{"id":819,"date":"2012-06-28T05:00:00","date_gmt":"2012-06-28T05:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/homeimprovementblogs.com\/hg-blog\/?guid=7f7dfbf74dc1fa6bb5a3911c85e79ef8"},"modified":"2012-06-28T05:00:00","modified_gmt":"2012-06-28T05:00:00","slug":"creating-super-summer-snacks-with-grapes-is-a-breeze","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/homeimprovementblogs.com\/hg-blog\/creating-super-summer-snacks-with-grapes-is-a-breeze\/","title":{"rendered":"Creating super summer snacks with grapes is a breeze"},"content":{"rendered":"

(HIB) – Early summer marks the beginning of the California grape season. These bite-size treats are the perfect snack – crisp, sweet and only 90 calories per 3\/4 cup serving. Grapes are also very juicy, making them a welcome source of hydration as outdoor activities and temperatures increase.<\/p>\n

Always ripe and ready-to-eat, convenient (no peeling, no seeds), and packable for a picnic or day camp, grapes are really today’s super snack. And there’s more good news: grapes of all colors are a delicious source of antioxidants and other polyphenols, and research suggests that grapes support heart health and may help defend against a variety of age-related and other diseases. <\/p>\n

Selecting grapes is a breeze, since all grapes are fully ripe when they arrive at the supermarket. Simply look for plump grapes with pliable green stems. Once home, keep your grapes unwashed and refrigerated in a plastic bag until ready to use, then rinse with cold water and serve.<\/p>\n

While fresh grapes are most often enjoyed as a snack, more and more people have discovered the versatility of grapes as an ingredient. Why? Fresh grapes from California add color, crunch and a light touch of sweetness to snacks and meals. Toss them into yogurt, or nearly any kind of salad: fruit, green, grain, chicken or tuna. Create grape and cheese skewers for an easy appetizer. For a cool summer treat, freeze your grapes: just rinse them, pat them dry, and place them in the freezer for two hours. The result is like sweet bursts of sorbet.<\/p>\n

Here are a couple more tasty snacks for kids and adults. These wholesome and easy-breezy treats show off grapes’ natural pairing potential with all things dairy.<\/p>\n

Grape, Honey and Yogurt Pops
\nMakes eight standard size frozen treats.<\/p>\n

Ingredients:
\n1 pound red or black seedless California grapes, rinsed and stemmed
\n2 tablespoons sugar
\n1 tablespoon honey
\n1 container (16 ounces) vanilla or honey Greek yogurt or a combination<\/p>\n

Directions:
\nPuree the grapes in a food processor or blender (you’ll have about 2 cups). Transfer to a medium-size pot and bring to a boil. Boil the grapes, stirring occasionally, until the mixture has thickened and reduced to about 1 1\/2 cups, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a bowl, stir in the sugar and honey and let cool to room temperature.<\/p>\n

Fold in the yogurt just until nicely swirled, then spoon into frozen treat molds. Cover with foil, insert sticks and freeze for 4 to 6 hours or until set.<\/p>\n

Nutritional analysis per serving: calories 127; protein 4.2 g; carbohydrate 27 g; fat 1 g; 7 percent calories from fat; cholesterol 2 mg; sodium 16 mg; fiber .5 g.<\/p>\n

Grape Snack Bites
\nMakes eight snack bites.<\/p>\n

Ingredients:
\n2 full graham crackers (to yield 8 small rectangles)
\n2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons lowfat cream cheese
\n8 seedless California grapes, sliced<\/p>\n

Directions:
\nBreak each graham cracker into its four small rectangles. Spread 1 teaspoon cream cheese on each cracker and top with sliced grapes. Serve immediately.<\/p>\n

Nutritional analysis per snack: calories 28; protein .7 g; carbohydrate 4 g;
\nfat 1 g; 35 percent calories from fat; cholesterol 3 mg; sodium 40 mg; fiber .1 g.<\/p>\n

For more grape snack and recipe ideas, visit www.grapesfromcalifornia.com<\/a> or Facebook at www.facebook.com\/GrapesFromCalifornia<\/a>.<\/p>\n\"Facebook\"<\/a>\"twitter\"<\/a>\"reddit\"<\/a>\"pinterest\"<\/a>\"mail\"<\/a>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

(ARA) – Early summer marks the beginning of the California grape season. These bite-size treats are the perfect snack – crisp, sweet and only 90 calories per 3\/4 cup serving. Grapes are also very juicy, making them a welcome source of hydration as outd…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":187,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[36],"tags":[127],"class_list":["post-819","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-holidays","tag-seasonal-home-tips"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/homeimprovementblogs.com\/hg-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/819","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/homeimprovementblogs.com\/hg-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/homeimprovementblogs.com\/hg-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/homeimprovementblogs.com\/hg-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/187"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/homeimprovementblogs.com\/hg-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=819"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/homeimprovementblogs.com\/hg-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/819\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/homeimprovementblogs.com\/hg-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=819"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/homeimprovementblogs.com\/hg-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=819"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/homeimprovementblogs.com\/hg-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=819"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}