I crave fruit all year.  Spring, summer, fall, winter.  But my cravings change depending on the season.  I know it’s fall when I walk by the pints of berries without a second thought and head straight for the new, shiny, beautiful Asian pears – my favorite autumn fruit.  When stone fruits are suddenly boring to me and the thought of apple-picking is a thrill.  Those days are here again, and I made this fruit salad to celebrate.

You could use any of your favorite fall fruits.  Apples would be lovely.  So would pears.  We always have bananas, so I used those, as well as one of my precious Asian pears.  (Despite my current goal to save money on groceries, I’m willing to spend the money on Asian pears because they’re a special treat for me and they’re only available in the fall.  But they are pricey, so I only bought a few.  Fortunately for me, hubby hates them.  So those few Asian pears are all mine.)  The key is the dressing – it’s truly an autumnal dressing.  It starts as plain Greek yogurt, but becomes a fall masterpiece with the additions of maple syrup and cinnamon.  Mmmmmm, cinnamon.  Excuse me while I lick the plate.  Happy October!

Fall Fruit Salad with Spiced Yogurt “Dressing”

1 Asian Pear or large apple, cut into 1-inch dice
1 banana, sliced lengthwise and diced
1/2 cup plain fat-free Greek yogurt (i.e. Oikos)
1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
sliced almonds, for garnish

• Cut up fruit and set aside in small bowl.  (The fruits above are just suggestions, but the proportion of one banana and one large apple or Asian pear is just about right for two small salads or one large salad.)
• In a small mixing bowl, stir together yogurt, syrup, cinnamon and vanilla until well blended.
• Portion salad onto two small plates (or one big plate!) and drizzle yogurt “dressing” over.  Garnish with a pinch of sliced almonds.
• Resist the urge to lick the yogurt bowl and get yogurt all over your face.  Serve immediately.

Source: Covered In Flour