Winter Fruit Salad with Lemon Poppyseed Dressing

A handful of winter fruits turn in to an outrageously good fruit salad.  Top it with a sweet/tart lemon poppyseed dressing and you'll be craving this dish all winter long!

Winter Fruit Salad with Lemon Poppyseed Dressing 

Fruit is essential in our house, and we eat a ton of it.  We are in heaven during the spring and summer months due to the abundance of fresh fruit, but come wintertime we feel a little cheated.  That is until I came across this recipe for a winter fruit salad.  The salad has a combination of pears, apples, tangerines, bananas, kiwis, and dried cranberries.  If that isn't good enough it is topped with this amazing dressing that includes lemon juice, honey, oil, and poppyseeds.  This salad is sooooo good that I've made it three times in that last 2 weeks!

This salad is perfect for breakfast, brunch, lunch, and snacks.  Because of the lemon in the dressing the apples and pears don't turn brown so this would be great for a picnic in the park. 

However you decide to serve it make sure to do it quickly.  If you love fruit, this is going to be a new favorite in your household too!

When do I serve fruit salad?

• Brunch or breakfast
• Snack time
• After school snack
• Dessert
• Lunch as a side dish
• Use this to top waffles for breakfast or dessert
• Top Greek Yogurt with a big scoop
• Top ice cream for dessert
• Perfect over pound cake or angel food cake

What Ingredients do I need?

• apples
• pears - we love D'Anjou
• kiwis
• bananas
• tangerines or mandarin oranges
• dried cranberries
• lemon
• poppyseeds
• honey
• canola oil

Substitutions and Variations

• add dried cherries instead of cranberries
• add pomegranate arils
• use fresh orange juice in the dressing instead of lemon
• any of the fruit may be left out
• substitute you favorite pear
• use a tart apple instead of a sweet one
• add grapefruit segments instead of tangerines
• add orange segments instead of tangerines
• add blood orange segments instead of tangerines
• swap out pineapple for any of the fruit

Kitchen Tips and Notes

• Double the recipe to serve a larger group
• This best eaten the same day however, the fruit salad will keep an extra day in the refrigerator but the bananas may tend to get a little mushy.
• The lemon juice in the dressing will keep the apples and pears from browning
• To make ahead prep the tangerines and kiwi, but I would cut the apple, pears, and banana pretty close to serving.

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Winter Fruit Salad with Lemon Poppyseed Dressing 

serves 4

Dressing

1 1/2 Tablespoons lemon juice

1 1/2 Tablespoons honey

1 teaspoon poppyseeds

3 Tablespoons canola oil

Pinch of sugar

Salad

1 Envy apple, cored and diced

1 D'Anjou pear, cored and diced

1 banana, sliced

2 kiwis, peeled and diced

2 tangerines, peeled and segmented

1/3 cup dried cranberries

To make the dressing: In a small bowl or jar whisk together lemon juice, honey, poppyseeds, sugar, and oil until well combined.

For the fruit salad: In a salad bowl toss together all of the fruit then pour just enough dressing over top to coat.  Start out with about 1/2 and add more if needed.  Toss to coat gently.  

Serve immediately for best results.

adapted from:  Cooking Classy

New Year's Brunch: Eggnog Pancakes with Cinnamon Syrup

Soft and fluffy pancakes laced with the flavors of eggnog and nutmeg are doused with the most sinful cinnamon syrup.  The perfect way to start off a New Year!

Eggnog Pancakes with Cinnamon Syrup

Truth be told every Sunday is brunch day around our house.  MGG and I love to have a leisurely brunch with eggs, bacon, toast, fruit, and yogurt most weekends but we also love to throw in a wonderful treat of pancakes or waffles every now and then.  Pancakes are a favorite of ours and these eggnog pancakes are something special.  The eggnog and a hint of nutmeg give these pancakes such a delightful flavor.  Top them with a cinnamon syrup and you have one comforting dish!

The perfect way to ring in the New Year by serving these during a holiday brunch!  They would be equally special during the winter months while eggnog is still available.  

Soft and fluffy Eggnog Pancakes – worth waking up for!

What goes in eggnog pancakes?

• flour
• baking powder
• baking soda
• salt
• store bought eggnog
• vegetable oil
• egg
• freshly grated nutmeg
• sugar

Pancake Toppings, Substitutions and Variations

• Butter and maple syrup – the classic!
• Drizzled with honey
• Dusting of cinnamon and sugar
• Fresh fruit –  piled over pancakes with whipped cream!
• Rich sauces – like caramel sauce, chocolate sauce, butterscotch sauce...

Kitchen Tips and Notes

• Stir the batter until just combined.  The batter will be lumpy, so don't over mix!
• Whisk your dry ingredients together to distribute them evenly before adding the wet ingredients.
• Use a 1/4 measuring cup to scoop batter out of the bowl and onto the skillet or griddle.  Makes for even pancakes, and is handy too!
• Watch for the bubbles!  That's the sign of when to flip.
• Keep you heat on medium - medium-low to ensure they don't brown too quickly.
• To avoid keeping them warm in the oven, get two skillets going!
• If you are making a lot, keep the finished ones warm in a low oven.  Place them on a sheet pan, don't stack them or they will become soggy, until you are ready to serve.

EGGNOG RECIPES

In case you bought several cartons of eggnog because they were on sale and you couldn’t resist… (oh wait, that’s me!)

• Orange Eggnog Waffles
• Eggnog Muffins
• Eggnog Waffles

pancakes, pancakes, pancakes

• Pumpkin Pancakes
• Banana Walnut Pancakes
• Snickerdoodle Pancakes
• Pecan Pancakes with Chocolate Sauce
• Chocolate Chip Pancakes with Cinnamon Cream
• Blueberry Pancakes
• Streusel Apple Pie Pancakes

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Eggnog Pancakes with Cinnamon Syrup

Pancakes:

1 cup flour

2 Tablespoon sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup eggnog

2 Tablespoon vegetable oil

1 egg

1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

Syrup:

1/2 cup pure maple syrup

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

In a medium bowl, add flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and the nutmeg. Stir to combine. Make a well in the middle and add the oil.

In another bowl whisk together eggnog and egg. 

Add to dry ingredients and mix together until just moistened. Batter will be lumpy.

On a preheated skillet, ladle batter onto skillet for each pancake. Cook until golden brown and holes begin to appear on top. Turn on the second side and cook until golden brown.

Meanwhile pour the syrup into a microwave proof bowl and add the cinnamon.  Stir until combined.  Microwave in 30 second increments until warm.

Serve pancakes with butter and drizzled with warm syrup.

Instant Pot Meal: Lemon Chicken & Rice Soup

A Lemony Chicken & Rice Soup to soothe your soul.  The perfect winter meal made in the Instant Pot, even on a weeknight!

 

Lemon Chicken & Rice Soup 

Here's another great soup recipe that will warm you right up this winter.  It's filled with chicken, veggies, rice and a savory broth that brightened with dill and lemon juice.  This one is made in the Instant Pot but can be converted to make on the stove top or even the slow cooker.

Take advantage of cooking the chicken right in the broth which results in a beautiful savory flavor infused broth right in the Instant Pot.  Skip the rotisserie chicken – this is better!  Soup is the perfect family meal.  This once cooks in no time so it's perfect for a weeknight, but honestly, any night is soup night in our house!  

What Ingredients do I need?

• Chicken breasts
• onion
• carrots
• celery
• low-sodium chicken broth
• garlic
• dill
• lemons for juicing
• cooked basmati rice
• bay leaves
• Parmesan cheese

Substitutions and Variations

• Most types of rice is great for soup. White, brown, wild rice, basmati and jasmine rice are all great.
• More veggies (chopped zucchini, stir in chopped kale or spinach, bell peppers)
• Add 1/2 tsp dried thyme or 2 sprigs, or a touch of other dried herb
• Try adding a can or two of diced tomato for a light tomato based soup (I would remove the dill and the lemon juice from this version)
• Add crushed red pepper flakes for a little spicy heat.  
• Chicken thighs instead of chicken breasts

Kitchen Tips and Notes

• Be sure to remove the bay leaves before serving 
• Dill is a great fresh herb in this soup.  It really compliments the lemon and the chicken and brings a bright flavor to the soup. 
• Parmesan Cheese added to the soup at the end add great flavor, a little saltiness, and makes the soup a little creamier.
• Rice - I do not like my pastas and rices soaking up all of my luscious broth!  To get around this I cook the rice separately or use leftover rice and add it to the individual bowls as I'm serving it.  The soup warms the rice and it saves my broth!

How to store Leftover Chicken and Rice Soup

• For storing - I would store the rice and soup separately to avoid the rice from soaking up all the broth. The soup will last for several days in the refrigerator or may be frozen for 3 months.  Leave a little headspace at the top of your container if freezing.  Soups tend to expand when frozen.

ADD A SOUP DUNKER!

 Crostini

 Mom's Cornbread

 Cheddar Biscuits

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Lemon Chicken & Rice Soup 

serves:  8

2 tablespoons olive oil
3 large carrots, peeled and diced
2 stalks celery, diced
1 large onion, finely diced
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
8 cups  low-sodium chicken broth 
1 - 1 1/2 lbs skinless, boneless chicken breasts

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

2 bay leaves
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup to 1/2 cup fresh dill, chopped
1/3 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese

2 1/2 cups basmati rice, cooked

Turn you Instant Pot on saute.  Add the olive oil.  Saute you carrots, celery, and onion for about 5 minutes to get come color on them, and until they slightly soften.  Add in the garlic and stir for 30 seconds.  Hit the cancel button to turn off the saute feature.  Add in the chicken broth, chicken breasts, salt and pepper, and bay leaves.  Place the lid on and turn the steam knob to "sealing". 

Push the Pressure Cook or Manual button and set for 14 minutes.  Once the time is up release the pressure by turning the knob to release.  Open the lid and remove the chicken breasts.  Shred the chicken and return it along with any accumulated juices to the pot.  Stir in the lemon juice and fresh dill and stir to combine.  Add the Parmesan cheese and stir.  Hit cancel to turn off Instant Pot.

To serve, place a 1/3 cup of rice in a bowl and ladle in the chicken soup.  Serve immediately.

More soul warming broth soups

• Quick and easy Tex-Mex Chicken Soup
• Made from scratch ChickenTortilla Soup in the Instant Pot

• Instant Pot: Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup

• Wonderful flavors of Slow Cooker Lighter King Ranch Chicken Soup
• Homemade Minestrone Soup

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