Citrus Refreshment

Sunny Citrus Cooler:

1, 46-ounce can pineapple juice
2 cans frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed
3/4 cup lemonade concentrate
6 cups ginger ale or white soda, chilled
Orange slices, optional

In a 1-gallon pitcher, combine pineapple juice, orange juice concentrate and lemonade concentrate. Add ginger ale and mix well. Serve over ice. Garnish with orange slices if desired. Refrigerate leftovers.

Nutty Dessert

Raspberry Almond Cake:

2 T chopped almonds
2 T packed brown sugar
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
2 cups lowfat all-purpose baking mix (Bisquick)
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup fat-free milk
1/2 cup plain fat-free yogurt
1/4 cup fat-free egg substitute
3 T butter, melted
1/4 tsp. almond extract
1 1/2 cups fresh raspberries
Raspberry sauce (see below)

Raspberry Sauce:

Puree 3 cups fresh raspberries in food processor or blender. Strain through sieve. Puree the raspberry puree with 1/2 cup raspberry spreadable fruit, 2 T honey and 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Wrap bottom of 10-inch springform pan with foil. Attach springform ring. Spray foil and sides of pan with nonstick spray.

Mix almonds, brown sugar and cinnamon in small bowl. Combine baking mix and granulated sugar in large bowl. Mix milk, yogurt, egg and almond extract in small bowl until blended. Add milk mixture to baking mix mixture. Stir until blended. With rubber spatula, gently fold in raspberries just until blended. Pour batter into pan. Sprinkle top with nut mixture. Bake 45 minutes. Let cool 15 minutes. Remove springform ring from bottom of pan, leaving foil on. Let cool completely on rack.

Salad Supreme

Lettuce Salad:

1 bag Romaine lettuce, finely shredded
2 medium red apples, cubed
1 medium pear, cubed
1 cup shredded cheese
1/2 cup dried cranberries (can substitute Craisins)
6 Tbsp. lemon juice
3 Tbsp. oil
3 Tbsp. light corn syrup
1 1/2 tsp. grated onion
1 1/2 tsp. Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup lightly salted cashews

Combine first five ingredients in a large salad bowl. For the dressing, combine the lemon juice, oil, corn syrup, grated onion, Dijon mustard, and the salt.. Whisk together until thoroughly combined.. Pour dressing over Romaine mixture..Sprinkle with cashews.

Nutty Fruit Salad

Fruit Salad with Cream Cheese Pecan Topping:

2 cups fresh blueberries
2 cups cubed cantaloupe
2 cups halved green grapes
2 cups fresh strawberries
1, 8-ounce package softened cream cheese
2 T fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
1/4 cup confectioners sugar
1/2 cup chopped pecans

In serving bowl, combine blueberries, cantaloupe, grapes and strawberries. In medium bowl, beat cream cheese and lemon juice on medium-low with electric mixer until mixture is smooth. In separate bowl, beat whipping cream at medium-high speed with electrmic mixer until slightly thickened. Gradually add confectioners sugar, beating until soft peaks form. Gently fold into cream cheese mixture. Spread over fruit, and sprinkle with chopped pecans. Serve immediately.

Refreshing Drink

Fruit Smoothie:

2/3 cup orange juice
2/3 cup plain yogurt
3 cups frozen strawberries
2 bananas, peeled
2 cups crushed ice

In a blender, combine juice, yogurt, strawberries, bananas and crushed ice, if necessary, in batches. Blend until well combined.

Fruit in the Fruit Dip

Refreshing Fruit Dip:

1, 16-ounce package frozen unsweetened sliced peaches, thawed
1, 10-ounce package frozen sweetened sliced strawberries, thawed
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon almond extract

In a food processor, combine all ingredients. Cover and process until smooth. Serve with fresh fruit of your choice.

A Twist on Soup

Soup is not just chicken noodle, tomato and the like. Here is a recipe that makes soup sweet.

Fruit Soup:

1, 12-ounce can frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cinnamon stick
6 whole cloves
1/4 cup corn starch
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 sliced fresh strawberries
2 medium bananas, sliced
2 cups halved green grapes

In large saucepan, mix orange juice with water according to package directions. Remove 1/2 cup of juice and set aside. Add sugar, cinnamon stick and cloves to saucepan. Bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer for five minutes. Combine corn starch and reserved orange juice until smooth. Stir into pan. Bring to boil. Cook and stir for two minutes or until thickened. Remove from heat and stir in lemon juice. Pour into large bowl. Cover and chill. Just before serving, remove spices and stir in fruit.

(*) -- apples work well with this dish as well

Sweet Fruit

I'm sure there are several variations of this salad floating around the blog world. This recipe is easy and delicious!

Sweet Grape Salad:

2 pounds red seedless grapes
2 pounds green seedless grapes
8 ounces sour cram
8 ounce package cream cheese
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup toasted pecans

Wash grapes thoroughly. In a mixing bowl, combine sour cream, softened cream cheese, sugar and brown sugar until creamy. Combine the grapes with the pecans. Stir in cream cheese mixture. Gently toss to make sure grapes are coated with mixture. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Feelin' Fruity

Fruit Salsa:

2 Granny Smith apples
1 1/2 cups strawberries
2 kiwis
2 T apple jelly
Zest and juice of one orange
Flour tortillas
1/4 cup sugar
1 T cinnamon

Mix first five ingredients. Then combine cinnamon and sugar. Take flour tortillas, wet them with a paper towel, and sprinkle them with sugar and cinnamon mixture. Bake tortillas at 350 degrees until crisp. Divide into wedges and dip into the fruit salsa mixture.