(Family Features) Celebrations abound throughout summer, and if you plan on hosting your nearest and dearest for events large and small, you’ll need a tasty, convenient ingredient to elevate your entertaining all summer long. When that one ingredient also serves as a healthy, refreshing snack on its own, it’s a win-win.
Delicious, healthy and versatile, Grapes from California can be that special ingredient and pleasing snack. In recipes, grapes deliver sweet-tart flavor and crisp, juicy texture to appetizers, main courses, drinks, desserts and beyond. These recipes show the myriad ways this bite-sized fruit can bring out the best in warm-weather fare: a tasty frozen treat, a chic cocktail and a flavorful Southwestern-inspired salad that each add a special touch to any gathering.
In fact, while grapes complement a wide array of flavors – including sweet, sour, salty, spicy and smoky – that make them easy to use in recipes and serve alongside other foods, they’re also an ideal snack to serve by themselves. Grapes are inherently cool and refreshing, easily shareable and satisfying to eat.
Take your summer entertaining to new heights with additional recipe inspiration at GrapesFromCalifornia.com.
Taking get-togethers, parties and celebrations outdoors during the summer months means frozen treats are essential. Consider these creative ways to use frozen grapes in your summer entertaining:
Yield: 7 mounds
Nutritional information per serving: 100 calories; 3 g protein; 12 g carbohydrates; 4.5 g fat (41% calories from fat); 2.5 g saturated fat (23% calories from saturated fat); 0 mg cholesterol; 10 mg sodium; 2 g fiber.
Yield: 4 servings (6 cups)
Nutritional information per serving: 200 calories; 5 g protein; 24 g carbohydrates; 11 g fat (50% calories from fat); 2 g saturated fat (9% calories from saturated fat); 0 mg cholesterol; 160 mg sodium; 4 g fiber.
Yield: 1 drink
Lemongrass Simple Syrup:
Cocktail:
Note: For mocktail, replace vodka with seltzer water.
Nutritional information per serving: 270 calories; 1 g protein; 37 g carbohydrates; 0 g fat; 0 mg cholesterol; 0 mg sodium; 1 g fiber.