August is one of the hottest months of the year.  It’s also a time to enjoy the abundance of fresh fruits and vegetables from summer harvests. Check out these nutritious and delicious recipes featuring summer fruits and vegetables.

Watermelon and Cucumber Salad

Watermelons and cucumbers are plentiful and produce a great summer salad.  From start to finish, this recipe will take about 30 minutes and doesn’t require any cooking.

Servings: 4
Total Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

  • 6 cups watermelon, cubed and deseeded
  • 4 cups cucumber, cubed
  • 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • Optional ingredients: 1/2 tablespoon sugar or sugar-substitute, chopped mint or basil leaves, crumbled feta cheese, crumbled, sliced red onions

Sautéed Summer Squash

This recipe uses squash, tomatoes, and zucchini to make a delicious side dish. Feel free to remove any of the ingredients you don’t have or throw in some chopped onion for a little extra flavor.  You can also substitute whatever cheese you have on hand or get rid of the cheese altogether.

Servings: 4
Total Time: 11 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 large yellow squash chopped
  • 1 large zucchini chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic chopped
  • 1 cup grape tomatoes
  • Kosher salt to taste
  • Dash crushed red pepper
  • Optional ingredients: 2 tablespoons shredded Parmesan cheese, basil vinaigrette for drizzling

Blueberry Frozen Yogurt

Frozen yogurts are a healthy treat that works for breakfast or dessert. This recipe calls for a food processor. If you don’t have one, no worries! You can also make it in a blender. If using a blender, pulse, pause, push ingredients down into blades with a wooden spoon, and repeat until you have a smooth consistency. If you don’t have blueberries, experiment with other fruits like strawberry, pineapple, mango, or raspberry.

Servings: 4
Total Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients

  • 3 1/2 cups frozen blueberries
  • 1 cup low-fat yogurt
  • 2 1/2 tablespoons maple syrup
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • Optional Toppings: Shredded unsweetened coconut, chopped pistachios, pecans, or almond

About the Author

Carla Paschal is Metrocrest Services Special Programs Coordinator. Before coming to Metrocrest Services, Carla worked as a Vice President of Marketing for Marsh & McLennan Agency and volunteered for Metrocrest Services’ Food Pantry and Holiday program.  As the Special Programs Coordinator, Carla loves working with volunteers to support Seasonal Programs like the holiday store.