Blueberry season this year has been the best I can ever remember it! We were eating punnets full by the day. I have been surprised to find out that blueberries are a source of omega 3! This is one of the reasons blueberries have been shown to help with memory recall in young children (1). My toddler is obsessed with blueberries, and interestingly as I write this post I am reminded of how many times I point out to my husband that our child has an outstandingly good memory for his age! I am very proud of him for it, but I also worry that he may be remembering things that I wish he would forget! Blueberries are also great for adult memory.
In a study that tested various fruits and their association with decreasing the risk of breast cancer in postmenopausal women, blueberries came out on top! (2) Blueberries are also a great source of vitamin c which can help boost progesterone production in the luteal phase leading to a decreased risk of miscarriage and also more stable mood with less PMS (3).
All the reason to eat more blueberries! They are a true superfood. I am very grateful that in Australia I have access to fresh blueberries all year long. The recipe also uses my favourite: hazelnuts. Hazelnuts are quite a high source of dietary folate, folate has long been known for its beneficial effects in pregnancy in helping prevent neural tube defects like spina bifida, researchers believe this is due to the action of folate on progesterone. Folate is thought to increase progesterone production and also reduce the risk of sporadic anovulation (a cycle where there is no ovulation) (4) The hazelnuts in this slice gives the dessert a very unique flavour. It’s quite different from many of the desserts I have made, but only uses a handful of ingredients. Like all my desserts, the recipe is vegan, refined sugar-free and this one is gluten-free as well. Enjoy!
| Raw Vegan Blueberry Hazelnut Slice | Print |
- Base :
- 1 cup roasted hazelnuts
- 1 cup pitted dates
- 1-2 tsp water if needed
- Filling:
- 3 cups cashews (soaked in boiling water for 15 minutes - I use a kettle or soaked overnight)
- 9 tbsp maple syrup
- 14 tbsp almond milk
- 4 tbsp cacao butter melted (or sub coconut oil)
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup blueberries
- In a food processor process the hazelnuts and dates, adding a little water if not sticky enough. Press down onto a lined square 8 cm baking tin.
- Meltdown cacao butter on the stove on low heat until liquid. Place all the filling ingredients except blueberries into a blender and blend until smooth.
- Pour out half the mixture on top of the hazelnut base and place in the freezer to set for 30 minutes.
- Add blueberries to the remaining mixture in the blender and blend again until smooth. Once white layer has firmed, pour blue layer on top, smooth and set in the freezer for 4 hours. Slice and enjoy with extra blueberries
1.https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00394-018-1843-6
2.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3641647/
3.https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12909517/
4.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3458830/
