When it comes to grapes and wellness, it’s all good news. Grapes aren’t just tasty and colorful additions to the plate: they offer nutritional and health benefits, too. In fact, many consider grapes to be the original “superfruit.”

For centuries, grapes have been a staple of healthful diets around the world — most notably as part of the Mediterranean diet — and historically grapes were used to “correct” an array of maladies. Today we have greater insight as to just how and why grapes are good for us. There is no question that fresh grapes offer plenty of reasons to include them as a regular part of our diet.

• Add grapes to the house green salad in place of cherry tomatoes. Offer crumbled blue cheese and toasted nuts as optional add-ons to build value.
• Sprinkle halved grapes on a pizza with Fontina cheese and radicchio.
• Top a focaccia with grapes and rosemary. Sprinkle with coarse salt for a savory version, or with sparkling sugar to make a morning version, impressive in a bread basket.
• Replace tomato gazpacho with a green grape and almond gazpacho, a Spanish classic.
• Top bruschetta with ricotta, grapes, and olive oil for a savory hors d’oeuvre… or with ricotta, grapes, and honey for brunch.
• Make a warm spinach salad with grapes, red onions, and bacon
• Prepare grilled chicken kebabs with skewered grapes in place of tomatoes and baste the kebabs with a rosemary “brush”
• Make a grape and tomatilla salsa for grilled pork or fish
• Garnish a baked goat cheese salad with roasted grapes and croutons
• Toss pasta with goat cheese, toasted walnuts, chives, and grapes
• Add grapes to a coleslaw made with red and green cabbage. Layer the slaw in a pulled-pork or ham sandwich.
• Make a grape chutney for turkey, ham, or roast pork sandwiches. And make extra to serve with roast duck.

Featured Recipe: Watch Chef Samuel prepare Grilled Mahi Mahi with Red Grape and Sweet Corn Salsa.