Minty Fruit Salad

A wonderful, healthy, and naturally sweet dish, my Minty Fruit Salad always pleases a crowd. Fresh in-season ripened-to-perfection fruit is tossed with a lightly sweetened minty citrus dressing. It’s a colorful and tasty addition to any breakfast, brunch, or dessert buffet.

Use fruits that are in-season in order to enjoy this salad all year round. Leftovers from this fruit salad will usually last overnight in the refrigerator.

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From the kitchen of A Food Lover’s Delight….

Minty Fruit Salad

Suggested Ingredients:

Select five or six fruits from the below list:

Strawberries, halved or sliced
Cherries, pitted and halved
Blackberries, whole
Raspberries, whole
Blueberries, whole
Grapes, whole or halved
Apricots, pitted and cut into bite-sized portions
Pineapple, cut into bite-sized portions
Plums, pitted and cut into bite-sized portions
Bananas, peeled and sliced
Mangoes, pitted, peeled and diced
Papayas, seeded, peeled and diced
Pears, peeled and diced
Peaches, pitted and diced
Oranges, peeled and sectioned
Grapefruit, peeled and sectioned
Apples, cored and diced
Watermelon, peeled, seeded and cut into bite-sized portions
Cantaloupe, peeled, seeded, and cut into bite-sized portions
Honeydew melon, peeled, seeded, and cut into bite-sized portions
…the list goes on…

For the dressing:

2 T chopped fresh mint leaves such as orange, lemon, or chocolate mint or spearmint
1/4 c freshly squeezed orange juice
1 T honey or agave or maple syrup to sweeten, to taste

Method:

1. Combine the orange juice and the honey or agave or maple syrup in a small bowl. Whisk until blended.
2. Stir in the mint, and set minty orange juice mixture aside.
3. Wash all fruits.
4. Cut larger fruits into pieces and peel/pit if necessary.
5. In a large non-metallic bowl, lightly mix fruits with orange juice mixture.
6. Let fruit salad sit in refrigerator for at least 2 hours to chill and allow flavors to enhance.
7. Mix fruit salad lightly once or twice while in refrigerator being careful not to break up fruits.
8. Place fruit salad in a large clear glass or white bowl for best presentation.

Serves 6 – 12 depending on serving size. You may need to double or triple the minty orange dressing amount based on the amount of fruit you are using for your salad.

Variations: Use whatever fruits are in season and ripe in your area. Omit the honey or agave and use maple syrup or other sweetener if you prefer. You shouldn’t need a lot of sweetener if your fruits are ripe. Substitute shredded coconut for the mint.

Some suggested combos are:

Tropical fruit salad: Banana, mango, pineapple, papaya, melon, shredded coconut (instead of mint)
Winter fruit salad: Apple, pear, grape, orange, grapefruit, banana, blueberry, mint.
Summer fruit salad: Apricot, peach, strawberry, raspberry, blackberry, cherry, mint.

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