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Kevin Curry

Sweet, Spicy & Salty Fruit Salad

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This sweet, spicy, and salty fruit salad is a wonderful way to hydrate after an intense workout. The sugar and the salt come together for a great snack after a session at the gym, since the electrolytes help your body to absorb the water in the fruits more readily than just plain water alone. Don’t just think it’s a dish for those who sweat it out since you can also serve it as a perfect summer fruit salad at your next barbecue or showcase it as a winter fruit salad during the holiday season. Bring it to a potluck or work it into your weekly meal plan as a wonderful addition to your lunch box.

There are a lot of different fruits you can use, but the addition of some crunchy, juicy vegetables can’t be replaced. The cucumbers, red bell peppers, and jalapenos add a savory undertone to this refreshing fruit salad. We chose fresh pineapple, mango, watermelon, blueberries, and blackberries for a colorful mix, but you can add mandarin oranges, strawberries, raspberries, or apples for a twist. The jalapeno adds a kick of heat, while the mint washes over with a cool and refreshing flavor. The lime juice (although you can sub it out for lemon juice) will help keep the fruits from browning, and a little bit of honey pulls all the flavors together. If you want to take the salad dressing to the next level, add some poppy seeds for some extra flavor since it goes great with honey and lime.

Serve this delicious fruit salad with something creamy, like vanilla pudding or fresh whipped cream. You can put it on top of some Greek yogurt for a quick and easy breakfast, or treat it like salsa with some herb roasted chicken breast. While you might find the peeling and dicing of some fruits tedious, you can throw any extra fruits and vegetables into the freezer to make smoothies for later.

Did we mention that aside from being delicious, this recipe is also paleo? Instead of using corn starch to thicken the dressing, we used arrowroot which makes it both paleo and gluten-free. Do you like the way this sounds? If so then feel free to check out our recipe video which will guide you step by step in making this fresh fruit salad. If you are a slow cooker – don’t worry, preparation of this recipe won’t take long. When you try this recipe, please drop us a comment to let us know how you liked it! We would love to hear that you enjoyed it.

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Sweet, Spicy & Salty Fruit Salad

Ingredients for 9 servings

* Optional Substitution Note
(Serving size: ~2/3 cup)
  • Syrup
    • Juice from 2 oranges
    • Juice from 3 limes
    • 1 tablespoon honey
    • 2 teaspoons arrowroot mixed with 1 tablespoon water
  • Salad
    • 24oz (680g) watermelon, cut into 1-inch chunks
    • 10oz (285g) mango, cut into 1-inch chunks
    • 10oz (285g) pineapple, cut into 1-inch chunks
    • 1 pint (550 ml) blueberries, washed
    • 6oz (170g) blackberries, washed
    • 1 medium cucumber, semi-peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
    • red bell pepper, diced (OR just use 1 whole bell pepper of the same color) – 1/2
    • orange (or yellow bell pepper), diced (OR just use 1 whole bell pepper of the same color) – 1/2
    • cup chopped mint – 1/3
    • 1 jalapeno, chopped and majority of seeds removed
  • sea salt to taste

STEPS

Step 1

Squeeze limes and oranges into a bowl and mix in honey.  Set a nonstick skillet on medium heat and when hot, pour in the sauce.  Bring it to a light simmer, then pour in the arrowroot starch mixed with water.  Stir immediately so the sauce does not clump and remove from the heat to let it cool and thicken, about 6 to 8 minutes.

Step 2

Add all of the ingredients for the salad in a large bowl and mix everything together.

Step 3

Pour in the sauce/syrup and gently fold the fruits and veggies in the sauce.

Step 4

Season to taste with sea salt.

Sweet, Spicy & Salty Fruit Salad

Kevin Curry


Prep 5min
Cook 6min
Total 11min

Category
Calories 139


(Serving size: ~2/3 cup)
  • Syrup
    • Juice from 2 oranges
    • Juice from 3 limes
    • 1 tablespoon honey
    • 2 teaspoons arrowroot mixed with 1 tablespoon water
  • Salad
    • 24oz (680g) watermelon, cut into 1-inch chunks
    • 10oz (285g) mango, cut into 1-inch chunks
    • 10oz (285g) pineapple, cut into 1-inch chunks
    • 1 pint (550 ml) blueberries, washed
    • 6oz (170g) blackberries, washed
    • 1 medium cucumber, semi-peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
    • red bell pepper, diced (OR just use 1 whole bell pepper of the same color) – 1/2
    • orange (or yellow bell pepper), diced (OR just use 1 whole bell pepper of the same color) – 1/2
    • cup chopped mint – 1/3
    • 1 jalapeno, chopped and majority of seeds removed
  • sea salt to taste

  1. Squeeze limes and oranges into a bowl and mix in honey.  Set a nonstick skillet on medium heat and when hot, pour in the sauce.  Bring it to a light simmer, then pour in the arrowroot starch mixed with water.  Stir immediately so the sauce does not clump and remove from the heat to let it cool and thicken, about 6 to 8 minutes.

  2. Add all of the ingredients for the salad in a large bowl and mix everything together.

  3. Pour in the sauce/syrup and gently fold the fruits and veggies in the sauce.

  4. Season to taste with sea salt.



Nutrition per serving

Calories139cal
Protein2g
Carbs30g
Fiber4g
Sugar21g
0
(Based on 0 reviews)

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Details

Prep 5min
Cook 6min
Total 11min

Nutrition per serving

Calories139cal
Protein2g
Carbs30g
Fiber4g
Sugar21g
About Kevin - author

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Hey, I'm Kevin

My name is Kevin. My life changed when I realized that healthy living is a lifelong journey, mainly won by having a well-balanced diet and maintaining an active lifestyle.

By experimenting in the kitchen and sharing my meals on Tumblr, I learned healthy eating is not boring! By making a few adjustments to my favorite foods, I could design a diet that could help me achieve my wellness goals while satisfying my desire for BANGIN food! 😅 Now I try to help people around the world realize that same level of freedom in eating regardless of budget. Welcome, let's #DemocratizeWellness together!