Coconut Lime Fruit Salad

Being from tropical West Africa there was never a shortage of delicious fruit. Most fruit tastes good just by itself, but especially when mixing several different kinds, I like to have a creamy dressing to add some flavor and tie together the flavors.

We went to a dinner gathering at a friend's house this evening and I threw together this salad and was really pleased with how it turned out. I was sure to snap a few pictures so I could put it up on the blog!

Coconut Lime Fruit Salad

1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut

1 small pineapple, peeled, cored, and cut into 1 inch pieces
3 medium to large bananas, peeled and sliced into 1 inch pieces
1 pint strawberries, hulled and chopped, or two ripe mangoes, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 pint blueberries

Coconut Lime Dressing, below

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spread the shredded coconut on a small baking sheet and toast at 350 degrees for about five minutes or until starting to brown.  Set aside.

Mix the fruit together in a large serving bowl. Toss with Coconut Lime Dressing to coat. Sprinkle with toasted coconut just before serving.

Coconut Lime Dressing:

2 Tablespoons lime juice
2 teaspoons lemon zest
4 Tablespoons coconut milk
2 Tablespoons honey

Whisk together all ingredients in a small mixing bowl. Serve over fruit.

Preparation time: 20 minutes (to chop the fruit). Cook time: 5 minutes. Servings: 12.

My little boy tried to swipe a piece of fruit while I took the picture!

{This recipe is linked up at Fat Tuesday, Traditional Tuesdays, Tasty Traditions and Whole Foods Wednesday.}