Kiwi-Cutie Salad with Raspberry Coconut Dressing

Kiwi-Cutie Salad with Coconut Raspberry Dressing

Combinations of lettuce, fruit, nuts, and dressing create fantastically dynamic salads showcasing energy filled bursts of sweet and sour.

These salads pass the test with every family member, though my 6 year olds needed a little coaxing.  It only took one bite before they wanted the whole thing.  As a mother, I can feel really good about feeding my family a salad that feels like a treat.

Here is the recipe.  Try it out with your family or save for a special occasion when you really need an impressive salad.  It is sure to be a grand slam hit!

Kiwi-Cutie Salad

On a salad plate arrange a mixture of chopped romain lettuce and chopped spring salad mix, diced kiwis, and peeled, trimmed cutie sections (or use mandarine oranges).  Drizzle or toss greens with dressing (recipe follows) and top with Coconut Pecan Topping (recipe below).

Raspberry Coconut Dressing:

Mix together:

4 oz. chilled coconut milk (Thai Kitchen original)
2 T. seedless organic raspberry preserves
2 T. raw agave
2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
dash of salt and freshly ground pepper

Coconut Pecan Topping:

In a warm frying pan add:

1 T. coconut oil
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1-2 T. shredded coconut
1 t. whole flax seed
1 t. chia seed
2 – 4 t. honey
dash of salt
dash of cinnamon

Mix ingredients all together till warm and it starts to stick together.  If you don’t use it warm you can scrape it out onto a glass plate to cool.  Make sure you separate the pieces so it doesn’t cool into a clump.  Try not to snitch it all before it gets to the salad!  Good luck with that!

To section a cutie (cuties are those little oranges that have been in bountiful supply this season.  Try to find ones that are nice and orange and just a little give to them)

Cut off the ends.  Set an end side down on the cutting board and trim the outer skin so that the flesh of the cutie is exposed.

Cut the sections out so that there is no skin left on the cutie.  It will be sectioned like a mandarine orange; which is a good alternative to the cutie… it just happens that cuties are in season so that is what we used- plus it sounds cool with Kiwi.  Today instead of oranges we used blueberries- another great fruit for the salad!

Mixing the fruit with the lettuce is a safe food combination.  Lettuce is really fairly neutral and the fruit will combine well with both the dressing and the nuts.  If you add other items to the meal besides just the salad then you may want to consider how the fruit will combine.  I often am just so glad to have a good salad that I don’t think too much about the food combining until after I’ve eaten and my stomach starts to bloat- it would probably be better to be thinking ahead but all in all it turns out to be a healthy meal so I don’t stress too much.  Enjoy it with gratitude and thanksgiving and it will all work out.

If you like this salad please let us know by hitting the like button below.  We love knowing what recipes you like the most! =)  Linda