My Favorite Way to Eat Fresh Fruit (sans pie)

Winter can be tough on a healthy cook. Tasty fresh fruit and vegetables are not widely available (nor affordable), especially for those of us that don't live in warm, temperate climates (I found this out while living in Wisconsin: "where are the freakin' good tomatoes in January?!"). Alas, I have learned to deal with it pretty well by disguising the lack-luster not-at-peak flavor.

The best way to enjoy fruit off-season, hands down, is in pie^H^H^H fruit salad. I don't know what it is about cut-up fruit, but I am 10,000% more likely to eat it if someone slices it beforehand. Is it laziness? Maybe I don't like gooey syrup fingers. Whatever the reason, this fruit salad idea is genius. Plus, there are so many variations, so I don't become bored.

Instructions for Fantastic Fruit Salad: Take whatever fruit looks halfway decent (fresh ONLY please), take it home, wash, slice and mix. Dressing is optional, but more fun. And please, for heaven's sake, go easy on the dressing. Don't kill the fruit by drowning it. The key to a great salad is to include a favorite fruit every time, even if it's a little more expensive or maybe not lookin' so hot in the store. This one star fruit will get you to eat it. For me, the fruits that finally draw me to the salad are berries. Blueberries and raspberries excite my taste buds enough to eat something healthy. Steer clear of too much pineapple or citrus, and you're good to go.

My favorite salad fruit are: cantaloupe or other firm melon, grapes, small seedless oranges, tiny amounts of grapefruit, and lots of berries (be gentle with raspberries and blackberries so they don't mush). Watermelon is good but can become watery (shocking), and some fruit like mango, banana and pineapple can be a bit strong if used too heavily.

Today I went with this recipe: Fruit Salad with Honey-Lime Dressing from Bon Appétit. It's a great choice for dressing up the salad and disguising its winter flaws. I used cantaloupe, strawberries, blueberries and a little mango. Lime or lemon juice, yogurt (or sour cream) and sweetener (honey is best). I also sometimes chop up some fresh mint and throw it in there.

Mmmmm honey. This brings me to my recent discovery - Tupelo Honey. If being unmonitored, I might eat this honey straight from the jar, or at least half a dozen spoonfuls. This stuff is G-O-O-D. Go get some.