This Month’s Healthy Bite: How Do You Use Summer Fruit in Your Cooking?

Posted by Matt on August 31st, 2010 at 09:50am

For the August version of This Month’s Healthy Bite, we asked, “How do you use summer fruit in your cooking?” We got some great answers, from fruit salsas to fruit salads. Check them out:

From Char, Raising a Healthy Family

Here are some of my favorites:
http://raisingahealthyfamily.com/summer-fruit-desserts/

From Gina, Gina’s Weight Watchers Recipes

I love making salsa with summer fruit. Pineapple salsa or mango salsa are great over grilled fish and chicken, in quesadillas, or served as a dip with tortilla chips.

From Carla, Gluten Free Recipe Box

I harvested my first round zucchini (photo below) and decided to use it to test a new soup recipe. You are sure to see more zucchini recipes in the near future because my plants are growing like crazy! You can serve this soup warm or cold. This is recipe is great way to use up any produce you have that may soon spoil or wilt. My original intention was to only use vegetables and one fruit, but I was awfully hungry while making it and decided to toss in a potato and am glad that I did. It was very tasty and satisfying!

Zucchini Mango Soup

Ingredients

• 3 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 small onion, peeled and chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
• 2 stalks celery, chopped
• 2 zucchini or 1 round zucchini 4″, peeled and chopped
• 1 mango, pitted, peeled and cut into bite size pieces
• 1 potato, peeled and chopped (optional)
• 3 whole fresh basil leaves (optional)
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1-1/4 cups organic low sodium chicken broth (You can use vegetable broth if you wish to make this a vegan soup)
• pinch of white pepper (black pepper will do)

Instructions

1. Preheat a pre-oiled medium size sauce pan; and sauté onion, celery and garlic.
2. Add mango, zucchini, (potato and basil, if using), nutmeg and chicken broth; and stir.
3. Simmer until are vegetables are tender.
4. Remove basil leaves, if using.
5. Run the mixture through a blender or food processor according to manufacturer’s instructions.
6. Run through a large strainer to remove fiber.
7. Serve warm or cold.
8. Top the center with gluten-free sour cream, Greek yogurt, etc.  You can add some fresh basil for garnish.

Makes 1 large bowl.

Tip

• If using round zucchini, seed the vegetable as you would a pumpkin, scraping out extra fiber and seeds.

 

 

 

From Carla, The Year of the Vegan

Ooh, I make glazes for the barbecue with summer berry fruit. I’m not going to give away the recipes because they are in development for a project, oh, OK I’ll give you one recipe.

Nice if you marinate the items to be glazed with a simple soy based marinade, or even with a little chipotle for a hot and sweet finish. Works well on tempeh, tofu, seitan, and even portobello mushrooms!

Blueberry Glaze

Makes enough for grilled items for 4

2 Tablespoons Agave

2 Tablespoons Margarine

1 Tablespoon Lime Juice

1 Cup fresh or thawed frozen Blueberries

While items are marinating, if you so desire, prepare the glaze. In a small bowl cream together the agave, margarine and lime juice.

Press the berries through a medium sieve using the back of a spoon directly into this bowl. Discard the seeds and skins (or save to use in a smoothie). Stir until well combined. If your mix doesn’t want to emulsify, heat gently in the microwave to slightly melt the margarine, then re-stir.

When ready to cook, remove the items from the marinade and dip each piece into the glaze prior to placing on the barbecue.

Grill, turning and brushing with the glaze often, until browned, sticky, the item is cooked through and all glaze is used up.

From Chiara, The Wandering Cook

Peaches, strawberries and apricots might seem like unlikely ingredients for a savory salsa, but they pair up well with strong tasting ingredients such as jalapeno peppers and they compliment grilled pork tenderloin to perfection.

From Suzie, Suzie the Foodie

Actually, I don’t. I really do not enjoy cooking fruit. With savory food the best I can do is add fruit to salads. I really feel that fruit is not meant to mix with other foods. It can cause a lot of digestion issues especially if combined with meat. I know many people love the combination but for me, it is a foodie nightmare.

I love to use summer fruit in my baking though. If I am going to indulge in sweet treats there better be something healthy about it so bring on the fruit! Strawberry-Rhubarb pie, Cantaloupe Sorbet, Apple and Blackberry Crisp, Orange Pineapple Ice Cream, Blueberry Grunt, Raspberry Crepes… this is how I love to celebrate summer fruit.

 

 

From Jackie, Jackie’s Kitchen

Everyone has heard the line at one time or another, “”Porkchops and applesauce”" recited by Jimmy Cagney or even imitated by Peter Brady. It is a common pairing, particularly in the south, and for good reason–fruit adds something special to savory dishes!

Summer is the season for berries, melons, and other miscellaneous pitted fruit like apricots and plums, just to name a few. The latter make excellent additions to stir-fries and slow-cooked meat dishes, especially when cooked down to create sauces and compotes–who is not familiar with Asian plum sauce? Figs pair beautifully with sausage as a Spanish tapas dish. Grapes provide excellent crunch and sweetness to various salads, in particular, curried chicken salad. Berries also make wonderful additions to leafy green salads, in particular spinach salads where strawberries and blueberries really shine when contrasted with the creaminess of goat cheese and delicate pungency of a poppy-seed vinaigrette. Melons make wonderful bases for cold soups, such as watermelon gazpacho and cantaloupe soup. Zucchini, less-commonly treated as a fruit, is so versatile that there is no shortage of ways it can be prepared and eaten.

No matter how one incorporates fruit into their dishes, they are providing sweetness and perhaps more importantly, added nutrition (fiber, vitamin C, vitamin A, potassium, and the list goes on), especially at the peak of the season.

Here are a few recipes to get you started. I wish you a wonderful rest of the summer!

Asian plum sauce from scratch:

http://fromscratchistan.blogspot.com/2010/06/asian-plum-sauce-from-scratch.html

Curried chicken salad with grapes:

http://visualcookbook.blogspot.com/2010/08/curried-chicken-salad-with-grapes.html

Strawberry spinach salad:

http://allrecipes.com//Recipe/strawberry-spinach-salad-i/Detail.aspx

Watermelon gazpacho:

http://visualcookbook.blogspot.com/2010/08/no-cook-week-refreshing-watermelon.html

From Gwen, Bunky Cooks

I have been fortunate enough to get lots of beautiful fresh stone fruits and berries this Summer. I am trying to preserve them by making jams. We have had fruits pies, cobblers and buckles! Of course, fresh fruit (if it is perfectly sweet and ripe) is best left prepared simply. I like to taste the fruit. I recommend grilling stone fruits and serving them with a bit of lightly sweetened mascarpone or ricotta cheese. One of my favorite ways to enjoy fresh berries is to make a fresh fruit sauce. It is best served over homemade vanilla ice cream, but any good ice cream will be fine. Here is a quick, simple and incredibly delicious recipe for Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream and a Fresh Blackberry Sauce.

From Katie, Making Food and Other Stuff

When it comes to fruit, I think simple is best. I eat it every day fresh and raw. Mostly as a dessert or something sweet after a meal.

From Beth, Budget Bytes

I like to use summer fruits in savory dishes because the flavor is often so unexpected. Compotes or salsas made with fruit go great with meat cooked on the grill! I particularly like this chipotle peach salsa: http://budgetbytes.blogspot.com/2010/07/chipotle-peach-salsa-267-recipe-045.html

From Cory, Zesty Cook

Ever need an idea oh how to use up a fresh summer pineapple in a different way?  I know myself I have the hamsters moving in my head all the time to come up with innovative ideas to use fruit in the summer to impress both my palette and yours.

Most recently I had a gorgeous fresh pineapple from the farmers market and I knew I wanted to grill it.  By grilling fruit, the sugars inside caramelize so well and give you that sweet warm texture as you bite into them.

For this quick recipe all you need are a few ingredients and about 10 minutes to whip it up.  I have tried this twice now, so far and it has been a hit each time.

Ingredients

 

• 1 Whole Pineapple ( sliced and cored)
• Vanilla Ice cream
• Pink Peppercorns (optional)
• 1 Tbsp. Butter
• 1 Tbsp. Brown sugar
• Orange zest

Method

1. In a bowl add butter and brown sugar and microwave for 30 seconds.
2. Preheat grill to medium heat
3. Coat the pineapple in the borwn sugar butter glaze and place on grill.  Stay close as it will cook quickly and you do not want it to burn
4. Once golden brown, remove from heat and top with Vanilla ice cream, a few pink peppercorns for a bite and some fresh orange zest.
5. ENJOY

Zesty Tip: For a little crunch, try adding some toasted walnuts, peanuts or even pecans to elevate the flavor and texture combination even more.

I hope you enjoyed this quick spin on fresh fruit and if you would like to see more fun and creative recipes please visit my blog at zestycook.com.  The place where simple meets fresh.

From Alicia, Aligirl Cooks

A great way to use summer fruit in your cooking is to throw it on the grill. We are beginning our 8th heat wave this summer southeastern Pennsylvania so my grill has certainly gotten a workout!

One of my favorite recent recipes has been a simply dessert of grilled peaches and sorbet. You can see the full recipe at Aligirl Cooks Blog. Enjoy!

From Stella, This Witchy Kitchen

Summer fruit is one of the most nutritious and delicious ways to keep cool while also eating the appropriate amounts of fruits/vegetables during our busy and hopefully active summers. In our house, the main way of eating summer fruits like peaches is to simply grab one and take a big bite out of it. Then it is passed between me and my Cauldron Boy until the core is barely left (smile). We also enjoy stone fruits like peaches, nectarines, and plums and sometimes berries thrown into organic green salads with things like toasted pecans, goat cheese, and a citrus or vinegary dressing. Oh, and a good peach or blackberry mango cobbler is always a delicious and traditional way to enjoy summer fruit. Especially when whipped cream is involved…

Thanks to everyone for all the fun responses!

Answer the next This Month’s Healthy Bite question: What is your favorite healthier comfort food recipe? Email us your answer or just simply comment on this blog post, and we’ll publish your answers and link to your blog at the end of the month. Got some blogger friends who would like us to link to them too? Ask them to answer This Month’s Healthy Bite too!

Tags: food, healthy eating, healthy foods, healthy meals, Healthy Recipes, home cooking, meal planner, our fave diet sites, recipes, what to eat

Under Healthy Recipes Tags: food, healthy eating, healthy foods, healthy meals, Healthy Recipes, home cooking, meal planner, our fave diet sites, recipes, what to eat