Fresh sliced fruit looks so pretty when it’s “shingled” on a plate– almost like a rainbow! I made a creamy cottage and low-fat cream cheese dip. To guild the lily, I made a banana sauce with yogurt and honey. It’s a delicious fruit dip that complements the fresh fruit perfectly.
One of my favorite Carmel restaurants is one I’ve frequented since my high school days. Their Cheese Blintzes are, truly, the best I’ve had. The son has taken over the restaurant, since his father passed, and he’s really friendly and chatty. One day, I asked for the Cheese Blintz recipe, and he gave it to me!
That particular day, I was trying to be a little more health conscious. I decided to order their fruit salad with a banana sauce. The owner told me that it’s also served with the same filling that’s in the cheese blintzes. Heck, yeah! I’m in!
The filling is made with sweetened cottage cheese. It’s creamy and so good! The Banana sauce is what really got my attention. The owner was busy in the kitchen, so I couldn’t ask him how to make it. (Plus, I didn’t want to push my luck with his willingness to share recipes.) So, I resorted to the internet and I played around. I think I came pretty darn close.
For the fruit salad filling, I used a lower fat cream cheese substitute– Neufchâtel cheese. I added a little sugar, vanilla and cottage cheese and gave the mixture a whirl.
For the banana sauce, I used low-fat vanilla yogurt, sliced bananas, honey, lemon juice and some poppy seeds. Yum!
My choice of fresh fruit is pineapple, banana, strawberry, kiwi and sweet oranges. That’s similar to a simple fruit salad that I enjoy. I didn’t use melons, because they could overpower the flavor of the rest of the fruit. (Besides, I don’t like watermelon at all!)
This is the kind of lunch I can easily sink my teeth into, without feeling calorie guilt.
TASTING NOTES: I just love this cottage cheese dip! It’s not too sweet, it’s creamy and it reminds me of a deconstructed Cheese Blintz (minus all of the butter). I’ll be sad when our locally grown strawberry season ends, so I intend to make the best of it for a few more weeks. The rest of the fruit is available year-round, so I’ll be making this fruit salad fairly often.
Healthy Rainbow Fresh Fruit Plate with a Cream Cheese Dip and Banana Dressing
Equipment
- Food processor ideal, but a hand mixer or blender works, too
Ingredients
For the fruit/ NOTE: Use your favorite fresh fruit. I don't recommend melon, as it can overpower the flavor of the salad
- 1 banana sliced
- 1 cup strawberries sliced
- 1 kiwi peeled and sliced
- 1 cup fresh pineapple cut into bite-sized chunks
- 1 orange peeled and sliced
For the fruit dip:
- 12 oz low-fat cottage cheese or ricotta cheese
- 4 ounces low-fat Neufchâtel cheese or regular cream cheese
- ¼ cup sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
For the banana sauce:
- 1 cup low-fat vanilla yogurt
- 2 Tbsp honey
- 3 tsp lemon juice
- 1 ripe banana
- ¼ tsp poppy seeds optional, but I love the crunchy texture it adds
Instructions
For the filling:
- In a food processor, blend the cottage cheese, cream cheese, sugar and vanilla until smooth and creamy– 1 minute, or so.
For the banana sauce:
- In a food processor, or blender, cream the ingredients until it's a smooth texture
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