Just four, yes FOUR ingredients can turn your plate of sliced fruit into a dish that will leave you wanting more! We used this Gingery Sweet Fruit Salad Dressing for the recent STARS Luncheon for the oncology medical team. Because its still warm weather here in Atlanta, we wanted a sweet side dish that could also substitute as a light dessert. This was a big hit with our wonderful team, we hope you like it too!

Ginger brings spice to the dressing, and coconut sugar provides the sweet. You may not have seen this kind of sugar in the store until recently, but with the interest in all things coconut, it’s making a big showing. Dark and pungent with a faint flavor of coconut, it’s popping up on sugar shelves everywhere. Coconut sugar is made from the sap of a coconut palm tree. Its been used for thousands of years in Asia where lots of coconut palms grow. It should not be used 1 for 1 with regular granulated sugar for baking – it is much more moist and will produce a dense wet brown baked good. There are some recipes out there that take its moist nature into account. But remember its not “health food”, its just sugar.

Ginger is an herb that we use often for many, many reasons. Ginger contains very potent anti-inflammatory compounds called gingerols. In fact, in a recent study, people who ate 2 grams (1 gram is about the size of a quarter) of ginger daily for 11 days had less soreness after their heavy workout exercise routines. Ginger is also very helpful for any GI issues such as nausea, vomiting, and upset stomach.

Gingery Sweet Fruit Salad Dressing

1” Ginger, peeled and grated

1 Jalepeno, Red or Green, ribs and seeds removed and chopped

Juice and Zest of a Lime

¼ Cup Coconut Sugar

Mix all the ingredients together until the sugar dissolves.