African Fruit Salad

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AFRICAN FRUIT SALAD #2

Yes it’s African. What’s the matter with that? Hey, I researched it after the fact of naming it African.  Africans eat dates, pineapples and bananas – there’s a big history there. That’s all the proof I need, that Africans don’t require animals in their diet. They just think they do. It’s a status symbol. Like with everybody. It’s all about status.

African Fruit Salad is one of the most delicious, easy to make and unique fruit salads of all time! Made with precision! And, it holds up well. And, you now have a way to keep your bananas from discoloring in the salad!

Makes 7 cups salad

First you need to make the base dressing for this salad – 1-3 days before using it. That’s easier than you think. 1-3 days in advance doesn’t mean difficult or time-consuming – unless you like to watch the inside of the refrigerator cool your food.

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THICK LIME CREAM SAUCE

A thick soy based citrus and turmeric cream sauce that can be used in both sweet and savory plus hot and cold recipes!

Makes 2-1/3 cups

3/4 c. Rich’s RICHWHIP Non-Dairy Topping, thawed and whipped into firm peaks

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12.3 oz. pkg. extra firm silken tofu, rinsed and broken into smaller pieces

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juice of 1 lime – firmly roll lime on counter before cutting it, to break down membranes making squeezing easier

1 t. pink Himalayan salt

1 t. Celtic salt

2 t. food grade citric acid (in crystal form)

2 t. white Balsamic vinegar

1 t. apple cider vinegar

1 t. turmeric

1 t. dry mustard

2 T. extra virgin olive oil

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1 t. guar gum (buy online)

salt and fresh grind black pepper to taste

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Whip topping in deep bowl with whisk or beaters. Set aside.

Place tofu in food processor and process till mealy.

Add lime juice, both salts, citric acid, both vinegars, turmeric, dry mustard. Process till smooth.

Add olive oil – again process till smooth.

Add guar gum powder. Submerge into sauce with a spoon so it doesn’t fly all over the lid when you process it. Now process till smooth and thick – a couple minutes.

Add whipped topping and again process till smooth and thick – a couple more minutes.

Salt and pepper to taste. Process again.

Transfer to covered container and refrigerate overnight before using in recipes.

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Notes: If you have beaters you can use those instead of whisking and processing in food processor.

Use guar gum judiciously. It doesn’t take much to thicken a sauce or condiment.

Buy food grade citric acid online or in a drug mart store. Citric acid is used to obtain a stronger citrus flavor/sensation when adding more juice is not advantageous to the texture achievement.

Use this sauce for pesto and pasta, in place of veg mayonnaise on sandwiches, for coleslaw and potato salads and for fruit salads

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Now we make the African Fruit Salad: Makes 7 cups

1 fresh golden pineapple, peeled, cored and cut into bite-size wedges

15 whole dates, cut from end to end into quarters plus 2 dates cut in half from end to end for garnish

2 extra-long bananas (not over-ripe) or 3 smaller ones, peeled and sliced into 1/4 inch thick rounds

juice of 1/2 orange

1/2 t. turmeric

1/2 c. Thick Lime Cream Sauce – from refrigerator

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Prepare pineapple and dates as instructed.

Place banana slices, orange juice and turmeric in large bowl. Toss gently till bananas are evenly dark yellow and all powder has been dissolved.

Add pineapple wedges, toss gently, then add date slices. Toss again.

Now add 1/2 cup of the Thick Lime Cream Sauce. At this point you don’t have to be so gentle. Just make sure everything is evenly coated – what happens to the bananas doesn’t matter. It’s the flavor and texture developed when mixed that’s key, not that they remain in perfect rounds in the salad – okay?

Transfer to serving bowl. Top with four dates slices and serve.

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Notes: We coat the bananas with citrus and turmeric to keep them from discoloring in the salad. Is that a good idea or what?

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