Spring Salads & Summer Smoothies

As the weather starts warming up, many people tend to shift their diets just a bit to incorporate lighter meals filled with fresh fruits and veggies. Whipping up a cool, refreshing smoothie or salad makes for a great meal on a spring or summer day because they are quick to make and since you don’t have to use the oven or grill, you’ll stay nice and cool while preparing your meal!

If you’re in need of a few new ides for fresh fruit smoothies and salads, check out some of these great recipes we’ve recently come across.

This mango-peach smoothie includes a little bit of orange juice and vanilla soy milk, creating a creamy, sweet treat.

Photo via All Recipes

A Kiwi Sensation smoothie made with kiwi, mango, and pineapple can also be made with spinach to get a little bit of your daily dose of veggies in!

Photo via All Recipes

When it comes to salads, you can stick to traditional fruit salad recipes or add an extra splash of flavor and texture to a vegetable-based salad. Either way, you’ll have a delicious dish that is also nutritious.

If you’re craving for a taste of your favorite island paradise, this tropical fruit salad will do the trick. Its ingredients include mangoes, pineapple, pomegranate seeds, and dried coconut. Yum!

Photo via Epicurious

Radiance Fruit Salad combines some of the best flavors of spring and summer – kiwi, cantaloupe, and strawberries topped with a honey, lime, and mint dressing.

Photo via Food Network

Or give this Crunchy Fennel and Green Apple Salad a whirl. Extra-thin Granny Smith apple slices add just the right touch of tartness for a refreshing summer salad.

Photo via Cooking Channel

Of course, you can always make your favorite fruit salad into a smoothie by altering the recipe just a bit and tossing it in the blender. Or, you can use this fruit salad smoothie recipe for guidance. It’s made with grapes (red or green – your choice), an orange, pineapple, cucumber, carrot, and apples.

Photo via Food Network

What are your favorite fruits to mix up in smoothies and salads during the spring and summer? Leave a comment to share with us.

Ideas to Spice Up Memorial Day Cookouts

We’re all about traditions here at Hickory Farms. After all, we’ve been an American tradition for over half a century! But we also love taking traditions and adding fresh flairs to personalize them and make them even more special. So when honoring troops with family and friends this Memorial Day, why not skip the same-old routine, and try to spice it up?

A Memorial Day cookout doesn’t have to be the same every year, instead of the regular routes, try one of these creative alternatives.

Instead of only relying on flags and red, white and blue décor…
Incorporate foods and dishes in your Memorial Day menu that show your patriotism. You can also honor a soldier currently overseas by serving up his or her favorite foods.

Photo via Moonlightrainbow.tumblr.com

Instead of sticking to only hamburgers and hotdogs…
Try throwing unique foods on the grill like salad and fruit. This grilled apple salad from Southern Living looks delicious. And in case you missed it, we recently wrote a post on yummy grilled fruit desserts – be sure to check it out!

Photo via Southern Living

Instead of an ordinary cooler…
Try serving drinks in an unexpected way. We love this creative DIY watermelon cocktail keg idea!

Photo via SheKnows

Instead of your typical food spread…
Create a build-your-own station! It could be a build-your-own drink or build-your-own dessert bar. We love the idea we came across on Design Indulgences for creating a build-your-own fruit pizza bar! It’s a wonderful way to make food more fun for friends, family, and guests.

Photo via Design Indulgences

How do you plan to spice up your Memorial Day cookout? Share your favorite tips, tricks, and ideas in a comment or on our Facebook page.

Uniquely Delicious Grilled Fruit Desserts

Hamburgers, hot dogs, BBQ chicken, corn on the cob, veggies and … fruit? That’s right! A delicious grilled fruit dessert can elevate a casual cookout into a chic, gourmet grill out. These desserts are not only easy and fun to make but can also be made to combine creative flavors for a uniquely fresh fruit dessert that is sure to wow family and friends – and taste buds!

There are tons of yummy grilled fruit dessert recipes out there. Keep it as simple as sliced apples grilled with mint.

Photo via Health.com

Or, get creative (and ambitious) and try something spectacular like this apple pie breakfast stack made with grilled apple slices!

Photo via Steph’s Bite by Bite

One grilled apple recipe we thought sounded particularly good was this Baked Apples on the Grill recipe from Taste of Home. All you do is fill cored apples with some raisins, flaked coconut, packed brown sugar, and a little cinnamon. Then, throw them on heavy-duty foil, wrapping over the top and sealing tightly. Grill the apples, covered, for 20 to 25 minutes or until they are tender.

Pears and mangoes are great with grill marks, too! We love the sound of the simple yet succulent Grilled Bartlett Pears A La Mode recipe from the Food Network. And the recipe for luscious grilled mangoes with a chili-honey glaze that we came across on Urban Accents has our mouths watering as well.

As Katy McLaughlin, food writer for the Wall Street Journal says in Grills Gone Wild, “Many fruits benefit from the kiss of the grill.” So why not use them all! We love the idea of making Grilled Fruit Kabobs or Grilled Fruit Skewers. Before you fire up the grill, you can even marinate the pieces of apples, pears, oranges, mangoes, strawberries, and kiwi in a liquor of your choice to make it a cocktail and dessert all rolled into one! Don’t forget to garnish them with powdered sugar, mint leaves or even serve them with a sweet yogurt dip.

Photo via Chaos in the Kitchen

If you don’t want to take our word for it, try one of these tasty grilled fruit dessert recipes yourself – your taste buds will thank you! Then, make sure to share with us how you liked it.

Hickory Farms gourmet food gift baskets are wonderful for easy entertaining as several include a variety of fresh fruits ready to hit the grill!