Monday, March 18, 2024

Holiday Fruit Salad #SpringSweetsWeek

This post is sponsored in conjunction with #SpringSweetsWeek. I received product samples from sponsor companies to help in the creation of the weeks recipes. All opinions are mine alone. 

This tasty and refreshing fruit salad is the perfect addition to your Easter Brunch Table.  Fresh and canned fruits combined with cream cheese and yogurt dressing sweetened with natural honey, and flavored with warm spices and vanilla paste is a wonderful way to add some healthier sweets to your diet.

Fruit Salad

It is also the perfect start to our Spring Sweets Week event.......

Welcome to #SpringSweetsWeek 2024 hosted by Heather from Hezzi-D's Books and Cooks

Spring is finally here and the sun is shining and we are celebrating the beginning of spring with plenty of spring sweets and a fun giveaway! This year 17 food bloggers from around the country are sharing over 50 sweet recipes that are perfect for spring. So get ready to enjoy amazing spring treats like cupcakes, ice cream, pies, cakes, and more! 

Thank you to our #SpringSweetsWeek sponsors who are helping us give away some great prizes.  We have an incredible giveaway with three amazing prizes and we would love it if you would take a moment to read about it and the prizes that you can win!

Prize #1: A Tropical and Exotic Fruit Gift Basket from Melissa's Produce.

A basket of fruit

One winner will enjoy an abundance of fruit with Melissa’s! This stunning assortment is arranged in a woven basket with cellophane wrapping and colorful ribbon. Fruit may include (depending on seasonal availability): Asian Pear, Baby Pineapple, Blood Orange, Cherimoya, Feijoas, Kiwis, Kumquats, Lychees, Mango, Papaya, Passion Fruit, Persimmons, Pomegranate, Rambutans, Specialty Bananas, Starfruit and Tamarillos.

Prize #2: A collection of Selefina Spices.

Crystalized Ginger:  minced, in a jar, slices

One winner will enjoy a collection of spices from Selefina Spices including: Cinnasational Spice Blend, crystalized ginger, lemon peel, Matcha food grade powder, Purple sweet potato powder, and Ground Cardamom Seeds. Selefina Spices sells an assortment of spices gathered using dedication and care with which we’ve curated their online tea collection. With our decades of experience sourcing products and establishing global connections their mission is to be able to bring you fresher, higher-quality spices and seasonings at lower prices.

Prize #3: A selection of 3 extract pastes from Taylor and Colledge.

Five tubes of extract pastes

One winner will receive a selection of extract pastes to include almond, organic vanilla bean, and lavender. In 1897, Taylor & Colledge won its first award for excellence in vanilla. Since then, the Taylor & Colledge commitment for unsurpassed quality has earned its reputation as one of the world’s finest producers of vanilla.

Thank you to Melissa's Produce, Taylor and Colledge, and Selefina Spices for your generosity and support.  Make sure you scroll down past my recipe to the raffle so that you can enter to win one of these great packages!!


Sponsor Products

Imagine my delight in opening my sponsor gifts and finding these adorable little Crimson Gold Apples and Meyer Lemons from Melissa's Produce, Vanilla Bean Paste from Taylor & Colledge, and Cinnasational Spice Blend from Selafina.  I immediately knew I wanted to make this fruit salad that often turns up on our Holiday Brunch Buffets. 

I cored and quartered those delicious little Crimson Gold Apples and tossed them with some juice from a Meyer Lemon to keep them from browning.  Then I creamed together some cream cheese with yogurt, this amazing cinnasational spice blend, and some honey.



I was very happy to be able to use gifts from all of our sponsors for the first recipe that I am sharing for this event.  I was gifted these products but often turn to these brands when I am buying spices, flavorings, and produce, knowing that I will get quality products for a reasonable price.  


Fruit Salad Pin

I had never heard of Crimson Gold Apples before receiving them as a sponsor gift.  They are small, sweet, and scrumptious.  They were perfect in this salad but if you cannot find them any sweet eating apple will work.

This salad can be made ahead of time and refrigerated until you are ready to serve it.  Any leftovers are great to use in a smoothie for breakfast the following day.  It is perfect as a side dish, as dessert over pound cake or as a light dessert all by itself.

Let's take a look at the other Spring Sweets being shared today.....

  • Banana Dragon Fruit Muffins from Palatable Pastime
  • Berry Triple Layer Cake from In Our Spare Time
  • Blood Orange Crepe Suzette from A Kitchen Hoor's Adventures
  • Blood Orange Crumb Muffins from Cindy's Recipes and Writings
  • Blood Orange Posset from Karen's Kitchen Stories
  • Holiday Fruit Salad from A Day in the Life on the Farm
  • Lavender Lemon Creme Brulee from The Spiffy Cookie
  • Lemon Blueberry Pound Cake from Art of Natural Living
  • Lemon Mousse Filled Crepe Cups with Berries from Blogghetti
  • Lemon Raspberry Crepe Cake from Jolene's Recipe Journal
  • Meyer Lemon Almond Pound Cake from Cheesecurd In Paradise
  • Meyer Lemon Upside Down Cake from Hezzi-D's Recipe Box
  • Split Seconds Cookies from Shockingly Delicious
  • Springtime Chocolate Terrarium Dessert from For the Love of Food
  • Sweet Crepes with Luscious Fruits from Our Good Life
  • Tangerine Upside Down Cake from Magical Ingredients
  • Tangerine Vanilla Fig Preserves from That Recipe
  • We share recipes from #SpringSweetsWeek on Pinterest! Make sure you follow the board to see all the delicious recipes shared this week.


     

    salad, fruit, cream cheese, yogurt
    salads, desserts
    American
    Yield: 12 servings
    Author: Wendy Klik
    Fruit Salad with Cream Cheese Dressing

    Fruit Salad with Cream Cheese Dressing

    This tasty and refreshing fruit salad is the perfect addition to your Easter Brunch Table. Fresh and canned fruits combined with cream cheese and yogurt dressing sweetened with natural honey is a wonderful way to add some healthier sweets to your diet.
    Prep time: 10 MinTotal time: 10 Min

    Ingredients

    • 1 1/2 lbs Crimson Gold Apples, cored and quartered (or apples of choice)
    • 1 c. green seedless grapes, halved
    • 1 c. red seedless grapes, halved
    • 1 can (20 oz) pineapple chunks, drained
    • 1 can (12 oz) mandarin orange sections, drained
    • juice of half a lemon (I used Meyer seedless lemon)
    • 3 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
    • 1 c. low-fat plain yogurt
    • 1/2 c. honey
    • 1/4 t. cinnasational spice blend or cinnamon

    Instructions

    1. Place the apples into a large bowl. Add the lemon juice and toss to coat.
    2. Add the grapes, pineapple, and mandarins to the bowl.
    3. Place the cream cheese, yogurt, cinnamon, and honey into a food processor and puree until smooth.
    4. Pour over the fruit and toss to coat. Serve immediately or refrigerate until ready to serve.

    Nutrition Facts

    Calories

    173.49

    Fat (grams)

    2.99 g

    Sat. Fat (grams)

    1.67 g

    Carbs (grams)

    37.79 g

    Fiber (grams)

    2.93 g

    Net carbs

    34.84 g

    Sugar (grams)

    33.45 g

    Protein (grams)

    2.34 g

    Sodium (milligrams)

    39.89 mg

    Cholesterol (grams)

    8.38 mg

    a Rafflecopter giveaway


    Thank you #SpringSweetsWeek Sponsors: Selefina Spices, Melissa’s Produce, and Taylor and Colledge for providing the prizes free of charge. These companies also provided the bloggers with samples and product to use for #SpringSweetsWeek recipes. All opinions are my own. The giveaway is open to residents of the United States who are 18 years of age or older. All entries for the winner will be checked and verified. By entering you give the right to use your name and likeness. The number of entries received determines the odds of winning. Three (3) winners will be selected. The prize packages will be sent directly from the giveaway sponsors. The #SpringSweetsWeek Bloggers are not responsible for the fulfillment or delivery of the prize packages. Bloggers hosting this giveaway and their immediate family members in their household cannot enter or win the giveaway. No purchase necessary. Void where prohibited by law. This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, X or any other social channel mentioned in the #SpringSweetsWeek posts or entry.

    18 comments:

    1. This looks like a great way to serve fruit at the holidays

      ReplyDelete
      Replies
      1. It is Heather and also great for outdoor potlucks come summertime.

        Delete
    2. What a great use for those adorable little Crimson Golds! Been too long since I've made a fruit salad, need to get on that.

      ReplyDelete
      Replies
      1. It is a great way to get your family to eat the required servings each day Jolene.

        Delete
    3. Perfect for using all of the bounty from Melissa's. It will definitely be on my Easter table.

      ReplyDelete
    4. I could eat a fruit bowl at least once a day, happily. Yours is such a lively combo!

      ReplyDelete
    5. So many of my favorite fruits in this delicious salad!

      ReplyDelete
    6. I love fruit salads because of the versatility!

      ReplyDelete
    7. Fruit salad is such a timeless dessert. And always customizable.

      ReplyDelete
    8. Perfect for summer picnics and potlucks too!

      ReplyDelete
    9. I love fruit salad and this one with yogurt, vanilla, and spices sounds the best!

      ReplyDelete

    I enjoy getting comments and feedback from my audience. Please let me know what you think, keeping in mind that we are all entitled to our own beliefs and opinions. I am happy to hear yours as long as they are stated nicely.