Fruit & Turkey Salad With Zesty Berry Marinade

Yesterday morning upon arising, the temperature here in Winter Haven, FL was a freezing 30 F, with frost covering everything.

It was the second morning in a row with such temps, except the previous day, it was 33 F when I awoke.

This is the vapor on the pond behind our home.

Everything was still and almost silent at sunrise except for the ducks still swimming & feeding in the pond.

Well, with such a nippy morning, I desired something zesty and zippy to start my morning with. Yesterday at the outdoor produce market near CR540A near the Lakeland/Bartow Border, I picked up a delicious pineapple for $1.99 and pears for $0.99/lb and I also had leftover turkey in the fridge and a bit of remaining mixed-berry fruit puree we had made for our French Toast on Christmas morning.

The majority of the time I invent my own meals or modify recipes I have or even google a few ingredients that I have on hand and see what delicious, healthy recipe appears. And from there, modify to what appeals to my taste buds :-).

So, with that said, here is my December 29, 2010 Invention: 

Fruit & Turkey Salad With Zesty Berry Marinade



Main Ingredients: (You may choose the variety of fruit depending upon the season or availability as well as the choice of protein)

• 3 Spears Fresh Pineapple
• 1 Medium Fresh Bartlett Pear
• 1 Medium Fresh Orange
• 1 Medium Ripe Banana
• 1 Cup Cooked Turkey

Step 1: Cut fruit and turkey into bitesize pieces and place in a bowl.

Marinade Ingredients: (you choose quantity for your own taste preferences)

• Mixed Berry Puree
• Apple Cider
• Balsamic Vinegar
• Cold-Pressed Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Step 3: Put above ingredients into a shaker cup (instead of a blender which can produce too much froth) and shake until all are blended evenly. Pour liberally and immediately over the fruit/turkey combo mix (decide quantity depending upon taste preference).

1.5 TBSP Freshly Ground Flax Seeds - Flax seeds can be ground in a coffee grinder or blender. Flax seeds are high in fiber, omega-3 fatty acids and phytochemicals (compounds produced by plants) called lignans (phytoestrogens)

Step 4: Sprinkle over top of Main Ingredients after pouring on the marinade.  

• Berry Blend - I used strawberries, blackberries and added blueberries from another source.

Step 2: Place 1 Cup of Frozen Berries into blender with approximately 1/2 Cup of hot water and pulse the contents until pureed.

• Apple Cider (not apple juice) - approximately 1 part to every 3 parts Berry Puree

• Balsamic Vinegar - approximately 1 part to every 3 parts Berry Puree

• Cold-Pressed Extra Virgin Olive Oil - approximately 1 part to each 3 parts of Berry Puree

• Garnish with 1 TBSP Fresh Picked Spearmint Leaves and eat immediately.

        ** To my readers: if you try this recipe, please make comment how it turned out, how you liked it, modified it, ingredients used etc. Also you can join my Facebook page and make your comments there! Thanks!