Fruit Salads: A Change From All That Lettuce

Face it. When someone tells you about salad, the first thing that pops into your mind would be lettuce. Although lettuce is the primary ingredient for most salads, it’s not really a necessity for some salad recipes. Salads can be made from just about any ingredient you can think of and if you want to change things up a bit, fruit can be the best way to do it.

Obviously, fruit salads are mainly composed of, well, fruit. Some lettuce can be added to the salad if you wanted to, but still, the main component of the meal would be fruit. Fruits, like vegetables, come in different types and varieties too. Now, just thinking of the many ways you can use those fruits in luscious salads is enough to make your mouth water, right?

Like most salads, traditional fruit salads are also easily prepared. Most of the time, you just buy cans of fruit cocktail in the grocery, drain them of water, and dump the contents into the salad bowl. You can add a few extras into the fruit salad mix too, like sprinkles of coconut, whipped cream toppings, marshmallows and nuts.

Of course, traditional fruit salads don’t need to come from just cans of fruit cocktail. You can make it healthier and take it a bit further by adding more fresh fruits into the mix. For this, you might be thinking that berries can very much work well. Not only berries though, but also peaches, pears, oranges, or well, just about any fruit you can think of that you’re sure that will complement the overall taste of the fruit salad.

Traditional fruit salads are not meant to become main dishes though and are mostly associated as side dishes or dessert. In any case, they are still something your family or friends will look forward to eating. Basic fresh fruit salads can complement any breakfast perfectly well and if you’re eager to have some quick snack, you can always reach for some of that chilled fruit salad as well.

One special type of salad would be citrus salad. Obviously, when we talk about citrus, it will most certainly be composed of oranges, grapefruit, lemons and limes, which will certainly have a tinge of sour taste in it. Add in some toppings and other flavorings you believe will enhance the salad’s flavor and it will become a certain hit for kids and adults alike. Of course, given the sourness of the ingredients, it always helps to add some whipped topping or some sugar-based dressing so to keep those eager lips from puckering up too much.

If you haven’t tried it yet, why not make a fruit salad composed of some exotic ingredients for a little change in pace. Conveniently nowadays, lesser known fruits like kiwis, star fruit, papaya and pomegranate show up more and more frequently in local supermarkets. Exotic fruits are mostly very tasty and will make your fruit salad very well stand out both in presentation and palate.

In summary, we can always say that fruit salads are very easy to make. With the many varieties of fruits available today like apricots, cherries, grapes and other berries, you can always make this type of salad a constant companion side dish at the table. If you want it simple, you can always use canned fruits. If you want it extravagant, try using fresh and exotic fruits. And if you want it fun, why not try dry fruits in the mix? No matter which way you decide, fruit salads are set to become a big hit for your family and friends.

Read more articles by: Letty Velasco