Nine Ways To Cook With Berries

Try these berry recipes before the summer ends.

Berries image via shutterstock

Berries image via shutterstock

The end of summer is the time to take advantage of the fresh, local produce before the cold takes over. Berries are still in-season and can be found at your local farmers’ market. Tip: When you buy berries, don’t wash them until you’re ready to use them. The extra moisture will promote molding and softening. If a recipe calls for sugar, taste the berries before adding any sweeteners. Depending on the ripeness, you might be able to cut back on added sugar (not to mention cut a few calories). Try one (or all) of these berry recipes while you still can.

1. Grilled Pork Chops with Peach and Red Onion Relish
via Culinary Mamas

This recipe is a fruity/spicy kick to the taste buds. Pork chops are great for when you’re sick of chicken but want to keep dinner lean. Swap the honey for agave syrup to cut calories. Quickly searing the red onions instead of soaking them in water will add a slight smoky flavor.

2. Summer Fruit Salad
via The Devil’s Food Advocate

Figs, peaches, plums, nectarines plus a simple homemade fig vinaigrette makes this the ultimate summer salad. Make sure to buy unsalted almonds and when toasting keep in mind that when they start to smell nutty, it’s time to pull them out.

3. Raspberry, Basil, Goat Cheese Quinoa Salad
via Where the Cookies Are

Everyone’s favorite grain tossed with sweet fruit, salty goat cheese, and floral basil makes for a great summer side dish. Try trading out the basil for tarragon for sweeter herby finish. To offset the sweet fruit and herb, try making the quinoa in part chicken stock, part water.

4. Ricotta Raspberry Canapes
via Cooking Light

This recipe can be whipped up quickly. Instead of using whole wheat bread slices, you could also use multigrain crackers or whole what pita bread instead. For a fresh twist, try adding a teaspoon or two of lemon zest into the ricotta mixture.

5. Oven-Puffed Pancake with Raspberries
via Cooking Light

A baked pancake (or a dutch baby) is a light, easy and quick way to make a brunch dish that will impress your guests. This is another recipe that will be improved with lemon or orange zest in the batter. Or adding a sprinkle of poppy seeds into the batter will make a more unique flavor profile.

6. Roast Chicken with Summer Cherries and Kale
via Thyme

At the peak of summer, plump dark red cherries take over the produce department. Sweet cherries with earthy kale plus a succulent roasted chicken sounds delicious. If you aren’t a fan of kale, you could use any dark green like spinach, dandelion greens, or even beet greens.

7. Barbecued Raspberry-Hoisin Chicken
via Delish

This recipe takes classic barbecued chicken and gives it a fruity Asian twist. Hoisin sauce, found in the Asian section of your grocery store, is a slightly sweet sauce base that is good with meat and vegetables. Serve this with lime wedges for a hit of freshness.

8. Grilled Peach, Corn, and Feta Salad
via The Wicked Noodle

This recipe is written as a large entrée salad. If you want a side dish or salad topper, could cut the peach and the onion smaller, and then toss with the other ingredients. You could even use this as a topping for grilled meats like pork or a filet.

9. Blueberry Balsamic Grilled Chicken
via A Bachelor and His Grill

Instead of using brown sugar, you could substitute molasses (only use 1-2 tablespoons). There’s also a dry rub for the chicken for another level of flavor. You can also use chicken breasts (or pork loin) instead of drumsticks.