Healthy Eating : Banana and Kiwi Salad

Put away any preconceived notions of Grandma's fruit salad. This unusual combination of tropical fruit in a savory shallot vinaigrette will have you dreaming of the tropics

Ingredients
2 tablespoons lime juice
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 tablespoon minced shallot
2 teaspoons rice vinegar
1 teaspoon honey
1/4 teaspoon salt
Pinch of cayenne pepper, or to taste
4 kiwis, peeled and diced
2 firm ripe bananas, cut diagonally into 1/2-inch-thick slices
1/2 cup diced red bell pepper
2 tablespoons thinly sliced fresh mint
2 tablespoons chopped cashews, toasted (see Tip)



Preparation

1.Whisk lime juice, oil, shallot, vinegar, honey, salt and cayenne in a medium bowl. Add kiwis, bananas, bell pepper and mint; toss to coat. Serve sprinkled with cashews.
Tips & Notes
Tip: To toast nuts & seeds on the stovetop: Toast in a small dry skillet over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until fragrant and lightly browned, 3 to 5 minutes.
NutritionPer serving: 170 calories; 6 g fat ( 1 g sat , 3 g mono ); 0 mg cholesterol; 30 g carbohydrates; 1 g added sugars; 3 g protein; 5 g fiber; 151 mg sodium; 544 mg potassium.

Nutrition Bonus: Vitamin C (190% daily value), Fiber (20% dv), Potassium & Vitamin A (15% dv).

Carbohydrate Servings: 1 1/2

Exchanges: 2 fruit, 1 fat

Avocado Salad Dressing

1/4 seedless cucumber, finely diced
1 ripe avocado, mashed
1 tomato, finely diced
1/4 tsp. onion powder
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1 tbsp. Spanish onion, finely chopped
1/2 tsp. low-salt chicken base powder
1 tbsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. fruit sugar or honey
1/4 tsp. Vegit (optional)
1 tbsp. good health mayonnaise
Braggs Seasoning or sea salt to taste

Mash the avocado with onion powder, garlic powder, fruit sugar, Bragg's, Vegit, and mayonnaise. Add a little water to thin the avocado mixture. Stir in the diced cucumber, tomato and onion. Pour the dressing over romaine lettuce. Serve immediately.

Lamb, Watercress & Orange Salad

Ingredients

750g lamb loin

1 clove garlic, crushed

2 tbsps barbecue sauce

4 small oranges, peeled

1 bunch watercress, trimmed

1 small red capsicum, sliced thinly

4 spring onions, sliced

1/3 cup pine nuts, toasted (available in supermarket)


Dressing

1/3 cup olive oil

1/2 tsp finely grated orange rind

2 tbsps orange juice



1. Place lamb, oil, garlic and bbq sauce in a large bowl. Mix until lamb is well coated. Cover, refrigerate for 2 hours, or overnight.

2. Remove pith from oranges. Cut in between membranes to remove flesh. Set aside.

3. Cook lamb on a oiled pan until browned on both sides, about 5 mins. Remove from pan. Slice thinly.

4. Toss together lamb and other ingredients in a big bowl. Drizzle with dressing before serving.

Yankee Salad

INGREDIENTS
1 (16 ounce) package uncooked orzo pasta
3/4 cup white sugar
2 eggs, beaten
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 (20 ounce) cans crushed pineapple, drained with juice reserved
1 cup mandarin orange segments, drained and chopped
1 (10 ounce) jar maraschino cherries, drained and chopped
1 (12 ounce) container frozen whipped topping, thawed
DIRECTIONS
In a large pot of salted boiling water, cook pasta until al dente, rinse under cold water and drain.
In a sauce pan, combine the sugar, eggs, flour, salt, pineapple juice and cook over medium heat until mixture thickens. Remove from heat and cool.
Toss together the pasta and cooked pineapple juice mixture. Refrigerate overnight.
Break up chilled pasta with a spoon and mix in pineapple, mandarin oranges and cherries. Fold in thawed whipped topping, chill and serve.

NUTRITION INFORMATION
Servings Per Recipe: 7
Amount Per Serving
Calories: 646
Total Fat: 14.6g
Cholesterol: 61mg
Sodium: 215mg
Total Carbs: 118.3g
Dietary Fiber: 5.4g
Protein: 12.9g