Lemon Blueberry Cake

This is one of my favourite cakes. It features lemons and blueberries, a terrific combination.  Incredibly rich-tasting and moist, this is much healthier than traditional lemon cakes. Greek yogurt replaces butter and sour cream – slashing calories and fat, while adding protein and calcium.  The glaze is optional, but does give the cake a tangy-lemony boost.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup whole-wheat flour
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
  • 1/4 cup butter or trans-free margarine
  • 2 tablespoon grated lemon zest (about 2 lemons: zest the lemons, then set aside to juice them for the glaze)
  • 4 large eggs
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 (16-ounce) container plain Greek yogurt (I used 0% fat)
  • 2 cups blueberries, fresh or frozen (unthawed)

Glaze:

  • 2/3 cup powdered sugar
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • 1 tsp. lemon zest (optional)

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350°.  Lightly grease 12-cup Bundt pan with butter or margarine.
  2. In a medium-sized bowl, combine flours, baking soda, baking powder, and salt, stirring with a whisk or fork to combine.
  3. In a large bowl, combine sugar, butter, lemon zest, and eggs. Beat with a mixer (or vigorously with a hand whisk or good spoon) until well blended.  Mix in vanilla and yogurt.
  4. Add flour mixture, and beat with a mixer or stir well until combined. Gently fold in blueberries.
  5. Spoon batter into prepared pan. Bake for about 1 hour, or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan on a wire rack for about 15 minutes; remove from pan, and cool completely on wire rack.

GLAZE:  Whisk together powdered sugar and lemon juice in small bowl or measuring cup. Drizzle over cooled cake, and top with lemon zest.

Makes 16 Slices

Cooking Tips and Notes

  • Zesting lemons can be quick and easy with the right tools: check out these tips.

blueberries and lemonsNutrition Notes

  • Greek yogurt is high in protein and a good source of calcium. I used 0%, but higher fat brands will work too (but the cake is already rich tasting – a higher fat brand will increase the calorie count).
  • Blueberries are  nutritional powerhouses: rich in Vitamin C, fiber, antioxidants, and protective phytochemicals.
  • Lemon zest contains a compound called d-limonene, which has been studied for its ability detoxify potential cancer-causing compounds.
  • You can lighten up the cake further by using egg whites in place of some of the eggs (about 1/4 cup egg whites for each egg you replace)

Nutrition Per Slice

  • 245 calories
  • 8 g protein
  • 4 g fat (2 g sat)
  • 57 mg cholesterol
  • 45 g carbohydrate
  • 2 g fiber
  • 25 g sugars
  • 215 mg sodium
  • 85 mg potassium
  • Iron: 7% Daily Value
  • Calcium: 16% Daily Value

More SWEET Recipes . . .

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This Week in Food, Health, and Fitness

This week, read about inactivity in kids, why sugar is not the enemy, how wearable tech is changing exercise research, why saturated fat matters, and more.

kids_videogamesPhysical Activity in Canadian Kids is Alarmingly Low. The 2014 Report Card on Physical Activity for Children and Youth was released this week. This year’s report looked at how Canadian youth compared to 14 other countries  and revealed that although Canada has a well-developed physical activity infrastructure and programs, Canadian kids are at the back of the global pack for overall physical activity levels.  Physical activity in youth is alarming low, with only 5% of 5- to 17-year-olds meeting the Canadian Physical Activity Guidelines (being active for 60 minutes a day). New Zealand and Mozambique were the most active countries, with kids reporting 78 minutes/day of physical activity.

Although some blame parents, a solution likely lies in a combination of efforts at all levels – individual, interpersonal, organizational, community, and public policy. More info:  Report Highlights;  Tips to increase your kids’ physical activity levels, 2014 Report Card on the Physical Activity of Children and Youth.

Is it the Electronics? On the same theme this week, Finnish researchers linked low levels of physical activity combined with heavy use of electronic media and sedentary behaviour to an increased risk for type 2 diabetes and vascular diseases in 6- to 8-year-old children (yikes!). Another study in the journal noted significant correlations between parent and child screen time.  Time for kids (and adults) to get away from the screens and play. (International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, May 2014). 

sugarsSugar is Not the Enemy (especially for active people).  Most people eat too much added sugar, and recent guidelines highlight the health effects of this habit. Some wonder if this overemphasis on one nutrient is overshadowing the large problem of inactivity.  In fact, bodies that move are much better equipped to handle sugars: when diabetics exercise, they require less insulin to control their blood sugar; endurance athletes rely on sugar to fuel fast performances (here’s an example of the sugars a world record marathoner would ingest during an event). Although most of us aren’t running marathons (certainly not at that speed), exercise might mitigate the undesirable effects of sugar (David Despain, Outside Magazine).

Wearable tech is changing exercise research. Much of physical activity research has relied on questionnaires and self-report to monitor exercise.  A trend to using more objective measures (e.g., accelerometers) will certainly help provide better information and more accurate results (unfortunately, by necessity, most nutrition science still relies on self-report). (Live Science).

Saturated or not: Does type of fat matter?  Experts in the field are worried that recent media coverage sensationalizing results of a study on saturated fats could be detrimental to public health.  Check out this link to view the interpretation of a  panel of nutrition experts (Harvard School of Public Health).

Healthy or Hype? Coconut Oil.  Find out if coconut oil lives up to the health claims and hype in my new series.

Olive Oil Does Your Salad Good.  We are learning more and more about why nitrate-rich vegetables are good for us, and how they  might improve athletic performance.  This new study highlights benefits of the perfect culinary combo – olive oil and leafy greens! (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences)

Roasted Potato Salad with Vegetables.  Perfect for a weekend BBQ – nutritious, with plenty of flavor. (would be good with arugula->nitrate-rich veggie).

See more Weeks in Food, Health, and Fitness

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Healthy or Hype? Coconut Oil

Why is coconut oil in so many recipes nowadays? It used to be hard to find, but consumer demand now means that it has a prominent spot in most supermarkets. What’s behind the craze?

The Claims

Coconut oil is becoming increasingly popular. Health claims include burning fat, helping memory, reducing blood cholesterol, stimulating metabolism, improving immune function, helping with sugar cravings, and of course, the ubiquitous promoting weight loss claim. Should we all rush out and buy this wonder food?

The Evidence

Coconut oil is rich in saturated fat (about 90% of its fat is saturated), and years of research have associated saturated fat with heart disease, some cancers, and diabetes.  But recent studies suggest that some types of saturated fats, such as the lauric acid in coconut oil, may not be as harmful. The chemical structure of these fats classifies them as “medium chain triglycerides” (MCTs): the body digests and handles MCTs differently, and they might increase “good” HDL cholesterol, but the evidence isn’t clear cut, and the influence on heart disease is unclear. Much of the research on coconut oil has included animal studies and small short-term studies in humans, mostly focused on cholesterol levels.

Overall, the research doesn’t support the many health claims, and there is limited evidence on long-term health effects.  Because of the lack of research, we don’t know how coconut oil affects heart disease, stroke risk, or other diseases.

READ  Fats vs Carbs: Clarifying Conspiracies, Controversies, and Confusion

Bottom Line

There’s not enough good data to support the use of coconut oil for health benefits. If you like the flavor and texture of coconut oil in your cooking, it might be a better option than butter and other animal fats, used sparingly.

Current research shows that the healthiest oil to include in your diet is olive oil. Generally, it’s a good idea to get your fats from whole foods, especially plant sources (like nuts, seeds, avocados) and small fish, which contain other health-promoting compounds. You’ll find good information on the best fats for health here.

Finally, remember, all fats are calorie-dense (1/4 cup olive oil has 480 calories), so no matter how healthy, they should fit into your calorie budget, or you may end up carrying excess fat, which is a well-known contributor to many chronic diseases.

More Reading:

Coconut Oil Warning

Reviewed and Updated June 21, 2017

>>You can view other foods in the Healthy or Hype? series here. 

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Roasted Potato Salad with Vegetables

This is a beautiful potato salad that is a great side dish to take along to a barbecue.  Roasting brings out the flavours of the potatoes, and adding corn, tomatoes, peppers, and onions lightens up the salad while adding great taste, colour, and good nutrition.

This is a much healthier option than traditional mayonnaise-laden potato salads, which are often calorie-dense and nutrient poor: some traditional deli potato salads have almost 500 calories and more than 20 g fat per cup, with few protective nutrients.

Ingredients

To Roast 

  • 3 lbs of baby potatoes or fingerling potatoes, cut in half or quarters depending on size (about 8 cups – you can substitute regular potatoes, chopped)
  • 1.5 cups corn (off cob, thawed from frozen, or canned)
  • 1 large bell pepper, chopped
  • 3 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
  • 1 medium red onion, vertically sliced (about 1.5 cups)
  • 1 tbsp. olive oil

Dressing

  • 2 tbsp. olive oil
  • 2 tbsp. whole-grain Dijon mustard
  • 3 tbsp. cider vinegar
  • 1/2 tsp. hot sauce (e.g., Tabasco)
  • 1/4 tsp. salt
  • 1 tsp. maple syrup (or 1/2 tsp. sugar if you don’t have maple syrup on hand)

Mix In

  • 2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 1/2 cup chopped fresh herbs (I used flat-leaf parsley)

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
  2. Place potatoes, corn, bell pepper, garlic, and red onion large pan and drizzle with olive oil, tossing to coat. Bake for 30 minutes, or until potatoes are tender, stirring periodically.
  3. Meanwhile, mix dressing ingredients in measuring cup or jar.
  4. Transfer roasted vegetables to a large bowl.
  5. Pour dressing over roasted vegetables, stirring to coat.
  6. Add cherry tomatoes and fresh herbs, and mix gently to combine.

Variations

  • Roast other seasonal vegetables along with potatoes
  • Use half sweet potatoes
  • Like most salads, you don’t really have the measure vegetable quantities, and feel free to vary the amounts

Nutrition Notes

  • red onionSweet peppers not only add colour, but plenty of nutrition. Red peppers are especially rich in Vitamin C, supplying twice as much Vitamin C as one medium orange.
  • Onions contain sulfur compounds that are thought to help cells detoxify potential carcinogens, and are a good source of the dietary flavenoid quercetin, which is associated with reduced chronic inflammation.
  • tomato_public domain_nci-vol-2642-72Corn is a good source of fiber, B vitamins, vitamin C, and potassium.
  • Tomatoes are rich in lycopene, beta-carotene, and Vitamin C, compounds with potential disease-fighting properties.

Yield: Makes about 12 Cups

Nutrition Per Cup of Potato Salad

  • 115 calories
  • 3 g protein
  • 1.6 g fat
  • 0 mg cholesterol
  • 23 g carbohydrate
  • 2.6 g fiber
  • 120 mg sodium
  • 475 mg potassium
  • Iron: 5 % Daily Value
  • Calcium: 1.6 % Daily Value

More healthy summer dishes:

 

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