If you're looking to eat healthy, then eating more fruit is the way to go. Fruit is a lot sweeter and tastier than vegetables, making it easier to give to children. If you're looking for a great fruit recipe to make for you and your family, look no further. This tropical fruit compote is the right choice. Let's get into it.
Ingredients:
3/4 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1 piece lemon peel
1/2 teaspoon rum or vanilla extract (optional)
1 pineapple, cored, peeled, cut into 8 slices
2 mangoes, peeled, pitted, cut into 8 pieces
3 bananas, peeled, cut into 8 diagonal pieces
to taste fresh mint leaves (optional)
Directions:
1. In saucepan, combine 3/4 cup of water with sugar, lemon juice, and lemon peel (and rum or vanilla extract, if desired). Bring to boil, then reduce heat and add fruit. Cook at very low heat for 5 minutes.
2. Pour off syrup into cup.
3. Remove lemon rind from saucepan, and cool cooked fruit for 2 hours.
4. To serve, arrange fruit in serving dish and pour a few teaspoons of syrup on top.
Yield: 8 servings
Serving size: 1 cup
Each serving provides:
Calories: 148
Total fat: less than 1 g
Saturated fat: less than 1 g
Cholesterol: 0 mg
Sodium: 3 mg
Total fiber: 3 g
Protein: 1 g
Carbohydrates: 38 g
Potassium: 310 mg
Health Benefits of This Tropical Compote
The fruit in this tropical compote comes packed with nutrients to keep you and your family healthy. It's good to understand what you're putting in your body. Let's check out some of the many health benefits that this recipe provides.
Pineapple comes packed with vitamin C and manganese. Vitamin C is essential to healthy skin and a boosted immune system. It also helps your body absorb iron, another essential nutrient. Manganese aids in the metabolism of carbohydrates and fat, making it a great nutrient for people losing weight. It's also an antioxidant, giving it anticancer properties.
Mangoes are another great source of vitamin C. They also come with a healthy dose of copper, which is necessary for a healthy immune system. Mangoes contain an antioxidant known as mangiferin, which is known to benefit heart health. Mangeferin may also lower your cholesterol levels. Antioxidants like mangiferin protect your cells from damage that can lead to cancer.
Bananas contain high levels of potassium. Potassium is necessary to maintain a healthy level of fluids outside of our cells. It also helps muscles contract, and can help keep blood pressure levels normal. Even though some online publications encourage people to steer clear of bananas for their supposed negative effects on the body, bananas are still considered a superfood with many potential health benefits.
This tropical fruit compote is an excellent dish to make for a cookout, for a healthy dessert, or as a side for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. It's a healthy, delicious, and flexible recipe. Who doesn't love that? Once you're done making this dish, check out some of the other healthy recipes we have on our site.