Festive Fruit Salad with Lemon & Ginger

No summer picnic is complete without a fresh fruit salad, and this bright recipe, with a simple lemon-ginger dressing, is my absolute favorite.

My best 4th of July memories are all about watermelon and pool parties. When I was younger, we used to go to the community pool, and they hosted this relay race game where you’d swim across the pool trying to push a slippery watermelon with you. It was harder than you think, especially when you’re a little kid. Afterward they’d cut up the watermelon for all the kids to eat. Between the splashy water and the watermelon juices, well, it was all a big fun slippery summery mess.

About this Fruit Salad Recipe

All of these thoughts of watermelon made me immediately think “fruit salad,” followed by the realization that I never even posted a fruit salad recipe on this site! I have salads with fruit in them, but this one is a salad that’s really all about the fruit. It’s pepped up with a lemon-gingery dressing, fresh herbs, and a few soft mozzarella cheese balls.

You may notice that I got a little crafty and cut my melons into star shapes – I used a 2-inch cookie cutter, and I promise it wasn’t as fussy as it might seem :). Of course, you could just use a melon baller (or a knife) to save some time (and fun).

For more picnic ideas, try these veggie burgers, this pasta salad, or this corn salad. Happy long weekend!

A Festive Fruit Salad with Lemon & Ginger

• ½ honeydew, cut into about 15 stars
• ⅓ seedless watermelon, cut into about 15 stars
• 2 cups sliced strawberries
• 1 cup mini mozzarella balls
• 1 cup cherries
• 1 loose-packed cup mint and basil leaves
• ½ cup blueberries
• ½ cup raspberries

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon minced ginger
• ½ clove of garlic, minced
• ¼ teaspoon maple syrup
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• freshly ground black pepper

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