Various types of fruit can be added to a light fruit salad.
When one thinks of a salad recipe, it's usually lettuce, cabbage, carrots and other assorted vegetables that come to mind. This isn't the case with fruit salad recipes. Various types of fruit can be used in these recipes depending on a person's taste. Light fruit salads usually incorporate whipped topping or heavy cream. Light fruit salads can be served before the meal, as a sort of appetizer or after the meal as dessert since the ingredients are sweet.
The Basics
Light fruit salads can be served any time of the year and are often found at cafeteria and buffet-style restaurants, alongside garden salads, coleslaw, pasta salad and gelatin offerings. However, as the seasons change from winter to spring, light fruit salads seem to be ever-present at picnics, family dinners and get-togethers. Most recipes for light fruit salad are not difficult to follow and the dish can be created in a matter of minutes.
Ingredients
The ingredients for light fruit salads can be found in virtually any grocery store. The most common ingredients are strawberries and blueberries. However, variations of the salad can be made using different fruits. For example, cherries, mandarin oranges, grapes and bananas are another variation of the light fruit salad. In addition, either heavy cream and sugar may be used, or whipped topping can be used, for a quicker recipe. Coconut flakes may also be added, if desired. Some people also add walnuts to the recipe.
Preparation
Preparation of a light fruit salad takes just a few minutes. The heavy cream and sugar must be mixed and beaten until light and fluffy, so that part can take a few extra minutes, but if you're using whipped topping, the salad can be created that much quicker, because all you need to do is combine the fruit, whipped topping and nuts or coconut, if desired, and mix them together. For the best taste, chill the salad before serving.
Is It Healthy?
Light fruit salad may sound like a healthy dish, but when you take into consideration that non-dairy whipped toppings can have as many 20 calories in 2 tbsp. and the fact that canned whipped cream can also be high in calories, fruit salads can actually pack on the pounds if not eaten in moderation. The best bet is to used low-fat, non-dairy whipped topping and fresh, rather than canned, fruits. If you must used canned fruit, try to find those that are packed in juice rather than syrup.
Tags: fruit salad, fruit salads, whipped topping, light fruit, heavy cream