Refreshing Orange Banana Ambrosia Perfect for Spring

Orange Banana Ambrosia Perfect for Spring

The challenge this month for Recipe Reduxers is to create a recipe using maple syrup or honey to add natural sweetness to foods.  I wanted to create a fruit dessert that is light, refreshing, and easy. Sunkist has a navel orange variety called Cara Cara that is available now through April. This orange is grown in California's San Joaquin Valley and has flesh that is red to pinkish red in color. According to Sunkist's website, the Cara Cara orange is "exceptionally sweet with a tangy cranberry-like zing. It is a rich source of vitamins A, C, fiber and lycopene."

So, I decided to make an ambrosia, using cara cara oranges, banana, Greek-style vanilla yogurt,  maple syrup, and coconut. I found cara cara oranges featured in my market, $3.99 for a 3-pound bag that contained 8 oranges. That works out to 50 cents an orange.

Here is the complete recipe:

Orange  Banana Ambrosia

Ingredients:

1/2 cup vanilla nonfat Greek-style yogurt
2 Tbsp maple syrup or honey or agave syrup
2 cara cara oranges, peeled and sliced crosswise, and then into chunks (or other oranges)
1 medium banana, peeled and sliced
4 Tbsp shredded or flaked coconut, toasted

Directions:

In medium bowl, combine yogurt and syrup. Add orange chunks and banana slices and mix well. Scoop into 4 individual dessert glasses and sprinkle each with a tablespoon of toasted coconut.

Makes 4 servings (1/2 cup each).

Nutrition Information per Serving:

127 calories, 2 g total fat, 1 g saturated fat, 2 mg cholesterol, 3 g dietary fiber, 4 g protein, and 26 mg sodium. One serving of this low cost recipe provides an excellent source of vitamin C (64% of DV) and a good source of fiber (11%).

Cost per Serving: $0.72

Pricing Note: all ingredients were at “regular” prices except the cara cara oranges on sale for $3.99 for a 3-pound bag and the Greek-style yogurt on sale for $1.00 for a 5.3 ounce container.

Click here to download & print the Orange Banana Ambrosia recipe.