Fruit salads are tasty and, when prepared with fresh fruit, are healthy too.
Fruit salads can be healthy or unhealthy. Not all fruit is created equal when it comes to providing important vitamins and antioxidants. Adding sugar or high-calorie dressings to a fruit salad diminishes its health value. Fruits especially high in vitamins and antioxidants are blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, apples and raisins. Salads made with fruits that are in-season have the greatest chance of having natural sweetness, and do not need an added sweetener. Honey used on a salad made with fruits not in season adds a nice sweetness.
Apple Peanut Salad
Today's global market means that some type of apple is always in season and in the market. Apples that are good for use in salads are Baldwin, Braeburn, Cortland, Criterion, Fuji, Gala, Golden Delicious, Granny Smith, Jonathan, Macintosh and Winesap. An easy apple salad recipe can be made by dicing 3 medium golden delicious apples and adding 1/2 cup diced celery, 1/2 cup chopped peanuts and 1/2 cup raisins. The dressing for this salad is made by mixing 1/3 to 1/2 cup mayonnaise with 3 tbsp. peanut butter. Serve this salad on a bed of lettuce.
Pear Salad
Pears are in season and in the produce department in grocery stores in late summer through October. Anjou and Asian pears are both good in salads. A quick and tasty fresh pear salad is made by placing a leaf of Boston lettuce on a salad plate to fill the diameter of the plate. Put 1/2 cup cottage cheese on top of the lettuce and half a peeled pear on top of the cottage cheese. Add a sprinkle of cinnamon or crumbled blue cheese to the top for added taste.
Blueberry Salad
Blueberries come into season in the summer, and are a powerful source of antioxidants and high in vitamin C and fiber. A simple blueberry salad is made by combining 10 oz. of your favorite greens with a pt. of blueberries and ¼ cup chopped walnuts. Make your own salad dressing by mixing 3/4 cup olive oil with 2 tbsp. balsamic vinegar and 1 tbsp. red wine vinegar. Add to this 1 tbsp. mustard, 1 crushed clove of garlic, 1 tsp. light brown sugar and ½ tsp. sea salt. When mixed thoroughly, add ¼ cup feta cheese.
Mixed Berry Salad
Raspberries are in season from May to November, strawberries for three to four weeks from late May to late July, and blackberries in June in the south and July in the north. This mixed berry salad takes advantage of the health benefits derived from these fruits. Combine 1 cup hulled and sliced strawberries, blueberries, blackberries and raspberries. Sprinkle with organic cane sugar to taste and enjoy.
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