about salads and then my first recipe is a salad. So since I haven't heard that song since probably early high school I had to hum it to myself while preparing this recipe. Anyway enough with my ramblings and on to the show!


Blueberry Vinaigrette on a Mixed Greens Salad

Vinaigrette Ingredients:

1 cup blueberries
4 Tbs red wine vinegar
3 Tbs olive oil
2 Tbs honey
1/4 tsp thyme *yes this is missing from the pic
salt and pepper to taste (I used 1/2 tsp salt and 1/8 tsp pepper)


Preparation:

Put all ingredients in the blender and turn on high. Now if you have a high powered blender like a Vita mix you probably won't have to blend as long. It will start off looking like a hot mess.

But, I promise it does get better just keep blending.

I think I blended anywhere from 3-5 minutes and then I got a dressing that I had to control myself not to drink. YUMMY!

Chill before serving in an air tight container. The longer it sits in the fridge the more the flavors will develop. If it sits for awhile it may separate, so give it a shake and it will come together.



Salad Ingredients:

Combination of lettuce and spinach or any mixed greens will do
1/2 of a Red Pepper
Handful of Cherry Tomatoes
1/2 of an Avocado
Handful of Radishes
1/4 cup raw sunflower seeds
1/4 cup raw pumpkin seeds

*Feel free to use whatever salad ingredients you have on hand, this is just what I had in my fridge. If I had them on hand I probably would have added a handful of strawberries and a 1/4 cup of sliced almonds as well.


Add the sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds to a dry saute pan and turn the heat to medium low. You are going to toast the seeds. Keep a very close eye on these as they do burn easily. Saute giving them a toss every minute or so. Your nose will know when they are done (or burnt believe me I have been there). When they are done they will have turned golden in color. I didn't cook these long enough to develop a super golden color (sorry I was starving), but there are a few golden ones in there.

Mix all of your salad ingredients together pour on your delicious dressing and commence to stuff your face. I hope you enjoy this recipe and I promise there are a lot more to come. Have an amazing day!