Autumnal Chia Fruit Salad

Favorite fall fruits such as d’Anjou Pear, Granny Smith apple, persimmon and seasonal citrus – wrapped together in healthy yogurt dressing and chia seeds for additional nutritional boost. 

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Are you looking forward to January 1st?  A day of so much hope for the new year.  New you.  A healthier you.  Nearly half of Americans set out to make New Years resolutions, but according to this report, only 8% are successful in achieving their goals for the new year.  Many will fail within the first week.

Thankfully, you can get a head start in achieving a healthy year by swapping out a dessert for this delicious salad.  Because, really how many Christmas cookies can one person consume?  Don’t answer.  That was a rhetorical question but we all know come January 1st, we’ll be buying gym memberships and vowing to never eat junk again.  Disclaimer: though if done right, Christmas cookies can be chock-full of nutrients (I’m thinking gelatin and Einkorn flour!)

We are well into December but our farmer’s markets are still boasting Autumn’s beautiful warm hues of persimmons, pears and citrus fruits of all kinds.  This fruit salad is a wonderful addition to your Christmas brunch – all the fruits can be chopped the night before and tossed in dressing just before serving.

The addition of chia seeds gives a powerful nutrient boost to this salad making this salad high in fiber, magnesium and phosphorus (among other nutrients).  Chia seeds get extra brownie points for doing that ever so important job of absorbing the salad juices making this salad still tasty the next day.

Build-Your-Own Autumnal Fruit Salad

Any fall fruit will work in this recipe though my goal was to make a quick and easy desert with just a handful of my favorites like granny smith apple, D’anjou pear, persimmon and an orange from our backyard.  I’m sure the addition of pomegranate anvils would be lovely atop this salad.  Really, anything goes.

The dressing is just as simple as the contents: plain yogurt, real maple syrup and of course, chia seeds.  Feeling ambitious?  You can give a hand at my homemade yogurt, find those directions here.

Garnish with mint and it makes a beautiful potluck dish to a Christmas party.  Because those Christmas cookies do look enticing but at least you have this salad to redeem yourself from guilty pleasures. 🙂

Autumnal Chia Fruit Salad

Autumnal Chia Fruit Salad Recipe

Course: Dessert, Salad

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 15 minutes

Servings: 4 servings

Author: Anya

Favorite fall fruits wrapped in grass fed yogurt and chia seeds for nutritional boost.

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Ingredients

• 1 granny smith apple diced
• 1 D'anjou pear diced
• 1 persimmon diced
• 1 orange diced
• 1/4 cup plain organic yogurt
• 2 tablespoon real maple syrup
• 1 tablespoon organic black chia seeds

Instructions

1. Wash and dry fruit. Cut all fruit in 1/2"-1" pieces. 

2. Combine all ingredients in a medium sized bowl and toss well with the yogurt and maple syrup. Allow to sit for 10-15 minutes for chia seeds to absorb excess moisture. 

3. Can be refrigerated up to 24 hours.

Recipe Notes

The fruit can be chopped and combined ahead of time. Toss in yogurt-maple syrup dressing just before serving. Garnish with pomegranate anvils or mint and enjoy!

Chia seeds not only absorb moisture, they also add a nice nutritional punch to the salad. Feel free to add your own toppings like roasted coconut flakes and cacao nibs. Or perhaps some candied pecans would be awesome too.

More Fall Foods You Might Like

Roasted Carrots with Garlic

Creamed Mushrooms & Onions in Red Wine Reduction

 Paleo Lemon Bundt Cake

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