Thursday, August 23, 2007

Fresh Blueberry Oat Squares

Don't you want to bite the screen? I saw the August cover of Canadian Living magazine while in line at the grocery store and immediately thought "I must make those!" (vegan of course, and Dreena-style!)


Off to the kitchen I went, loosely following my recipe for Delish Date Squares in Vive for the oat crust base, and then changing up the filling using fresh blueberries. These look just as delicious as the Canadian Living version (imo; just not as 'tidy'!), taste spectacular, and unlike their version these bars do not include any butter, white flour, or white sugar - and are wheat-free!

Aren't blueberry-filled desserts supremely delicious? Their only drawback are their characteristic tell-tale signs. The purpley-blue teeth! (Entirely worth it though!)Reminds me of a story as a child. My mom had a big bucket of fresh blueberries. We ate some of the fresh berries, and then she told us (me) to leave the rest for her baking (or jams, I can't remember what she was using them for - that didn't matter to me at the time, because I wasn't really listening). So, she was busy bathing my younger sister. I went into the bathroom and sat on the tub to join them and talk.

My mom asked "Dreena, were you eating the blueberries?". "No!", I emphatically (but sheepishly) answered. "Are you sure?" she asked. "Yes", I answered with a big smile. But no fibbing could get past the proof... in my teeth! She remembers that story to this day and laughs every time saying "no, mom, I wasn't eating blueberries"... and flashes me a big smile.

I have to run through this recipe again, then I'll post it so you can flash 'em your bestest blueberry smile! :)

19 comments:

Anonymous said...

Love the story. You can never get anything by a mom. :-)

The blueberry recipe sounds and looks so yummy. I can't believe summer is almost over but that means concord grapes are now available. So delish!

Anonymous said...

Doh! Anonymous was me -- The Veggie Vixen.

julie hasson said...

That is a great story Dreena. I've been eating so many berries this summer I feel like I've constantly got blue/purple teeth.

Do you think this recipe would work with frozen blueberries? I can't wait to give your recipe a spin, something other than pie ;-)

MeloMeals said...

these look GREAT!

I am so excited for your new cookbook... I pre-ordered it a month ago and just looked at your photos and wow... looks awesome..

LizNoVeggieGirl said...

oh, Dreena - I love that you are posting more frequently, and revealing more DELICIOUS recipes (and you know how much I appreciate the no-butter, refined sugar aspects!! thank you so much!!) - blueberries are one of my favorite fruits, and I'm always looking for new ways to enjoy them!

haha, I love the story - it's always great to remember those moments from our past. I have a few stories like that of my own :0)

Anonymous said...

cute story!

the recipe sounds great, cant wait !

myrtle said...

those look delish!

Looking forward to the recipe.

Dr. Melissa West said...

Mmmm, these look fantastic. I inherited my love of blueberries from my amazing grandmother who loves blueberries perhaps more than any other human alive.

I remember when I lived out west in Port Coquitlam blueberries the size of watermelons... OK, I exagerrate, but they are bigger out West than they are here in Ontario. Easy picking as I remember it too!

Looking forward to the recipe.

Anonymous said...

Those squares do look as good as the ones on the cover of Canadian Living! I even grabbed my magazine and compared! Can't wait for the recipe....

Judy said...

Yes, I saw that cover too, and thougt "I have to try making those!" I love fresh ripe blueberries.

bazu said...

those look so lovely. can't wait for the recipe!

Anonymous said...

No way! I thought the same thing when I saw that cover. I never did find the energy to try though, I supppose I'm just lazy, ha ha. Can't wait for your recipe!

urban vegan said...

Cute story. And gorgeous blueberry squares.

Dreena said...

Hiya guys... thanks for all your notes. :) Didn't have much time these last few days to reply, but I love hearing from you!

Hey Julie! With my last test I used about 1/2 the amount frozen, and they worked beautifully so I think they'd be fine. I may test them with the full amount of frozen later - but the fresh blueberries are so great right now!

Hi Melody, thanks... I appreciate that, and if only I had some of *your* camera skills... :) Your photos are stunning!

Melissa, the blueberries ARE quite large out here. I remember the first summer we moved out here, I was shocked at how big some of those blueberries were too!!

Lori- the Pleasantly Plump Vegan said...

great story- kids are hilarious.
these bars look amazing. i can't get enough blueberry treats.

Anna said...

Dreena, I've been lurking at your site for a few weeks now, think this is my first post. Really enjoy your posts. These bars look SO GOOD. I love blueberries but they're not hugely available or cheap here in Australia. The other day, with these bars in my head, I bought a pack of apple blueberry granola bars. But there were no actual blueberries in them! Anyway, glad to hear this recipe may work with frozen berries and I'll be sure to drop back for it!

Peggy said...

Those look great! And definitely better than the ones on the magazine cover. :)

Anonymous said...

lol... that story cracks me up. very smooth, sis! these squares look DEEEE- lish!! I love my blueberries too! Didn't eat nearly enough of them this summer but mom just loaded me up with some of her blueberry jam (always my favorite! more like a sauce, which I luuuuurve!!)

Sarena Shasteen - The Non-Dairy Queen said...

Those bars look so good! I can't wait to try them!