Let your fruit salads go bananas
Bananas are the most popular fruit in America. This isn’t surprising when you consider that they are affordable and fresh all year long. Not only are they great to eat, they also make a great addition to fruit salads. Cut-up fruit doesn’t take a lot of fuss, but it looks like it does. And fruit salad makes a great side dish for almost any meal, picnic or party. Pair bananas with fruits that are in season or canned fruits to make your fruit salad attractive as well as tasty.
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Avocado Fruit Salad
3 medium avocados, pitted and peeled
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 cup plain yogurt
2 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
1 medium apple, chopped
1 medium form banana, cut into 1/4-inch slices
1 cup halved seedless grapes
1 11-ounce can mandarin oranges, drained
Cut avocados into chinks; toss with lemon juice. Drain, reserving the lemon juice; set avocados aside. For dressing, in a small bowl, combine the yogurt, honey, lemon peel and reserved lemon juice. In a large bowl, toss the apple, banana, grapes, oranges and avocados. Serve with dressing. Makes 6 servings.
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Blueberry Banana Salad
2 cups sliced firm bananas
1-1/2 cups fresh blueberries
1 11-ounce can mandarin oranges, drained
1/2 cup miniature marshmallows
2 tablespoons flaked coconut
1/2 cup sour cream
In a bowl, combine the bananas, blueberries, oranges, marshmallows and coconut. Gently fold in the sour cream. Refrigerate leftovers. Makes 6 servings.
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Poppy Seed Fruit Salad
1 cup apple, chopped
1 cup seedless grapes
1 cup strawberries
1 cup melon balls
2 firm bananas, sliced
Dressing:
1 cup water
3 tablespoons cider vinegar
1 tablespoon corn starch
3 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
2 teaspoons poppy seeds
Combine all of the ingredients and cook over medium heat until thickened. Let cool before mixing with fruit. Combine all the fruits. Mix with poppy seed dressing and serve chilled. Makes 6 servings.
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Pantry Pointers
When purchasing bananas to mix with other fruits in a salad, choose brightly colored bananas with green tips. Avoid bananas that are dull or grayish in color. Feel the bananas to make sure they are plump and firm. Bananas that are blemished, have split or sunken skins, or have a strong banana smell probably are overripe. Do not purchase overripe bananas unless you are going to cook with them.
To ripen green bananas, put them in a paper bag for a day or two.
The Practical Pantry ©2005 Tammy P. Olson
http://www.practicalpantry.com
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