When the sun is shining and the barbeque is sizzling, what better way is there to round off a tasty al fresco meal than with a helping of fresh fruit and some delicious dipping sauces? I’ve been enjoying a lot of outdoor meals with my friends and family over the summer and you just can’t beat a succulent strawberry, zingy kiwi or juicy grape dipped in something sticky. This is precisely why today’s recipe is just the job for your weekend menu: fruit skewers with dark chocolate and honey yoghurt dips.
I’ve been trying to stick to my usual healthy meals throughout the warmer months, and the abundance of salad, vegetables and fruit in the supermarkets (and in the garden, for that matter!) make it ever-so-easy to be healthy during the holidays. However, the temptation of licking a huge ice cream while I stroll along the seafront is sometimes too much to resist. That’s why I’ve turned to fresh fruit to help me stick to my healthy life goals.
And that’s when I came across the #SnackSquad campaign. This hashtag demonstrates how Zespri® SunGold kiwifruit is unique in helping friends and families realise their shared health goals. The fruit, with its unique golden flesh colour, is rich in vitamin C and is just the thing to hit the spot when a sweet craving strikes. That’s because these kiwis are deliciously sweet, refreshingly juicy and highly nutritious, all at the same time, yum!
My ultimate dessert – or anytime snack – is a rainbow of fresh fruit, layered up on a skewer. Well, I’ve already got the bamboo skewers out to grill my veggies on the barbeque so I might as well present my fruit in a visually appealing way too. It’s definitely a good way to get the kids excited about munching plenty of different fruits anyway! Plus, these healthy skewers are just begging to be dipped into something gooey.
Sure, melted chocolate and sugary caramel might not be the healthiest options for dessert but when you’re consuming such a tiny layer on a piece of fruit I think it’s perfectly acceptable! I’ve come up with a slightly healthier version of the chocolate dip recipe and have created a creamy yoghurt-based dip so that you can cut a few more calories out of your pudding but still enjoy that combination of juicy, zingy fruit and sweet, sticky sauce. If you want something really sticky and sweet check out my naughty caramel sauce recipe, or read on to find out the healthier options…
Rainbow skewers
Thread blueberries, raspberries, hulled strawberries, pineapple chunks, Zespri® SunGold kiwifruit slices and grapes (or any other fruit you have to hand) onto long bamboo skewers.
Dark chocolate dip
70g dark chocolate with 70% cocoa solids
50ml single/light pouring cream
1 teaspoon coconut oil
Melt 70g dark chocolate and the teaspoon of coconut oil in a heat-proof bowl over a pan of hot water, or zap it in the microwave at 10 second intervals until melted. Stir to combine before drizzling in 50ml of single cream, whisking to mix into a thick, creamy texture.
Honey yoghurt dip
100ml greek yoghurt
2 tablespoons local honey
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Mix all the ingredients together until combined and pour into a bowl for dipping, or drizzle over a fruit salad.
I hope that you’ll have a go at making these tasty dips to enjoy with your fruit pudding, and be sure to add a skewer of rainbow fruits to your packed lunch throughout the summer months for a sweet treat after dinner. Zespri® SunGold is available in all leading supermarkets between the months of May 2017 and October 2017, so why not give this unique yellow kiwi a try when you’re putting together your rainbow of fruit this summer? Leave me a comment below if you try out any of these recipes, I’d love to hear how you get on.
This article is a sponsored collaboration. The pink links in the content indicate a sponsored link or information source. The blog post reflects my own experience and the sponsor hasn’t had any control over my content 🙂
