Exotic Salad Recipes

Steps:

• Dry-fry the pumpkin seeds in a frying pan for a few minutes, tossing and turning them until they look toasted. Tip them out of the pan and let them go cold. Peel the papayas, halve them lengthways and scoop out the seeds. Cut the flesh into long, thin slices. Halve the avocados and remove the stones, then peel off the skin and slice the flesh lengthways into thin slices.
• Put the papayas, avocados, pumpkin seeds and watercress into a large bowl. Chop about 1 tbsp of the mint leaves and set aside. Pick the remaining leaves from the stalks and tear them into the bowl.
• Mix the lime juice and olive oil with the rest of the chopped mint to make a dressing, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Pour over the salad and gently mix all the ingredients together with your hands. Taste and add more salt and pepper if you think it needs it, then transfer to a serving platter.

Steps:

• Combine the sugar, 1/4 cup water, ginger and lime zest in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil and cook until the sugar is melted. Remove it from the heat and refrigerate until cold.
• Strain the mixtures into a large bowl and toss in the strawberries, kiwis, mango, oranges, pineapple and papaya to coat. Cover and refrigerate again until cold, at least 1 hour.
• Serve in small bowls and garnish with the chopped mint.

Steps:

• Center a pile of diced pineapple in the middle of a dessert plate; wreath the pineapple with slices of banana and spoon some exotic lime syrup over the top. Garnish with toasted coconut and fresh mint.

Steps:

• Whisk sugar, lemon juice, vanilla, and Chinese 5-spice powder; adjust to taste, adding more or less ingredients. Add mangoes and raspberries and toss together.
• Just before serving arrange kiwis in a circle on outside edge of each of 4 dessert plates, arrange an inside circle of banana slices overlapping kiwis, leaving a space in center of dessert plate. Spoon macerated raspberries and mangoes in the middle; dust with confectioners' sugar and garnish with mint leaves.

Steps:

• Place the mandarin oranges, with their syrup, in a medium-size saucepan. Add the Champagne and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until the mixture has reduced to about 1 cup. Remove from the heat and let cool.
• Place the cooled mixture in a blender, and process until smooth. Stir in the sour cream, honey, and poppy seeds.
• Toss the prepared fruit together in a large bowl, and pour the dressing over the fruit. Refrigerate for 1 hour. Decorate the fruit salad with flaked coconut or chopped nuts, and serve.

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine salad ingredients (chicken through almonds.).
• In a small bowl, mix dressing ingredients.
• Pour dressing over salad ingredients and mix well.
• Garnish with pineapple tidbits.
• Serve plain, as sandwiches, or on top of a bed of lettuce.