Mexican Fruit Salad with Winter Fruit or Summer Fruit

Just in time for a holiday brunch or family breakfast, a savory fruit salad that pairs well with egg dishes, muffins or sweet breads. There's one spice mix for winter fruits, another for summer fruits. Some times, yes, I stir in a few fruity-textured vegetables, too, just to mix it up at little.

THAT WAS THEN When my sister and I were girls, our mother went to great trouble to get pomegranates for the toes of our Christmas stockings, continuing the tradition from her own girlhood. There was no 'cooking' with pomegranates then, we'd break off rough sections and pick off the seeds for sucking, one by one. A whole pomegranate, it lasted for days. Nowadays, fresh pomegranates are so common during the weeks surrounding Christmas, it's easy to forget what a treat they once were.

THIS IS NOW In Oaxaca, Mexico, pomegranate juice is a natural pigment for hand-woven wool rugs. Surprisingly, the pomegranate-dyed skeins of yarn aren’t the pretty red that makes pomegranate so festive in this Mexican Fruit Salad. Instead, the wool turns a luminescent turquoise green, thanks to mixing the juice with lime (the mineral, not the fruit).

ALANNA’s TIPS This is no ordinary fruit salad, thanks to the unusual spices. Cumin (my favorite among the three I’ve tried) draws out the sharpness of winter fruits while cinnamon sweetens summer fruits. For some reason, soft berries like strawberries don’t work as well in this salad. Some times I turn in chopped ‘fruity’ vegetables, think cucumber, jicama and green pepper.

Kitchen Parade is written by second-generation food columnist Alanna Kellogg and features fresh, seasonal dishes for every-day healthful eating and occasional indulgences. Do you have a favorite fruit salad recipe that other Kitchen Parade readers might like? Just send me a quick e-mail via recipes@kitchen-parade.com. How to print a Kitchen Parade recipe. Never miss a recipe! If you like this recipe, sign up for a free e-mail subscription. If you like Kitchen Parade, you're sure to like my food blog about vegetable recipes, too, A Veggie Venture. Follow Kitchen Parade on Facebook!

MEXICAN FRUIT SALAD

Hands-on time: 20 minutes
Time to table: 20 minutes
Makes about 6 cups

DRESSING
• Sections of 1 tangerine (seeds removed if needed) or juice from half an orange (about 3 tablespoons)
• Juice of half a lemon or 1 lime (about 1 tablespoon)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil, optional
• 1 teaspoon honey
• 1/4 teaspoon cumin, cinnamon or chili powder

WINTER FRUITS
• 3 small tangerines, preferably seedless, sections cut into bite-size pieces
• 1 apple, chopped (cut up to an hour before serving)
• 1 ripe pear, chopped (cut just before serving so edges don’t brown)
• 1 banana, chopped (cut just before serving)
• Seeds from half a pomegranate (the quick & easy way to remove the seeds from a pomegranate)

or SUMMER FRUITS
• 1 mango, chopped
• 1 cup fresh chopped pineapple
• 1 cup chopped cantaloupe or honeydew
• 2 cups green and red grapes
• 1 banana, chopped (cut just before serving)

Whiz the dressing ingredients in a small blender and transfer to a large bowl. Gently fold in the fruit. Transfer to a pretty serving bowl and serve immediately.

NUTRITION ESTIMATE (How many calories in Mexican Fruit Salad? How many Weight Watchers points in Mexican Fruit Salad?) Per Cup, Without/With Oil: 86/106 Calories; 0/2g Tot Fat; 0g Sat Fat; 0mg Cholesterol; 1mg Sodium; 23g Carb; 3g Fiber; 16g Sugar; 1g Protein; Weight Watchers Old Points 1/2 & PointsPlus 2/3.

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TIS THE SEASON: This Week, Years Past

Frosty Christmas Trees Saturday Soup Cranberry-Mac Morsels Cranberry Pudding Elk Meatloaf Cinnamon Apples Chocolate Ginger Crinkle Cookies Finnish Meatballs

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Christmas Memories Past & Present

What was in the toe of your Christmas stocking when you were growing up? Do you (or have you) put a surprise into the toes of your own children's stockings? Tell the story!

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Natural Dyes: Pomegranate + Lime = Green

When we visited Oaxaca in the south of Mexico last spring, our favorite stop was an artisan rug maker's studio where natural pigments are used to dye the skeins of yarn that are then woven on looms into brilliant patterned rugs. If you love color, you would love the fascinating account of the history of pigment (sounds dry, yes? but it isn't!), the book Colour: A Natural History of the Palette by Victoria Findlay.

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A Winter Brunch Menu

Served Last Year at My Annual Cookie Swap

Cranberry Champagne Cocktail

Refried Bean Sauce with Eggs on Top

Mexican Fruit Salad (recipe above)

Savory Cornbread Muffins

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More Fruit Salad Recipes

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(helping home cooks save money on groceries)

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~ apple recipes ~
~ pear recipes ~
~ banana recipes ~
~ pomegranate recipes ~
~ mango recipes ~
~ pineapple recipes ~
~ melon recipes ~
~ grape recipes ~
~ All Recipes, By Ingredient ~
~ How to Save Money on Groceries ~

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