This salad is beautiful, healthy, and delicious! The fruits can be chopped to use as a salad or sliced thinly and layered in a trifle bowl for a truly stunning presentation.
INGREDIENTS (for 8 servings):
- 2 1/2 cups crispy rice cereal
- 1 1/2 cups chopped hazelnuts
- 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
- 1/2 cup margarine, melted
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- 1 pound fresh or frozen sliced strawberries
- 1/3 cup orange juice
- 2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar
- 1 tablespoon vanilla sugar
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- 2 Red Delicious apples, cored and diced
- 2 Golden Delicious apples, cored and diced
- 2 Granny Smith apples, cored and diced
- 4 seedless oranges, peeled and diced
- 1 (20 ounce) can crushed pineapple, drained
PREPARATION:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Place the rice cereal and nuts into a baking pan. Stir in the brown sugar and margarine. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, until toasty. Stir occasionally. Set aside to cool.
In the container of a blender or large food processor, combine the strawberries, orange juice, confectioners' sugar and vanilla sugar. Puree into a smooth sauce. Set aside.
To make the salad, toss the red, green and yellow apples with oranges and pineapple in a large serving bowl. Sprinkle with the nut crunch and spoon strawberry sauce over the top. Or you can serve the toppings on the side.
Variation:To make a trifle, cut the apples into thin slices. Pour strawberry sauce into the center of a trifle dish or large glass bowl. Layer pineapple, apples and oranges in alternating layers of color. Sprinkle the nut crunch over the top.