Tropical Fruit Recipes

Avocado, Apple and Feta Salad With Mustard Dressing
Ingredients:
2 avocados (peeled, stoned and cut into slices)
2 apples (cored and cut into slices)
4 tomatoes (quartered)
100g (4oz) feta cheese (cubed)

For the dressing
1 tbsp cider or white wine vinegar
1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
2 tbsp sunflower or light olive oil
Salt and pepper

Method

• Mix all the ingredients in a large bowl
• Mix the dressing ingredients together in a small jug and drizzle over the salad
• Serve immediately

Serves four

Banana Wraps
Ingredients:
2 bananas (peeled)
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp caster sugar
2 x 2.5cm (1 in) strips of puff pastry, rolled out
2 egg yolks
1/2 tsp salt

Method

• Preheat the oven to 220°C (425°F) Gas mark 7
• Sprinkle bananas with cinnamon and sugar
• Wrap strips of puff pastry around bananas
• Whisk egg yolks and salt together and brush over the pastry
• Place the wraps on a baking tray in the oven and bake for 8-10 minutes or until golden

Serves 1

Griddled Mango Pieces
Ingredients:
1 mango (peeled and cubed)
2 tbsp sugar
2tbsp white wine
Icing sugar
Sprig of mint
Dollop of whipped cream or Greek yoghurt

Method

• Heat a non-stick griddle pan on high heat
• Add the mango pieces and sprinkle with a light dusting of icing sugar.
• Cook until the mango pieces begin to caramelise
• Pour in the wine to release the mango from the pan
• Garnish with the sprig of mint and serve hot

Serves one

Kiwifruit Jam
Ingredients:
2kg (4lb) kiwi fruit (peeled and chopped)
1 box fruit pectin or 2 apples (peeled, cored and chopped)
1.5 kg (3.3lb) sugar

Method

• In a large pan, heat the fruit for 3 minutes with a dash of water
• Add the pectin or apple pieces and mix well
• Add all of the sugar and bring to the boil, then boil for 1 minute
• Take off the heat, skim any foam from the top of the mixture and place the hot mixture in sterilised jars

Barbecued Pineapple Pieces
Ingredients:
1 pineapple (peeled and cut into chunks)
Rind and juice of 1 orange
1-2 tbsp icing sugar

Method

• In a bowl, mix the orange rind and juice together, and add the sugar
• Stir in the pineapple chunks, making sure they are coated in the mixture (add more orange juice if necessary)
• Cover the bowl and leave to marinade for one hour in a cool place, such as a fridge
• Spoon the cool mixture into a foil parcel, and place on the barbeque grill for 10 minutes
• serve hot

Serves six

Tropical Fruit Smoothie
Ingredients:
1 banana
2 passion fruits
1 mango, cut into small pieces
1/2 a pineapple, cut into small pieces
100ml pineapple juice
Juice of 1 lime

Method

• Scoop out the pulp from the passion fruits
• Combine all of the ingredients in a blender until the mixture is smooth
• Add ice cubes if the consistency is too stiff, and another banana if the consistency is too runny
• Serve immediately

Serves one

Making Juices with Fresh Fruit

Scientists have shown that fresh fruit juices, especially those from grapes, cranberries and apples, are high in antioxidants that are especially beneficial to our health. And a glass of fruit juice counts as one of your 5-a-day.

Fresh fruit juices and smoothies can be made very easily at home with just a little extra kitchen equipment.

What equipment do you need?
You probably have a blender or liquidiser in your kitchen already. A blender is ideal for whizzing soft fruits to make a smooth fruity drink, or to combine soft fruits with yogurt, milk or ice cubes for a healthy milkshake or smoothy. You get the whole fruit and all its fibre and goodness in a form that’s palatable to even the fussiest child.
If you want to make apple or pear juice, carrot or beetroot juice, then you need a juicer. The juicer will take the raw ingredient, such as a carrot, and separate it into the vitamin- and mineral-rich juice and raw pulp. You may drink the juice as it is or combine it with other ingredients in your blender to make a health-giving cocktail.

Grape Juice
fresh grapes, washed
Fill a colander with grapes, stalks and all. Pour a cup of water in the bottom of a saucepan and place the colander on top. Cover with a tight-fitting lid. Bring the water to the boil and then let it simmer very gently for about 30 minutes. Check now and then to make sure the juice is flowing and the pan’s not drying out. Remove from the heat and mash the juice out of the colander into the saucepan. Discard the skins and stalks.

The juice is now ready to drink as it is or diluted with water. While it’s still hot add honey to taste if required. Keep in the fridge.

Preparing Fruit for Juicing and Blending
Use fresh fruit that is ripe, don’t be tempted to use old fruit and vegetables! Wash all fruit and vegetables first unless you are confident that the products are organically grown and pesticides have not been used (you may want to remove the peel.) You should peel oranges, waxed lemons, grapefruits, pineapples, melons and kiwi fruits and remove seeds and stones – except from a watermelon. Cut into pieces that will fit easily into your juicer. Cut the fruit into teaspoon-sized pieces for the blender.

Juicer Recipes
Simply pop the fruit and vegetables through a juicer and serve with ice if required.

Wake-up call

• ½ cup fresh raspberries
• 1 orange
• 1 nectarine

Cranapple

• 2 apples
• 1¼ cups cranberries

Orchard Harvest

• 1 pear
• 1 peach
• 1 apple

Slimmer’s Delight

• handful of lettuce leaves
• handful of spinach leaves
• 2 sticks of celery
• 2 tomatoes
• 1 tablespoon root ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
• ½ cucumber
• 6 carrots
• 1 courgette
• 2 oranges
• splash of lime juice

Blender smoothies
Whizz solid ingredients for a few seconds first and then add liquids and/or ice and blend until smooth.

Blueberry smoothy

• 1 banana
• handful blueberries
• 1 cup milk

Cranberry smoothy

• 1 banana
• 4 oz fresh cranberries
• 2 canned peaches plus their juice (choose peaches in grape juice rather than syrup)
• orange juice
• Blend the banana, cranberries, peaches and their juice until smooth. Add orange juice until the consistency suits your taste.

Children and Juice
While juice is good for children in moderation, taken in excess, the acid and sugar in it can contribute to obesity, tooth decay and gastrointestinal problems. Babies under six months shouldn’t be given juice without the advice of the doctor, and those under 6 years should have a maximum ¼ pint of juice a day. Try to encourage them to eat fruit instead.