Salads and Vegetables: Salads: Watermelon Hawaii Salad

Warning! This cool fruit, yogurt and nut salad may give you and your guests the urge to hula dance!

Author: National Watermelon Promotion Board, adapted by CalorieKing
Date: August 06, 2009

Suggestions: For a special visual treat, serve this salad in split fresh coconut shells.

The seeds from the papaya added into the dressing lend a wonderful peppery flavor.

Serves: 12 person(s)
Yield: 12 x 1 cup servings

Preparation Time: 40 mins
Cooking Time: 5 mins

Ingredients:

3/4 cup unsalted macadamia nuts
2 bananas
1 small papaya, sliced in half, reserving the papaya seeds
4 fresh limes, juiced
3 cup seedless watermelon balls or small squares
2 cup fresh pineapple chunks
1 cup freshly grated or unsweetened coconut
3 cup fat-free, sugar-free, vanilla-flavored yogurt *
1/3 cup papaya seeds (reserved from the papaya)

Directions:

Place the macadamia nuts in a food processor fitted with a steel blade and pulse them a couple of times just to chop them into large pieces.

Then, place them in a non-stick heavy sauté pan and toast them over medium heat just until they turn golden, stirring constantly. Remove them to a heatproof dish or bowl and allow them to cool.

Peel and cut the bananas and papaya flesh into small chunks and toss them in the lime juice. Place the banana and the papaya chunks in a large glass bowl with the watermelon, pineapple and coconut.

In another bowl mix together the yogurt and the papaya seeds. Pour over the fruit and coconut. Toss to combine.

Place in a serving bowl or coconut shells. Sprinkle the toasted macadamia nuts over the top and serve immediately.

Variations:

* If preferred, can replace sugar-free yogurt with regularly sweetened fat-free vanilla-flavored yogurt; or use fat-free, plain yogurt and mix in 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract.

Serving suggestions are not included in the nutritional analysis.