I love fruit, yes I do.

When I was younger the concept of mixing food was not one I was fond of.  Not in all aspects of course, seeing as I'm not just going to eat pasta dry, or have a fry with out Ketchup, or potatoes without salt, pepper and butter... but, mixing certain foods were out of the question, dairy and fish?  No.  Peanut butter and jam?  In your dreams!  Fruit salads?  Absolutely not.  Over the years though (even though I may not eat fish now), I am more open to eating foods that are mixed.

Fruit salads were something that... really, the idea just grossed me out.  I had tried fruit salads on a few occasions and every time I tried them the mixture of the fruit juices just didn't sit right.  If I wanted fruit I would eat one fruit, then another, and another, not together, that was also the case when it came to cereal and milk... I would eat my dry cereal with a glass of milk on the side (yes, I really did have some strange quirks, some of which have stayed, some which have passed, thankfully). 

One of my favourite ways to eat my fruits are now are in fruit salads, or a combination of fruit doused in yoghurt and granola, mmmm.  This summer I have made, numerous and various fruit salads, I seriously cannot get enough.  I eat mini fruit salads every day, always including some sort of tropical goodness, or, if I don't have tropical fruit left since I've eaten all my fruits I will top the salad with flaked coconut!  The one theme that my fruit salads now share is that I always spritz freshly squeezed lime juice over my fruit, sometimes I let the fruit sit for a few hours, sometimes I eat it right away.  I just love the zing of the lime with the other fruits.  I'm not sure when I got over my little "phobia" of fruit salads (because yes it was a phobia, just like my weird peanut butter and jam phobia errr...).  All I know is I am incredibly happy I did get over it because, I love fruit salads, I love fruit, and I love that I can have healthy breakfasts, desserts and snacks that tastes' like heaven.

Fruit Salad with a Ginger Mint Dressing

Ingredients:

• 1 clementine
• 1 kiwi
• 1 large mango
• 1/2 cup frozen raspberries

Ginger Mint Dressing

• 1/8 cup maple syrup
• 2 tbsp freshly chopped mint
• Juice from 1 lime
• 1 tbsp grated fresh ginger
• 1/4 tsp almond extract

Topping

• 1/4 cup slivered or sliced almonds, chopped

Directions:  

Cut your fruits and place them in a bowl large enough that you will be able to incorporate the remaining ingredients.

In a separate bowl, mix the ingredients for the dressing and add it to your fruit.  Top with almonds.

I allowed mine to sit overnight so that the juices and flavours would mend together.

Mint-Lime Spring Green Fruit Salad

 

Recipe slightly adapted from here 

This salad in itself is absolutely wonderful.  You get a ton of fruit servings, healthy fats, protein, and a ton of other nutrients.  It was just amazing, the addition of the avocado was perfect since it added a beautiful creamy texture to the salad.

Ingredients:

• 1 avocado, cubed
• 1 green apple, cubed into large chunks
• 1 lime, squeezed with a bit of zest
• 1 kiwi, cut into chunks
• 1 tbsp roasted/salted pistachios
• 1 tbsp maple syrup

Directions:

Chop, squeeze and peel all ingredients.  Add to a large bowl, and toss well with a spoon.

Serve immediately or cover and chill until ready to serve.

Sweet Chili Lime Tofu with Cinnamon Couscous and Steamed Spinach

Recipe inspired from here

Meals that I embrace nowadays are meals that are simple to put together.  The past two years (since I started blogging), I stopped making the same meals twice.  I'm always wanting to try new recipes, and save recipes upon recipes knowing that the collection always grows and well... it's just not possible to get through all of these recipes, especially since now I embrace and look forward to leftovers.  Yes, the last two years I would not have leftovers.  I would divide the recipes so that they would be single serving recipes, or for two if I were making my meals for someone else as well.  Nowadays, I feel like I just want to have leftovers.  It's not that I'm avoiding being in the kitchen, it's just I know that I really have reached inner piece with my ED and I don't need to be in the kitchen all the time, my life does not revolve around food the way it used to.  Instead I focus on other things, being with friends, reading, exercising, relaxing, etc... I know longer sit on the couch, or at my desk dreaming about food, because surprise surprise when I was doing that, I was under-eating so my mind was always focused on food.  I love food now, and completely look forward to the meals I'm going to experience, but what I love even more are the simple meals, that tastes' like you've spent the whole day preparing, that are healthy and filling!

Ingredients:

Couscous:

• 1/3 cup couscous
• 1/3 cup water
• Zest from one lime
• 1/8 tsp cardamom
• Dash of salt
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

Sweet Chili Lime Sauce:

• 1 tbsp granulated sugar 
• 1 1/2 tbsp reduced sodium soy sauce
• Juice from 1/2 lime
• Pinch of cayenne
• 1 clove garlic, minced

The Greens:

• 2 cups of spinach
• Remaining liquid from the dressing

The Tofu:

• 1/2 block of extra-firm tofu, drained and pressed

The Couscous:

On high heat combine all of your ingredients in a small saucepan.  Once the water begins to boil, turn element off and let sit for five minutes.  Once the five minutes are done fluff with a fork and set aside.

Sweet Chili Lime Sauce:

Whisk together the sugar, soy sauce, lime juice, lime zest, cayenne, garlic, and salt until the sugar and salt and are dissolved. Set aside.

The Tofu:

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees F.  Cube the tofu.  Marinate the tofu in your sauce for 10-15 minutes.  Place on a lined baking sheet, do not add the remaining liquid as you are going to use this on your spinach.  Bake for 35-45 minutes until super crispy (you will note that the tofu is pretty much black from the soy sauce).

The Spinach:

Steam with your remaining sauce for just a couple minutes - you want to keep the nice bright green!

Assemble:

Couscous, spinach, tofu and sauce.

What's your favourite way to make a fruit salad?