Serve up a delicious slice of summer with a color-washed, Instagram-worthy party. Celebrate Pride Month, baby showers, summer birthdays, bachelorette parties—or just soak up some sun and eat a rainbow of colors with this vibrant menu.
COLOR SPLASH • KITCHEN ENVY • FOOD Rx • ALLSTAR TIPS & TOOLS
1. Go Green
TANGY CUCUMBER AND AVOCADO CROSTINI
Avocado, cucumber, and green onion mingle with fresh lime juice in this bright, cilantro-spiked starter. Serve on toasts or as a salad.
2. Mellow Yellow
SUMMERTIME CRISP CORN SALAD
This so-simple side bursts with quintessential summer flavors: Stir together sweet corn, tomatoes, and bell peppers and toss in a vinegar-forward dressing.
3. RED HOT
SWEET AND SPICY GRILLED SHRIMP SKEWERS
Purchased chili-garlic sauce adds color and fiery spice to marinated, grilled shrimp. A hint of honey tames the heat.
4. Feelin’ Blue—or Purple!
COLOR-CHANGING MARGARITA
When tequila infused with dried butterfly pea flowers ($31 for a 100-gram bag at rishi-tea.com) hits the acidic lime juice in this margarita, the mixture turns from dark blue to violet—right before your eyes.
SHOW YOUR TRUE COLORS
Invite guests to wear their favorite color—or bust out anything with rainbow stripes—to this ROYGBIV (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet) party.
KEEP ’EM SEPARATED
Follow our lead: Organize dishes, condiments, and colorful produce in swaths by color for easy sophistication. Guests can create a rainbow on the plate by dishing up a little of everything.
TANGY CUCUMBER AND AVOCADO CROSTINI
HANDS-ON 15 MIN TOTAL 45 MIN
SERVES 8 SUBMITTED BY JESSIE WELCH
246 REVIEWS
For gluten-free guests, hold the toast and serve over fresh spring greens.
2 medium cucumbers, diced (3 cups)
2 avocados, diced (1½ cups)
¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
3 Tbsp. fresh lime juice
1 clove garlic, minced
2 Tbsp. minced green onion (optional)
¼ tsp. salt
⅛ tsp. black pepper
24 slices baguette, toasted
Gently stir together cucumbers, avocados, cilantro, lime juice, garlic, green onion (if using), salt, and pepper. Chill, covered, at least 30 minutes and up to 4 hours. To serve, spoon over toasted baguette slices.
armagazine.com/tangy-cucumber-avocado-crostini
PER SERVING (3 TOASTS AND ½ CUP TOPPING): 214 CAL; 7G FAT (1G SAT); 5G PRO; 33G CARB (3G FIBER, 1G SUGARS); 378MG SODIUM
SUMMERTIME CRISP CORN SALAD
HANDS-ON 25 MIN TOTAL 45 MIN
SERVES 8 SUBMITTED BY MOOSETRAX75
33 REVIEWS
¼ cup apple cider vinegar
2 Tbsp. sugar
3 tsp. extra-virgin olive oil
½ tsp. smoked paprika
¼ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. black pepper
6 ears fresh sweet corn, shucked
2 small orange and/or yellow tomatoes, chopped (¾ cup)
1 cup chopped orange bell pepper
1 cup chopped yellow bell pepper
⅔ cup chopped sweet onion
1. For dressing, whisk together vinegar, sugar, oil, paprika, salt, and black pepper in a large bowl.
2. Cut corn kernels from cobs. (You’ll need about 3 cups kernels.) Blanch kernels in boiling salted water in a saucepan about 1 minute. Drain; rinse in a colander under cold running water to stop cooking.
3. Transfer corn to bowl with dressing. Add tomato, bell peppers, and onion; gently toss. Chill, covered, at least 20 minutes or up to 3 days.
armagazine.com/summer-corn-salad
PER ¾ CUP: 103 CAL; 3G FAT (0G SAT); 3G PRO; 20G CARB (2G FIBER, 9G SUGARS); 53MG SODIUM
SWEET AND SPICY GRILLED SHRIMP SKEWERS
HANDS-ON 20 MIN TOTAL 30 MIN
SERVES 8 SUBMITTED BY THEGODDESSGIGI
44 REVIEWS
16 (10-inch) wooden skewers, soaked in water 30 minutes
1 cup chili-garlic sauce
1 cup honey
2 lb. medium shrimp (45-50 count), peeled and deveined
2 red bell peppers, cut into 1½-inch pieces
4 cups grape or cherry tomatoes
1 sweet onion, cut into 1½-inch pieces
1. Preheat an outdoor grill to medium heat (325°F to 375°F) and lightly oil grate.
2. Stir together chili-garlic sauce and honey in a bowl. Transfer half to a small bowl for dipping. Reserve remaining half for basting.
3. Thread shrimp, bell peppers, tomatoes, and onions onto skewers.
4. Grill skewers, turning once and brushing with basting sauce, until shrimp is firm and vegetables are tender, about 8 minutes. Serve skewers with reserved dipping sauce.
armagazine.com/sweet-and-spicy-grilled-shrimp
PER 2 SKEWERS: 254 CAL; 1G FAT (0G SAT); 21G PRO; 44G CARB (2G FIBER, 44G SUGARS); 813MG SODIUM
COLOR-CHANGING MARGARITA
HANDS-ON 5 MIN TOTAL 5 MIN
SERVES 1 SUBMITTED BY ANNIE CAMPBELL
NEW RECIPE GO ONLINE TO RATE & REVIEW
2 oz. (¼ cup) Butterfly Pea Flower-Infused Tequila*
1 oz. fresh lime juice
1 oz. triple sec
⅛ tsp. edible glitter (optional)
1 lime wedge
If you like, salt the rim of a glass. Add ice and infused tequila to glass. In an ice-filled cocktail shaker, add lime juice, triple sec, and (if using) glitter. Cover and shake until very cold; pour into glass with tequila and watch the color change from blue to violet. Garnish with lime wedge.
armagazine.com/color-changing-margarita
PER ⅔ CUP: 234 CAL; 0G FAT (0G SAT); 0G PRO; 14G CARB (0G FIBER, 11G SUGARS); 2MG SODIUM
*Butterfly Pea Flower-Infused Tequila
Pour 2 cups tequila over 16 butterfly pea flowers (about 2 oz.) in a jar with a lid. Steep 3 hours or up to 1 day in fridge. Strain out flowers, return tequila to jar, cover, and store in fridge. Makes 2 cups.
PHOTO: CARSON DOWNING; FOOD STYLING: KELSEY MOYLAN; PROP STYLING: SUE MITCHELL. PHOTOS: CARSON DOWNING; FOOD STYLING: KELSEY MOYLAN; PROP STYLING: SUE MITCHELL ■