Tropical Fruit Salad

I'm getting  back into my normal routine.  I went to San Diego last week for a conference.  Over the fourth of July weekend, I went to San Francisco.  It was fun, but it is nice to sleep in my own bed too.

The first thing I noticed when I got off of the plane in Virginia is the sweltering humidity.  San Diego was perfectly temperate, and San Francisco was brisk.  The summer heat is nice, but it wilts my enthusiasm for outdoor activities.

I ate really well during my trip.  I ate Mexican food almost every day when I was in San Diego.  I also ate some very decadent desserts at a restaurant called Extraordinary Desserts.  It is an appropriate name.

In San Francisco, I ate dim sum and clam chowder.  This delicious food inspired me to buy frozen dumplings and frozen pork steamed buns.  I also made clam chowder yesterday.  I think the chowder I made is even better than the chowder I ate in San Francisco.

I ate out so much that I'm glad to be making my own food.  I don't eat enough fruits and vegetables when I am traveling.  Outside of ice cream, I also never eat dairy when I'm not preparing my own food.

My pocketbook and waistline will be grateful that I'm making my own food instead of eating out every day. 

I made this fruit salad the week before I left.  I didn't use a recipe.  It turned out better than I expected.  It was delicious and refreshing.  

I have made a few tropical inspired recipes for this blog.  I have made banana, coconut, and mango muffins; tropical banana bread; coconut and banana pancakes, lime and coconut muffins, and tropical baked oatmeal.

The ingredients for this fruit salad are1 papaya, 1 pineapple, 3 cups mango, zest and juice of 1 lime, 7.4 fluid ounces of sweetened condensed coconut milk, and 3 ounces toasted coconut chips.

I cubed the papaya and pineapple.   I added the papaya, pineapple, and mango chunks to a big bowl.

I poured the sweetened condensed coconut milk over the fruit.

I added the lime zest and lime juice to the bowl.

I added the dried coconut chips.

I stirred all the ingredients together.

This was a fantastic salad.  It was light and flavorful.

It had a sweet and tropical flavor.

The salad was tangy and tart from the lime and fruit.

The fruit was perfectly ripe and soft.

The dried coconut chips gave the salad some crunch and texture.

This was an outstanding salad.  It was one of the best things I have made or eaten in a while.

It was light and refreshing.  The perfect side dish for a summer meal.