Red, White and Blueberry

This morning when I woke up I remembered I wanted to make something delicious and patriotic for the 4th of July. A brilliant plan of course but I remembered it on the 4th and had absolutely no desire to go to the store and mingle with all the other procrastinators ;)

So I scoped out the ingredients on hand, thought of a delicious italian torte my favorite Italian Grandma taught me to make, got out the blender and went for it. Here's the finished product:

Here's how I got there:

Part 1: Crust and Crumble Preheat to 425
I am not a measurer. I use guess and check. I eyeball and I adjust. When I give a measurement you should always insert an imaginary "ish" after, as in 2ish Cups.
In a blender combine:

1.5 C Oats
1C Quinoa*
Blend about 30 seconds then add
2-3T Olive Oil, any kind will do
3-4T Water add more if needed
1/4 C Brown Sugar
Few Shakes of salt
Few Shakes Cinnamon

I have to scrape down the sides and give my blender some assistance in this process but maybe yours is cooler than mine.

The Mixture should be crumbly but incorporated and stick together when smooshed.

Take half of the mix and press it into the bottom of a pie pan or baking dish. I wet my hands and use the heel of my hand to spread it about. It will be sticky and the water helps.
Crumble the other half onto a cookie sheet and bake both the crust and the crumble for about 15 minutes. Use a spatula to turn the crumble about halfway through. All is finished when crumbly and a light golden.



Part 2: Filling 
Oven to 350 once the crust is out
In blender combine
3C Cottage Cheese**- I use fat free but it is your call.
Blend until about twice as smooth as start
3 Eggs
1/4C Brown Sugar
1t Vanilla
Few Shakes of Salt
Blend until smooth

Pour all but about 2/3 C into precooked crust
Add 1/2C Raspberries to blender- this step is optional I added them because I wanted to have something red in the dish but it would still be yummy without.
Blend
Spoon or pour rest of filling into crust. I poured it in three lines /// then used  a fork to marble it by dragging the fork across the mix perpendicular to the lines. You can use any technique you like.  Be Creative.

Bake. Mine was in there for about 22 minutes. The edges got a little golden and the center was just barely firm to the touch.

Give it about 30 minutes to cool.

Slice and serve with fresh blueberries (or other seasonal berry) and a bit of crumble sprinkled on top.


Quinoa*-if you don't have this amazing grain on hand just use more oats but do consider incorporating quinoa into your diet. Quinoa is a whole grain (digests slowly, keeps you feeling full, won't spike your blood sugar)  that is also a complete protein which means it has all the amino acids your body needs to build new proteins-think building muscle or a good pre or post workout meal/snack.

**Cottage Cheese. Give it a chance. This food is super protein dense and tastes just as good in a low/no fat version-I think better even as it tastes lighter and fresher. I have been interested in experimenting with using cottage cheese in new ways and I'm so glad I did because this recipe is a keeper.