Celebrate National Salad Month with Fruit

May is National Salad Month, and we’ve been celebrating at Dole all month long. There are so many creative ways to spin a salad, but right now we especially love fresh fruit. Fruit salads can find a place on the breakfast table, in lunch boxes and picnic baskets, as a side dish at dinner, or in a dessert cup. Sweet berries, juicy peaches, and fragrant melons will be hitting the shelves this month, and we’ll be taking full advantage. Let’s be inventive and experiment with the beautiful array of products in your local grocery store this time of year. Time to throw on that apron, roll up those sleeves, and get into the kitchen where the fun begins! 

This Vanilla-Lemon Summer Fruit Salad is a favorite with both kids and adults. With 11 grams of protein and 4 grams of fiber, this flavorful salad is a fun option for a nutritious breakfast, but the natural sweetness of the fruit makes this wonderful for a light and fresh dessert as well. I hope you enjoy this dish as much as my family does. Fresh fruit salads will be a staple in my home all summer long. 

With National Eat More Fruits and Vegetables Day and the kickoff of Dole’s Get Up and Grow! Together tour coming up on May 26, I’m getting ready to hit the road to spread the word on eating fruits and vegetables and to encourage everyone to take the Healthy Living Challenge. I’ll be taking a break from blogging for the summer, but you can check back here for updates on the tour and find out how you can get involved. Hope to see you at a tour stop! 

Vanilla-Lemon Summer Fruit SaladServes 4 

Ingredients: 

Vanilla-Lemon Topping 

• 2 cups low-fat Greek yogurt 
• 1 ½ tablespoons maple syrup or honey 
• 1 small lemon, zest of 
• 1 vanilla bean, seeds scraped or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract  
• ¼ cup unsweetened almond milk (if needed) 

• 1 cup DOLE® Strawberries, hulled, cut in half 
• 2 DOLE Bananas, peeled and cut into even rounds 
• 2 plums, cut into bite sized pieces 
• 2 nectarines, cut into bite sized pieces 

1. In a medium size bowl, stir all the topping ingredients together. If the yogurt is too thick to pour, add almond milk, a little at a time, until you have the consistency of thick cream. 
2. Place all the fruit into a salad bowl and gently toss together. 
3. Pour the topping over the fruit and serve. 

Published May 1, 2016