Winter Fruit Salad with Key Lime Poppyseed Dressing is made with seasonal fruits, grated swiss, cashews, and a perfectly tart and sweet homemade key lime dressing.
I was a part of a recipe club when we lived in Ohio. A group of ladies in our neighborhood would gather once a month and swap recipes. Each month had a theme and we all picked a course to bring (soup, salad, appetizer, entree, and dessert). It was so much fun. I accumulated a lot of treasured recipes to enjoy from my talented Ohio foodie friends.
We have since moved back south, but I am so glad that I was able to add so many great new dishes to my collection and enjoy the company of these great ladies. This amazing winter fruit salad recipe came from my friend, Elizabeth. It is one of my favorite salads when apples and pears are in season. I love the sweet and salty flavor combo and the cashews give it a great crunch.
Don't skip out on the homemade key lime poppy seed dressing! It's delicious. The original recipe calls for lemon juice, but I wanted to switch it up with key limes. I love both versions. Either way, you chose to make it, it's going to be amazing.
How To Make Winter Fruit Salad
Winter Fruit Salad Ingredients
- Romaine lettuce- torn into bite-size pieces (or you can use a large container of organic gourmet lettuce blend for convenience)
- Grated swiss cheese-or sharp white cheddar for a bolder flavor
- Dried cranberries
- Apple-cubed
- Pear-cubed
- Salted cashew nuts- chopped
Key Lime Poppyseed Dressing Ingredients
- Sugar
- Key lime juice- freshly squeezed- you can also use regular limes or lemon
- Onions- chopped
- Dijon mustard
- Salt
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Poppy seeds
Directions
In a large bowl, toss all salad ingredients to mix. In a blender or food processor combine the sugar, lime or lemon juice, onion, mustard, and salt. Cover; process until blended. With the machine running, add oil in a slow and steady stream. Process until thick and smooth. Add poppy seed and process a few seconds to mix. Pour dressing over salad and toss to coat, or serve on the side.
I've also used a mason jar with a blender ball to whip this dressing up quickly, just make sure that you shake it really well right before pouring it onto the salad so all of the sugar is dissolved.
I like to serve the dressing on the side so that I can portion out my serving size.
Another variation that I love when making this salad is using the Cabot Sharp Extra Light cheese grated fresh from the block. It adds protein and great flavor and cuts the overall calorie content. It's a nice option if you're wanting to enjoy a lighter meal.
More Favorite Cool Weather Salad Recipes
Winter Fruit Salad with Key Lime Poppy Seed Dressing
Ingredients
For the Salad:
- 1 large head romaine lettuce torn into bite size pieces or you can use a large container of organic gourmet lettuce blend for convenience
- 1 cup grated Swiss cheese *or sharp white cheddar
- ¼ cup dried cranberries Craisins
- 1 large apple cored and cubed
- 1 large pear cored and cubed
- 1 cup chopped cashew nuts *I use raw, unsalted cashews
For the Dressing:
- ½ cup sugar *or sugar alternative
- ⅓ cup key lime juice or lemon
- 2 teaspoon finely chopped onions
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ⅔ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon poppy seeds
Instructions
For the Salad:
- Mix all salad ingredients together in a serving bowl.
For the Dressing:
- In the bowl of a blender or food processor, add sugar, lime or lemon juice, onion, mustard and salt. Cover; process until blended.
- With machine running, add oil in a slow and steady stream. Process until thick and smooth. Add poppy seeds and process a few seconds to mix.
- Pour dressing over salad and toss to coat, or serve on the side.
Notes
Nutrition
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Carrie
This looks so good!! I'm goign to have to try this out for lunch next week!
The Better Baker
MMM - this sounds wonderful! I didn't remember that you use to live in Ohio - we live an hour west of Toledo. Now you're soooo far away! =( I love Atlanta and that area.