What to Cook in July: A Produce Guide

I hope you’re all enjoying the long weekend with some good ‘ol time by the grill and tons of food! I’m actually spending most of my weekend at home, putting the finishing touches on the meal planning challenge that starts next week (lame, I know). Be sure to drink an extra beer for me, okay? For now, let’s talk about July produce.

July is one of the best times of the year to buy fresh produce, and it’s also the time when I spend the most money at the farmers market. All the summer fruits are out and heirloom tomatoes are starting to appear at the market—I can’t resist buying it all! Here’s a list of fruits and vegetables that you should look out for this month and some tasty recipe ideas to get you inspired!

BLUEBERRIES

• 4-Ingredient Blueberry Frozen Yogurt
• Blueberry Basil Swirled Ice Cream (from Floating Kitchen)
• Summer Picnic Salad with Blueberries & Vegan “Feta” (from The First Mess)
• Fresh Bluberry Sauce (from Carlsbad Cravings)
• Frozen Blueberry Mojitos (from Delish Knowledge)

CHERRIES

• How to Pit Cherries Without a Pitter
• Black Forest Mousse
• Cherries Floating in Vanilla Cream with Bee Pollen Sprinkles (from Heartbeet Kitchen)
• Cherry Limeade (from Blahnik Baker)
• Boozy Cherry-Pineapple Mint Slushies (from Hungry Girl Por Vida)

CORN

During summer time, you HAVE to cook with fresh corn, even if it’s just one time. Shucking and husking the corn can be a bit of a pain, but the payoff is well worth it. To make the salad above, sauté fresh corn with oil, onions and green beans, season with some salt and pepper, and toss with halved plum tomatoes.

• Cheesy Mashed Potatoes with Corn & Furikake
• Grilled Corn & Zucchini Salad with Sun-Dried Tomato Vinaigrette (from Minimalist Baker)
• Roasted Corn and Summer Tomato Salad (from Sweet Cayenne)
• Thai Grilled Corn and Peach Quinoa Salad (from Half Baked Harvest)
• Chile Lime Grilled Corn on the Cob (from Love and Lemons)

CUCUMBERS

• Lemongrass Chicken Noodle Salad
• Cucumber Melon Caprese Salad (from The Bojon Gourmet)
• Cucumber and Feta Salad (from David Lebovitz)
• Cucumber Basil and Watermelon Salad (from Foodie Crush)
• Spicy Korean Cucumber Kimchi Refrigerator Pickles (from Jeanette’s Healthy Living)

EGGPLANT

• Eggplant Bliss Bowl with Mint and Cilantro Chutney
• Chili Eggplant Tofu Stir Fry with Cauliflower Rice
• Baba Ganoush (from Well and Full)
• Grilled Japanese Eggplant with Tahini Sauce (from Simply Recipes)
• Vegan Eggplant Rollatini (from The Full Helping)

GREENS

• Summer Teriyaki Salmon Salad
• Sorghum Salad with Kale Pesto
• Kale Salad Fried Tofu and with Miso Ginger Dressing
• Romaine Wedge Salad with Chive Dressing and Smoky Sunflower “Bacon” Bits (from With Food + Love)
• California Quinoa Collard Wraps with Edamame Pesto (from Cotter Crunch)

HERBS

• Teriyaki Tofu Sandwich with Herbed Tofu Dip
• Creamy Cilantro Sauce
• Green Goddess Pesto & Goat Cheese Bites (from Snixy Kitchen)
• Spinach and Basil Pesto (from Kalyn’s Kitchen)
• Spicy Cilantro Hummus (from Dishing Up the Dirt)

MANGO

• Quinoa Cakes with Chickpeas and Mango Salsa
• Mango Chia Pudding
• Sweet Potato Mango Smoothie
• Mango Sangria with Frozen Blueberries (from Vanilla and Bean)
• Banana Coconut Mango Smoothie (from Omnivore’s Cookbook)

POTATOES

• Watercress Soup with Potatoes and Peas
• Smoked Gouda Smashed Potatoes
• Rosemary Roasted Potatoes with Bacon
• Leek and Potato Fennel Soup (from Hip Foodie Mom)
• Slow Cooker Greek Potatoes (via Damn Delicious)

STONE FRUIT

• Vegan Peach, Cherry & Blueberry Crumble
• Gluten-Free Pluot Torte
• Mini Berry & Nectarine Tarts
• Caramelized Peach Quinoa Breakfast Bowl (from The Lean Green Bean)
• Stone Fruit Iced Tea with Lemon & Mint (from Faring Well)

STRAWBERRIES

• Shrimp Spring Rolls with Strawberry Almond Sauce
• Strawberries and Cream Oat Flour Waffles
• Mini Strawberry Scones with Sweet Red Bean Paste
• Strawberry Sangria (from Gimme Some Oven)
• Strawberry Sorbet Float (from The Almond Eater)

STRING BEANS

I love all varieties of green beans that pop up during this time of the year. One that I love in particular are Chinese long beans. Each stalk is about 1 to 2 feet long, and you snap them into smaller pieces. In the dish pictured above, I sautéed the Chinese beans with some olive oil and onions, seasoned them with salt and pepper, and mixed them with plum tomatoes, chopped basil and crushed almonds.

• Miso Maple Green Bean Salad with Bacon 
• Simple Skillet Green Beans (from Healthy Seasonal Recipes)
• Sichuan Dry Fried Green Beans (from The Woks of Life)
• Summer Green Bean Salad (from Making Thyme for Health)

SUMMER SQUASH

• Turmeric Zucchini and Potato Fritters
• Carrot Top Pesto Pasta with Zucchini Noodles
• Veggie Lasagna Zucchini Boats (from Skinnytaste)
• Instant Cup of Noodles with Spiralized Noodles (from Inspiralized)
• Summer Squash Noodles with Basil Lime Dressing (from Gourmande in the Kitchen)

TOMATOES

• Gluten-Free Heirloom Tomato Galette with Kale Pesto
• Three Cheese Plantain Crust Pizza (with tomato toppings)
• Fried Polenta with Tomatoes and Feta (from Naturally Ella)
• Avocado Caprese Salad (from Back to Her Roots)
• Heirloom Tomato Salad (from 101 Cookbooks)