Recipe Rennovation - Blueberry Buckle

I enjoy sweets and breakfast... Is that a crime? Not if you live with the guideline of "everything is ok in moderation".

So, when my husband and I invited our friends over for brunch, I knew I definitely wanted to make a coffee cake to go along with our egg-white omelets. I landed on making "Blueberry Buckle", a recipe my mom made often when I was growing up. I saw this as a perfect opportunity to try to make the recipe a bit healthier for all involved in eating its deliciousness.

I doubled the recipe so we could have some left overs for a couple days. Here are a few of the additional changes I made:

1) The original recipe for blueberry buckle calls for shortening, which I cringe at using for its hydrogenated oils. I substituted it with non-dairy butter (so my daughter with lactose intolerance could eat with us).

2) Next, I substituted the whole eggs for egg-whites. I know it's not much, but I thought "why not decrease the cholesterol for today?". ***Note: 1 1/2 oz or 3Tbs egg whites = 1 whole egg.

3) In everything I cook, I almost always substitute whole-wheat flour for white flour. In this recipe I used whole-wheat pastry flour to try to keep the texture light and fluffy.

4) Throughout the recipe, I used 1/2 white sugar and 1/2 brown sugar to add richness and less refined sugar.

5) Lastly, I added an extra cup of organic frozen blueberries to boost the antioxidant and nutritional content.

To my satisfaction, the recipe turned out beautifully and was VERY forgiving! Next time I make this, I will do the same substitutions but want to try using applesauce instead of butter - just to see if it will work. For me, it is exciting to try and make recipes a little more healthy and still be able to enjoy the sweet things in life!