Focus on Food: Blackberries

It’s Monday and today is the first in a new weekly blog post series called “Focus on Food” here at Laurel on Health Food. Each week on Monday I’ll feature one healthy whole food with fun facts, some nutritional knowledge, and some tips for how to eat them. I hope you enjoy it! Today’s feature: blackberries.

Fun facts: The rich, dark blackberry is known as the “cabernet of berries.”  They are red when they are not ripe and a dark purplish-black when ready to be eaten. Like other berries, blackberries are a good fruit to buy organic. Their soft, thin skin is especially vulnerable to pesticides, so it’s worth it to spring for the organic variety.

Nutritional kick: Blackberries are high in fiber, vitamin C, vitamin E, and are rich in antioxidants. Some studies show that blackberries can prevent cancer cells from spreading.

How to eat: Blackberries are great to eat alone as a snack or to sprinkle on top of cereal, granola, or salads. They also make a delicious dessert (see my Blackberry Yogurt Parfait recipe). You can also bake them with crumbled oats, cinnamon, and honey on top. Or puree them with oil and vinegar for a sweet salad dressing. See my recipe below.

Blackberry Salad Dressing

1/2 tin of fresh blackberries

1/4 cup extra virgin olive olive oil

2 tbsp. red wine vinegar

1 tbsp. agave nectar

Pinch of salt & pepper

Add all the ingredients to a food processor or blender and blend on high until smooth. Pour dressing through a fine-mesh strainer or cheesecloth to remove the blackberry seeds. Spoon over salads and reserve leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.