This month we are featuring the Holiday Fruit Salad recipe.  This salad is great anytime, and looks so good and tastes so fresh it is perfect for special meals.

Here are some tips if you would like to try it now to see if you want to include it for your holiday meals.

• Use any canned, frozen, or fresh fruit.  When you combine different fruit colors and shapes I think the salad looks more interesting.
• If you want to use fresh fruit, consider oranges, grapefruit, tangerines, pears, pomegranates, apples and papayas because they are plentiful or “in season” in the winter months and usually cost less.   (Bananas are also a good buy year round.)
• The fruit can either be arranged on the plate with the sauce drizzled over the top, or for a faster version, just combine the cut up fruit with the cooled sauce and serve.
• The juice in the recipe adds flavor and nutrients, but you can get by without it.
• You can vary the color and flavor of the sauce by using different flavors of gelatin.  One package of gelatin mix makes enough for 2 salads. Store and label the leftover gelatin for the next time you want to dress up your fruit.

I like this recipe because it looks special, but does not add a lot of sugar and fat (i.e. calories) to the fruit.

I would love to know how it works for you.

Holiday Fruit Salad

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1 1/2 teaspoons (1/2 small package) dry sugar-free favored gelatin (any favor/color)
• 3/4 cup water
• 3/4 cup orange juice
• 2 tablespoons lemon or lime juice (optional)
• 1 or 2 packets non-caloric sweetener or 2 to 3 teaspoons sugar (optional)
• 4 cups cut-up fruit (apple, orange, kiwi, banana)
• Optional garnish: Pomegranate seeds

Instructions

1. For sauce, stir cornstarch and gelatin together in a small saucepan. Add water and stir to dissolve. Add the orange juice and, if desired, the lemon or lime juice.
2. Cook over medium heat until mixture begins to boil. Stir constantly to prevent sticking and burning.
3. Gently boil for 1 minute. Cool completely. Stir in sweetener or sugar, if desired.
4. Arrange fruit on plates and pour sauce on top. Or pour cooled sauce over cut-up fruit in a bowl and stir to coat.
5. Chill until ready to serve.