Healthy Highlight: Grapes

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Let's round our Lent and our Easter season with one last Charcuterie Board ingredient: Grapes! As I talked about last week, with the Brazilian Nuts, there is more than on a meat and cheese board beyond meat and cheese. Red and green grapes over the board help keep it looking fresh and bright, the added bonus is that grapes also come with a burst of nutrients and flavor.

  • Grapes are a great source of Vitamin C which helps strengthen our immune systems
  • Because they are full of antioxidants, grapes can help fight off molecules that can damage cells and can lead to cancer
  • Grapes are low in sodium and are a great snack to lower blood pressure
  • Grapes can also protect against heart disease and reduces high cholesterol

Recipes:

5 Minute Grape Sorbet (Liveeatlearn.com)

  • 3 cups Green Grapes
  • 2 tablespoons Sugar or Honey
  • 1 teaspoon Lemon Zest
  • 1 teaspoon Lemon Juice
  1. Freeze: Remove grapes from stem and arrange onto a plate or baking sheet in a single layer. Freeze until solid, at least 4 hours.
  2. Blend: In a food processor, puree frozen grapes, scraping down the sides as needed. Add remaining ingredients and puree until smooth.

Waldorf Salad (Thishealthytable.com)

  • 1/4 cup Greek Yogurt
  • 1 tablespoon Freshly Squeezed Lemon Juice
  • Zest of one Lemon
  • pinch of Kosher Salt
  • pinch of Freshly Ground Black Pepper
  • 1 cup halved Red Grapes
  • 1 cup diced Celery
  • 1 cup chopped Honeycrisp Apples
  • 1/4 cup chopped Cilantro
  • 1 cup roughly chopped toasted Walnuts
  1. In a small bowl, whisk together the yogurt, lemon juice, zest, salt, and pepper till combined. 
  2. In a larger bowl, mix together the grapes, celery, apples, and cilantro. Then stir in the yogurt dressing. 
  3. Top with walnuts and serve. 

Snow Grapes (Allrecipes.com)

  • 4 pounds Seedless Grapes
  • 1 cup Sour Cream
  • 1 (8 ounce) package Cream Cheese
  • 1/2 cup White Sugar
  • 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
  1. Remove grapes from stems, rinse, and set aside to dry. Mix together the sour cream, cream cheese, white sugar, and vanilla in a large bowl. Fold in grapes until evenly coated. Chill overnight before serving.