Pomegranate and spice fruit salad

[Aunt Sponge]

Pomegranates are my DD's fav food - so this is a fruit salad with pomegranate sauce instead of mayo or yogurt to tickle her fancy.

For the sauce
1/4 C sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
pureed seeds of one pomegranate
1/4 cup cool-whip or whipped cream (or mayo or yogurt - whatever you'd like. The whipped cream gets a bit runny so yogurt is was I prefer for texture)

Salad:
(Everything should be chopped to bite-sized. I do small bite-sized so it's ok for little kids.)
3 large apples (whatever kind)
3 12 oz cans of mandarine orange slices - drained (don't have to drain them if it's fresh)
1 jar of maraschino cherries - drained/whole
1 bunch of grapes. (If they're big i slice them in 1/2)
1 pint of strawberries, sliced.
whole seeds of 1 pomegranate

Just cut/mix the fruit and puree the sauce in a blender.
The poms give a bit of a citrus tart to it - my DD loves it and this is usually enough for the entire family to have.

[r-a<3derek]

this sounds fantastic!
do you think it would change the recipe too much if i omitted the oranges(can't eat them)
what would you recommend for a substitute?

[Aunt Sponge]

Go ahead and leave them out
you can add more pomegranate seeds - they are a citrus. But I consider the oranges to be just for color and to "add more to it" to make it go further. They really don't give it the taste - the poms and strawberries are what really flavor it. You can add more grapes, too. I usually add one bunch - but if I have to serve a lot I put in 2 bunches.

My Mom use to make it with bananas and raisins. My sister makes it with chocolate covered raisins and fruitcake crumbs

[r-a<3derek]

oh wow, i want to add bananas, chocolate covered raisins, and fruitcake crumbs!!!!!!