Grape Salad with Almonds & Cilantro

An unusual fruit salad, savory and sweet at the same time. This salad recipe takes familiar ingredients and turns them upside down. Start with your favorite fruit – I've tried grapes, mango and apples – and then just stir in the rest, including a touch of salt, a key ingredient. There you go, fruit salad in a whole new way!

Even practiced frugal grocery shoppers suffer temptation.

The other day, my local grocery had big bunches of gorgeous-looking red grapes, one group for $1 a pound, another for $2. Closer inspection revealed that the more expensive grapes were seedless. I reached for them, almost unconsciously weighing the value of a dollar to the convenience of seedless grapes.

But if a penny saved is a penny earned, a dollar saved is a dollar earned, times a hundred. I picked the grapes with seeds.

Turns out, there were hardly any seeds in those $1 grapes. Turns out, the seeds were so soft, I didn’t even bother scooping them out. Turns out, they were some of the best grapes ever, fat the juicy and sweet and really really grape-y.

I saved $1 but learned a $100 lesson.

For something so simple, this salad is spectacular. I’ve made it six times in the past couple of weeks, once with fresh mango (gorgeous!), another time with chopped apple (very good!). Twice I’ve served it atop lightly dressed greens as a dinner salad, twice as a simple after-supper dessert and twice, well, a larger serving made for a luxurious, indulgent salad supper.

GRAPE SALAD with ALMONDS & CILANTRO

Hands-on time: 10 minutes
Time to table: 10 minutes
Serves 4

1 pound red grapes, halved
1 tablespoon good olive oil
Juice of half a lemon
Sprinkle of good salt (don't skip!)
1/2 cup toasted almonds (how to toast nuts)
Generous handful of chopped cilantro

Mix all ingredients. Serve and savor!

NUTRITION INFORMATION Per Serving: 187 Calories; 10g Tot Fat; 1g Sat Fat; 0mg Cholesterol; 39mg Sodium; 24g Carb; 3g Fiber; 18g Sugar; 4g Protein.

WEIGHT WATCHERS POINTS WW Old Points 4 & WW PointsPlus 5

Adapted from Go Go Chicago, discovered via Pro Bono Baker.

KEEP CILANTRO FRESH How do you keep cilantro fresh for a few days? I wash it well, then slip into a tall glass with about an inch of water, then put into the refrigerator. If the water gets grungy, I change it and give the stems a quick rinse too. This is a great way to keep fresh cilantro on hand! You never know when you’ll get a hankering for a grape, almond and cilantro salad!

Kitchen Parade is written by second-generation food columnist Alanna Kellogg and features fresh, seasonal dishes for every-day healthful eating and occasional indulgences.

In 2009, Kitchen Parade celebrates its 50th anniversary with a special collection of my mother's recipes.

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