Red, white and blue foods include raspberries, bananas and blueberries.
This is the time of year when red, white and blue is everywhere. But you don’t often see all three together on your plate. (Bomb Pops, while good, don’t count.)
There are lots of red foods.
During July, there’s often fresh watermelon, strawberries, raspberries, cherries and apples, and that’s just the fruit plate. There also are beets, bell peppers, hot chili peppers and tomatoes in the vegetable aisle. Red leaf lettuce and red cabbage? They’re more purple than red, but sure.
White foods? Not so many.
Naturally occurring white foods include mushrooms, cauliflower, potatoes, onions, garlic, navy beans and bananas (once you peel them). This being Wisconsin, there are a fair number of white cheeses often seen on summer snack trays. Otherwise, white foods may mean those that have been processed and refined, such as bread, crackers, pasta and rice.
Which brings us to blue foods. Hmm.
Blueberries. Blue corn. Blue potatoes. That’s about it. Truth be told, they’re more purple than blue.
Anyhow, in the spirit of the season, here’s a red, white and blue fruit and cheese plate (or just a fruit plate) to enjoy.
Red, White and Blue Fruit and Cheese Plate
Blue stars at upper left: Blueberries. (We told you there aren’t many blue foods.)
Red stripes: Watermelon squares or halved strawberries.
White stripes (cheese variation): Squares or chunks of your choice. White cheddar (often marketed that way, but cheddar is naturally white or off-white) or feta or mozzarella. For something a little different, go with white cheese curds.
White stripes (fruit variation): Sliced bananas.