This year Dole Food Co. is making it easier for sports fans filling out NCAA basketball tournament brackets to score their daily servings of fruits and vegetables.
The global fresh produce provider is hosting Dole Fruit and Veg Tournament Brackets, a competition between produce-rich recipes inspired by the NCAA Men’s Division I Basketball Tournament.
Dole social media followers will decide the winners of three rounds of head-to-head matchups between dishes made with eight of the company’s bestselling fruits and vegetables: apples, avocados, bananas, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, pineapple, romaine lettuce and strawberries.
The eight competing recipes are among some of the most-downloaded dishes in Dole’s online recipe library, according to a release. Participants can vote for their favorites and check results on Dole’s Facebook and Instagram pages from March 13-April 2. The dish receiving the most votes in the final competition during the week of March 27 will be crowned “Produce Recipe Champion” for 2023.
“Since nearly every fruit and vegetable has a corresponding beloved recipe, we thought it would be fun to pit these iconic Dole dishes against each other to see which scores the most points with fans,” Melanie Marcus, Dole nutrition and health communications manager, said in the release. “It’s part of our ‘Healthier by Dole’ series designed to show that a produce-rich diet can be tasty, accessible and a regular part of everyday and special celebrations.
“Of course, the only way to know for sure which fruit or vegetable dish is best is to prepare all eight, invite your friends and make it a watch party. And no one has to know they’re healthy,” Marcus added.
The eight competing recipes are:
2. Spicy Habanero Pineapple Guacamole
4. Little Boo Brussels Sprouts Bites
5. Air Fryer Buffalo Cauliflower Bites
6. Grilled Pineapple Fries with Avocado-Sriracha Dip
7. Southwest Caesar Chicken Salad
8. Chocolate Dipped Strawberries
