By Kristen Rodman, AccuWeather.com Staff Writer
June 25,2014; 10:07AM,EDT
As we get deeper into summer, temperatures will rise and many will crave refreshing summer recipes.
However, as ongoing droughts, temperature swings, plant-borne diseases and invasive insects continue to take a toll on several sought-after summer foods, including avocados, limes, honey, bananas, chocolate and coffee beans, we provide some alternatives to some classic summer recipes.
1. Avocados
Commonly used as a prime ingredient in guacamoles and salsas, the ongoing drought in the fruit's largest supplying state, California, has jeopardized the alligator pear's future.
However, jalapeños and broccoli can provide viable substitutes for the fruit.
Avocados hang from a tree in Berkeley, Calif., on Sept. 30, 2013. (Flickr Photo/Quinn Dombrowski)Combining hummus, crumbled cheese, bell peppers, cherry tomatoes, cilantro and jalapeños can give everyday chefs a healthy, layered hummus dip to serve with tortilla chips instead of salsa.
As another option to replace guacamole, a new kind of dip called broccomole can swap out the traditional chip-dipping sauce. With broccoli as the main ingredient, this creamy, low-calorie dish is also easy to make.
2. Limes
Excess rain in Mexico, root rot and crop disease have all led to soaring prices and decreased supplies of limes this year. As restaurants try to battle the lime shortage, offering discounted drinks for those who donate the fruit, other concoctions can yield tasty alternatives to the customary margarita.
Limes
lay sliced and ready for use in Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico. A
lime shortage has prompted restaurants to offer customers drink deals if
they bring limes to the restaurant staff. (Flickr/waywuwei)With lemons as the main fruit ingredient, the Rick Bayless' Meyer lemon margarita is created using lemons, lemon juice, Meyer lemon tequila and simple syrup, as well as blue agave tequila to produce its rich, zesty flare.
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For something with a less tart flavor, try Sauza Tequila's "Blooming Berry-rita," composed with blueberries, cranberry juice, raspberry schnapps and tequila.
3. Honey
As a typical ingredient in the Turkish dessert known as Baklava, maple syrup or agave nectar are possible alternatives to the honey element of the pastry.
Freshly made baklava sits on a platter on June 27, 2011. (Flickr/Isabelle Hurbain-Palatin)The combination of maple syrup, sugar and corn syrup can give bakers another culinary option for the sweet nectar. However, sugar and agave nectar can also help dessert-makers avoid the increasing costs of honey.
4. Bananas
Widely used to make homemade banana bread, other fruits like blueberries can be substituted to make a breakfast special.
Bananas hang from a tree in Madeira, Portugal, on June 13, 2008. (Flickr/Claus Rebler)Made with eggs, sugar, milk, flour, blueberries and walnuts if desired, blueberry bread is a comparable alternative for families looking to bake the classic banana bread.
5. Chocolate
Commonly bought during the summertime for the campfire favorite, S'mores, peanut butter and white chocolate are possible replacements for the chocolate put between graham crackers and marshmallows.
A
s'more made with chocolate, peanut butter, marshmallows and graham
crackers lays on a picnic table on Sept. 2, 2013. (Flickr/Andrew
Butitta)In the absence of a bonfire, s'mores can be recreated in the kitchen as cake bars using boxed cake mix, graham crackers, white chocolate chips, marshmallows and condensed milk.
6. Coffee
Known for its mascarpone, coffee and ladyfingers composition, tiramisu may be pricey to make this season as coffee prices climb due to drought in Brazil and fungus infections in Central America.
Tiramisu is elegantly plated at Tutto Pasta during restaurant week on July 31, 2011. (Flickr/Alexis Fam)While there may be no replacement for the Italian coffee-flavored dessert, an English Trifle may give those in the kitchen a different option. Using raspberry jam, fresh raspberries, heavy cream, sugar, sponge cake and almonds, in three hours this dessert can become a reality.
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