A WILD Dinner to Celebrate Mother’s Day

If the Mom in your life is always on the go, keeping track of school, work and play schedules, cleaning up the “not me” messes, and other parenting tasks, make sure you take some time to say, “Thank you!” this Mother’s Day. What better way to do that than by preparing her a delicious and healthy dinner. Make it a fun family affair and get the kids involved. You’ll make some special memories along the way, too. To help you get started, we’ve pulled a few of our favorite recipes from some of our most creative health and nutrition food bloggers.

All of these recipes include frozen Wild Blueberries. These tiny, potent berries aren’t just for muffins and pies. They’re also delicious in appetizers, entrees, and cocktails. Plus, Wild Blueberries provide twice the antioxidant capacity of traditional blueberries and are considered one of the top anti-inflammatory fruits. These antioxidant-rich super berries are filled with bioactive phytonutrients that give them their deep blue color, which can protect against inflammation, thought to be a leading factor in brain aging, Alzheimer’s disease, and other diseases. What makes Wild Blueberries so powerful is that they combat stress in the wild and harsh northern climate of Maine by producing phytochemicals and anthocyanins to protect themselves. It’s these naturally occurring compounds that help protect us from inflammation and chronic disease when we eat them. And the best thing about Wild Blueberries is that you don’t have to wait until summer to enjoy them. You can find them in the frozen fruit aisle supermarket all year long.


Cocktail.
Start the evening off right and before you and the kids get busy in the kitchen, make Mom this cocktail – if she doesn’t drink alcohol, leave out the bourbon for the tastiest mocktail she’s ever had. The combination of Wild Blueberries, mint and lemon are delicious and refreshing in this Wild Blueberry Bourbon Smash. The splash of seltzer gives it just enough fizz to impress Mom with your mixology skills. And honestly, the bourbon is an excellent addition to this recipe but can be substituted for another spirit or left out, and it will STILL be delicious.


Appetizer.
After Mom has enjoyed a few sips of her Wild Blueberry Smash, continue to impress her taste buds with these Wild Blueberry Brie Pastry Bites. Once you serve this tasty appetizer, it will look like you’ve been working hard in the kitchen all day, but this recipe is incredibly easy to make. The kids can help fill each of the phyllo cups with brie and top ‘em off with the Wild Blueberry sauce. You’ll see her smile as soon as she takes a bite and enjoys the crunch of the phyllo shell, the creaminess of the warm brie and the pop of sweet and tart flavor from the Wild Blueberries.


Salad.
By now, Mom’s Mother’s Day dinner should be coming together nicely. To keep it simple, serve a salad alongside your main course! Have the kids create a simple green salad with mixed baby greens like spinach and arugula, include some cucumbers, tomatoes and any other items that Mom loves in her salad. Then WOW her with a homemade dressing. Don’t panic! Homemade dressing is incredibly easy, and this Wild Blueberry Balsamic Dressing only has six ingredients – most of which you’re likely to have in your pantry already. Just blend everything together and then drizzle over the top of Mom’s salad. You may catch her licking the salad plate but hey, don’t judge! She works hard, and you’ll probably want to do the same.

Entreé.
Show off your mad grillin’ skills and make this Shrimp and Veggie Kabobs with Wild Blueberry Barbecue Sauce recipe as your main course. Mom will love the shrimp and pepper combination glazed in the homemade barbeque sauce. It’s sure to be the most memorable meal and Mother’s Day of all time – no pressure. If Mom’s not into shrimp, cubed chicken, tofu or any other protein will work so long as it can be skewered – adjust cook time accordingly. The kids can help by cutting up the peppers and putting all the items on the skewers.


Dessert.
Now that dinner is over take some time to hang out and make some Mother’s Day memories with the entire family. (HINT: Make these Mini Wild Blueberry Cream Pies ahead of time. They freeze nicely in an airtight container.) No baking is required for this recipe! Dates, nuts, and oats make the tasty crust, and little fingers are perfect for pressing them into the bottom of each cupcake liner. As the kids spoon in the delicious Wild Blueberry filling keep an eye on them to make sure enough ends up in the cupcake pan and not all in their tummies. Freeze for 10 to 15 minutes, or longer in an airtight container. It’s the perfect ending to celebrate Mother’s Day.

Mother’s Day Brunch Recipe: Poached Salmon and Wild Blueberry Crème Fraiche

Wild Blueberry Poached Salmon

During the summers of my grade-school years, my mom would send me to stay with my Grandparents in Brooklyn. I loved being there. I got to be an only child for a few months and had my Grandmother all to myself. My fondest childhood memories are of those summers.

My Grandmother and I had a daily routine and we stuck by it, for the most part. I would wake up and crawl into her bed where we both patiently waited for Grandpa to bring us breakfast. We ate breakfast in bed every morning and it was always the same: ½ of a perfectly sectioned grapefruit (served with a demitasse spoon) and a very watered down (but perfectly sweetened) espresso. Yes, my relationship with coffee started at a very young age.

Grandma never learned to drive so we walked everywhere. After breakfast we would head out to the food market or go on errands. Afterwards I would play outside, she would watch her “stories” on TV, and at 5 pm dinner preparation would begin. I remember the glorious smells that would come from that small apartment kitchen!

Dinner usually involved some sort of fish. At that time whiting and flounder were fresh and readily available so they were always on the menu a few times each week. My Grandmother made the most amazing whiting salad. It was a simple dish using cold poached whiting tossed with garlic, salt, fresh lemon and a sprinkle of parsley.

That whiting salad sparked my love for cold fish. It may be in my head or just my taste buds, but all cold fish takes me back to that whiting salad. I often make an extra fillet of fish for dinner just to eat it cold the next day for lunch.

Nowadays my mother has taken the reins from my Grandmother. Because fresh whiting is hard to come by, she has quite masterfully perfected poached salmon. It’s become a new family favorite and our go-to Sunday brunch or special occasion dish. This year I will be making it for her on Mother’s Day.

If you’ve never tried poaching fish, you must! It’s so simple to make and doesn’t leave the house smelling fishy or a mess to clean up. It’s also a dish that pairs well with a creamy dipping sauce.

For my sauce I combined antioxidant-rich Wild Blueberries with creamy crème fraiche, shallots, and fresh herbs. The tangy flavor really brightens up the salmon, providing both gorgeous color and creamy texture, with just a hint of sweet. The perfect combination in my book!

Wild Blueberry Sauce

I think the Wild Blueberry Crème Fraiche sauce really makes this dish! It’s a delicious and unique way to balance the intense flavor of Wild Blueberries and the delicate nature of any poached fish. This cold poached salmon is perfect for Mother’s Day brunch and would be lovely paired with steamed asparagus and roasted potato wedges. I suggest dipping the potatoes into the Wild Blueberry sauce as well!

Poached Salmon