Fresh Fruit Salad

Sometimes you just need a big bowl of fresh fruit salad! And with June being National Fresh Fruit & Vegetable Month, what better way than to celebrate with yummy fruits commingling in one scrumptious bowl. This fruit salad is full of great nutrients. Besides getting in your daily quota of fruits, you get a plethora of vitamins and minerals. Apples, oranges, grapes and strawberries provide vitamins A, C, E, and Folate, as well as Potassium, Calcium, Phosphorus, Magnesium, Iron, Selenium and Zinc – not to mention fiber. Grapes and kiwis also pack in B6. Kiwis, in addition to B6, provide B2 and Niacin, while oranges have B1 and Pantothenic acid – Niacin, Folate, and Pantothenic acid are part of the vit B family.

Ingredients:

2-3 oranges or tangelos, peeled, slices separated, then halved into bite sizes
fresh Strawberries, halved then again into bite sizes
Green Grapes, halved or not..
Farmer’s Market Seedless red grapes
2 Gala Apples, cube into bite sizes (or other favorite apple)
1 fresh Pineapple, cut into bite-size cubes
2-3 kiwi, peeled and cubed

*Wash all ingredients, cut accordingly, mix in bowl. Any fruits you love, toss in the mix. Watermelon would also be fun…

Crunchy Variation: For a fun crunch, top individual servings with granola.

Smoothie Variation: Toss about a Cup of mixed fruit into a blender, add a frozen banana or mango chunks and a shot of pomegranate juice. Blend until yummy!

Extra Sweet Variation: Sprinkle with a little brown sugar, or grill the Pineapple (for a caramelized flavor) before adding to the bowl.

South Texas Variation: Leave out the kiwi. Add in a Texas Ruby Red Grapefruit (peeled, seeded, and halved like the tangelo). In a bowl, squeeze 1 fresh lime to get the juice. Whisk in a pinch to 1 tsp of cayenne or chili powder. Pour over salad, toss to combine.