Recipe: Tropical fruits with mint and spices

Dietitian's tip: This flavorful mix of six different fruits is as colorful as it is nutritious. The richly spiced syrup, aromatic with vanilla, can be prepared up to a day ahead and is delicious on pancakes, too.

   

Ingredients

Directions

To make the syrup, in a saucepan combine the orange juice, the 3 tablespoons lemon juice, the honey, the three spices and the vanilla bean over high heat. Bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve the honey. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer until the liquid is reduced to 1 cup, about 8 minutes. Remove from the heat. Strain through a medium-mesh sieve into a small bowl. Cover the syrup and refrigerate until well chilled, about 1 hour.

Peel the rind from the cantaloupe and slice the flesh into 1/2-inch cubes. In a small bowl, toss the banana slices with the 1 teaspoon lemon juice to prevent discoloration.

In a large bowl, combine the cantaloupe, banana, blueberries, kiwis, mango and papaya. Add the lemon zest and the chilled syrup and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 8 hours.

Stack the mint leaves and roll up tightly lengthwise. Slice crosswise into thin shreds. To serve, spoon the fruit mixture into individual bowls, garnish with the fresh mint strips and serve immediately.

Nutritional Analysis

(per serving)

Calories	159	Monounsaturated fat	0 g
Protein	2 g	Cholesterol	0 mg
Carbohydrate	39 g	Sodium	14 mg
Total fat	0 g	Fiber	4 g
Saturated fat	0 g

MAYO CLINIC HEALTHY WEIGHT PYRAMID SERVINGS

Fruits	2
Sweets	1

• Mayo Clinic Healthy Weight Pyramid tool
• Mayo Clinic Healthy Weight Pyramid: A sample menu

DIABETES MEAL PLAN EXCHANGES

Fruits	2
Sweets, desserts and other carbohydrates	1

• Your diabetes diet: Exchange lists

DASH EATING PLAN SERVINGS

Fruits	2
Sweets	1

• DASH diet: Guide to recommended servings
• Sample menus for the DASH eating plan

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