Do you find it difficult to find healthy snacks during the winter? Then this is for you. A wonderful, healthy mix of winter fruits with a light, chia, ginger and thyme-infused dressing.
How pretty is that bowl of deliciousness? And who says summer gets to have all of the fun, delicious fruit salads? Not me. Let’s give a little shout out to all of our favorite winter fruits! And there are SO many!
This salad is packed with vitamins, nutrients, fiber and antioxidants too. And the dressing? You will want to pour it on EVERYTHING. Trust me.
I am not sure which I like better, the gorgeous seasonal fruit or the delicious Ginger Chia Dressing. This is healthy, simple to make and incredibly tasty. It’s great for parties, showers, brunches because it’s not only pretty but a huge crowd pleaser too!
I promise it will be one the first salads to go.
Maybe you should prepare yourself and double the recipe? Just a thought.
You can easily use whatever fruit you’d like or whatever is on sale. This salad is so versatile and adaptable.
I’ve even added cooked quinoa to this salad which not only adds a nice healthy dose of plant-based protein, but also adds a wonderful texture. I typically add the dressing to the salad immediately and allow it to sit in the refrigerator so the quinoa can “marinate” is that delectable dressing.
Oh boy, it’s INCREDIBLE!
I’ve made this several times now and although the thyme looks really pretty laying across the salad, it tastes better when you finely chop it and add it to the dressing. But I do appreciate its beauty. Really I do.
But did I mention how amazing this dressing is?
Let’s talk about some nutrition, shall we?
Chia seeds are so incredibly healthy. That are packed with antioxidants, fiber and protein and not to mention they have a wonderful texture.
I also love using fresh ginger in recipes. Ginger is a natural anti-inflammatory and has a wonderful taste. A little goes a long way so I just add a bit to smoothies, marinades and salads. Yes, it looks crazy and weird, but man is it a powerhouse of nutrition.
I used 100% pure maple syrup in the dressing which is a simple, unrefined form of sugar. I have also used a few drops of liquid stevia as a substitute for maple syrup too. I love to mix it up and switch things around to see how I can make other variations. But honestly, there’s nothing better than the original.
And let’s not forget all of the vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, fiber and nutrients in all of that gorgeous fruit.
I like to keep a batch of this dressing in my refrigerator and put it on EVERYTHING. Ok, maybe not everything but you get the gist. Just make sure you give it a shake each time before you use it to ensure you getting ALL of those incredible chia seeds.
I love taking advantage of all the scrumptious winter fruits out there. The blood oranges have been spectacular. And I love a good ol’ ruby red grapefruit any time of the year.
I must confess, I have made this will spring and summer fruits as well. Same dressing, just different fruits. Equally delicious.
Easy peasy and totally healthy. I hope you like it! Please come back and let me know if you have made this and if you have altered the recipe at all. I love hearing all of the variations and of course they inspire me!
Ingredients
- 6 kiwis peeled and sliced
- 2 grapefruit peeled and segmented
- 2 blood oranges peeled and segmented
- 4 clementines peeled and segmented
- 1/2 cup pomegranate seeds
- 2 pears sliced
- Dressing:
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 1 teaspoon fresh ginger minced
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 2 teaspoons fresh thyme minced
- 1 tablespoon chia seeds
Instructions
- Place all fruit in a large bowl.
- Place ingredients for dressing in a jar. Shake well.
- Pour over fruit and mix well. Serve immediately.
Here are some more delicious fruit salad recipes:
Fruity Quinoa Salad with Sweet Apricot Vinaigrette from The Wholesome Dish
Honey Lime Fruit Salad from That Skinny Chick Can Bake
Fresh Fruit Arugula and Quinoa Salad from Cooking on the Front Burners
The maple syrup in this dressing absolutely brings it to the next level! Who knew fruit salad could be a COMFORT food??? yum!
Yes!! Healthy comfort food!
Such a delicious salad and I love that it’s packed with all the good stuff. Thank you for sharing!
So happy you like it, Julia!
I love fruit salad but usually not in winter (I guess because it’s cold) but this salad is a whole different thing. The ginger flavor gives a warming flavor and adding chia seeds is genius! I love them from more protein in everything but never thought about adding them to a salad dressing!
Yay! So happy you like it!
I love this dressing! So many uses for sure!
Made this over the weekend. It was the most involved thing I could muster the will to get involved in, for I managed to catch a cold just in time for my weekend (probably best, though, honestly). I can’t stand pith on my fruit, so this was a rather involved process… Took me hours to clean off all the fruit (those grapefruits were particularly stubborn). I also learned what a peculiar and unique smell rotten kiwi possesses… One of my pears still wasn’t ripe, even after 5 days in a bag with 3 ginormous apples. So it was a little on the tough side to cut up. But this is the first time I’ve done anything with… any of this fruit other than eat it straight. I’ve never even bought blood oranges before (I knew they were dark red, but I was still shocked when I pulled the peel off! lol). I pretty much don’t work with fresh herbs ever, ’cause I end up spending money on a bunch and use just a little (a common plight, it seems). So I really don’t know how to handle ’em. Here, are you supposed to strip the leaves off the stem and just use the leaves? That’s what I did. Hopefully that’s right… lol This made way more salad than I expected it to, so I had to transfer it to my big mixing bowl to be able to mix it without stuff going everywhere.
Anyway, this was surprisingly tasty! I’m not sure it was worth the work I put into it, but if someone offered it to me I would totally eat it like crazy. It’s got a bizarre taste unlike anything I’ve ever had, probably because of that dressing. I’m not used to lime juice, ginger, or thyme–especially not mixed together like that. lol I found the pear and blood orange mixed into a pleasant third flavor when eaten together. It was a fine meld. Though I’m not terribly surprised, I’m sad at the lack of longevity this all has. It’s day two and looks like a mess, which I don’t mind, but the pear’s gone to mush and has become too much like rotten fruit in taste and texture for my boyfriend to enjoy it anymore. I might just have to put the rest of it out of its misery tonight… Shucks. So this has gotten to a ridiculous length, so I’ll just hurry to the part where I say “Thank you!” for the awesome recipe!
this salad is gorgeous!!!!
Such a pretty salad and that dressing sounds incredible!
I love pretty food like this! How could you not be happy eating this salad?!
Gorgeous! And the dressing sounds fantastic!!!