Friday, July 18, 2014

BC Blueberry Cooking Camp

Kai and I were given the opportunity to attend a cooking camp put on by BC Blueberries yesterday and it was a lot of fun!  The reason for it is because almost every single kid LOVES blueberries and this allowed parents to see what sort of fun recipes you can make with them.


The teaching kitchen was amazing at Crofton House School (I know Gary would love that at the school he teaches at) and when we got there we started with a Blueberry Pink Lemonade.  It's the blueberries that make it pink by just being in there.  You could also freeze some blueberries in ice cubes for a summery drink.


Then Kai and I made a Fresh Blueberry, Corn and Chicken Salad.    Although he wanted to use the large knife, I'm not as fun as Gary and instead, he was able to use scissors to cut up the veggies (great tip for kids helping in the kitchen!).




Kai ate his in a tortilla and I had mine in a lettuce wrap.  I would definitely make this for lunch one day; super healthy yummy lunch!  It had 1/2 cup blueberries, 1 cooked chicken breast, celery stalk diced, 1/2 red pepper diced, 1/2 ear of corn with the kernels removed (just raw).  The dressing was made of 1/4 cup of Greek yogurt, 1.5 tsp of mayo, 1 tsp of lemon juice, 2 tsp chopped dill, pinch of salt and pepper.


The next dish we made was Kai's favourite; Blueberry Compote. We ate it over greek yogurt but you can also have it on barbequed peaches, pancakes or waffles.  Yum. Kai Bear isn't a huge yogurt fan so he just ate it on it's own.



Compotes (sauces) are super easy to make if you've never made them.  You just put 2 cups of blueberries, 1/8th tsp of ground cinnamon, 1 tbsp sugar, 1tsp lemon juice and 1 tbsp water in a saucepan over medium heat.  Cover and simmer for 5 minutes.  Stir occasionally.  Add 1 tsp of cornstarch to 1 tbsp of water and stir it into the saucepan.  Let it thicken for 2 minutes.  I've also made this before with orange juice and I love the flavour. 



The last dish we made was a Blueberry Guacamole.  Sounds a bit crazy right?  It had a whole clove of garlic in it so it was a bit garlic-y for me but such a healthy snack!   I would say maybe just use half a clove of garlic. 

(1 avocado, juice of 1/2 lime, 1 clove garlic minced, 1/2 cup halved blueberries, and a dash of salt and pepper).

It was really fun to do this with Kai.  I really need to make more of an effort for one on one time with each kid.   When the instructor asked what he liked to make in the kitchen with his mom, he said that he usually cooks with his dad.  So true!  Kai was the only boy there and I think it's so important that all of my kids, sons and daughter, learn how to cook in the kitchen.

Thank you to BC Blueberries for a fun cooking class.  We both really enjoyed it and Gary loved the leftovers.  You can just check out their website for a lot of different recipe ideas.  

Love, Louise (and Kai!).


9 comments:

  1. So fun! Thanks for sharing the recipes. I am going to try the Blueberry, Corn, Chicken Salad one day. Looks really good!

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  2. The recipes sound and look great! I love blueberries, but I often don't like BB flavoured things. The salad looks good, and so does the dessert. Have a great wknd!

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  3. What a nice day for you and Kai! I love the concentration in his face in the second picture :)

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  4. In my opinion...I wouldn't waste delicious blueberries in yummy guacamole :).

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    1. Hey Jackie, it was interesting! How would you feel putting it in the wrap with the chicken salad?

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  5. this looks so fun! What a great time to have together :)

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  6. Fun!!!!! Blueberries come at a very dear price around here! Last years crop was $40 a flat at the st jacobs farmers market near kitchener!!! What are prices like out your way?

    - adrienne (ade drost - but my acct isnt working?)

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  7. Adrienne, wow! Here they are $25/flat I think.

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  8. blueberry guacamole??!!! I'm fascinated!!!! I also liked the chicken salad idea - not for me since I don't eat chicken - but in general!

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