Elevate Your Summer Grilling with California Prunes

TORONTO, May 10, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Summer is around the corner, and it’s time to fire up the grill. Stock up on ingredients to make easy, vibrant, and refreshing sides and salads, perfect for weeknight dinners or weekend barbeques. Cooking over the grill provides so many interesting flavour possibilities. To add sweet, smoky flavour to meats and salads, grilling or making sauces with fruits like pineapples and peaches are a popular go-to but have you ever considered grilling with dried fruit, like California Prunes?

Though prunes are often associated with snacking or baked goods, their sweet, earthy taste and chewy sticky texture make them a great complement to savoury meat dishes and a key component in sauces and dressings. For an easy, fresh, and flavourful meal try California Prunes’ Zesty Asian Chicken Salad. Prunes from California have natural sugars that make them tender when cooked, which also gives a distinct texture to the dish. The coconut aminos in this dish give the flavour of soy without the gluten. Ginger and garlic provide a zesty kick while sweetness from California Prunes ties the entire salad together.

Zesty Asian Chicken Salad with California Prunes

These California Prunes Juicy Burgers and California Prune Veggie Burgers make excellent use of California Prunes in sauces and marinades. While the juicy beef patty uses California Prune Purée as a binding agent inside the mixture, the veggie burgers use them to coat the patties and add an extra layer of flavour. The textured nature of California Prunes helps in thickening of sauces and maintaining shape when on the grill, not to mention adding a sweet, earthy flavour.

California Prune Juicy Burger

California Prune Veggie Burger

Lastly, we have Grilled Pork Chops with Tangy Five Spice Sauce by Chef Paul Lilakas. California Prunes give the sauce a sweetness that balances the salty flavours and beautifully blends the two flavour profiles. When cooked, prunes release natural sugars and become tender, making them a great ingredient for sauces that require a thick, rich consistency. They also add a deep, caramelized flavour that pairs well with meat and poultry dishes. Chef Paul shares his inspiration for the recipe, “I took the tomato ketchup as inspiration and added California Prunes to bring a deeper flavour. Prunes from California bring so much depth of flavour to all kinds of recipes. What I love most about them is their concentration of sweetness and the fruity complexity they bring to a variety of dishes – both sweet and savoury!”

California Prunes are not only delicious, but they are also high in antioxidants, fibres and additional vitamins and minerals that support gut, bone, and heart health. They naturally contain potassium, vitamin K, and polyphenols (antioxidant- packed micronutrients), which work together to protect the bone and increase overall immunity.

This summer season your backyard barbecues can be nutritious and delicious, thanks to California Prunes.

Please contact us for an interview, quotes, or additional information on California Prunes.

Visit https://www.californiaprunes.ca/recipes/ for more recipes.

EDITOR’S NOTES 
Please do not use any quotes contained within this press release in news stories or features without the express permission of the California Prune Board. 

ABOUT THE CALIFORNIA PRUNE BOARD
The California Prune Board was established in 1952 to represent growers and handlers under the authority of the California Secretary of Food and Agriculture. California is the world’s largest producer of prunes with orchards across 14 counties in the Sacramento and San Joaquin valleys. Promoting a lifetime of wellness through the enjoyment of California Prunes, the organization leads the premium prune category with generations of craftsmanship supported by California’s leading food safety and sustainability standards. 

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