5 Fruit Appetizers For Thanksgiving

Choosing from these 5 fruit appetizers for Thanksgiving should give you additional ideas for more holiday recipes. Why do we offer appetizers to our guests? These small servings keep them from starving while they wait for the main meal. These Thanksgiving appetizers may also help keep them from overeating because they won't be ravenous when Thanksgiving dinner is served. If you make these food samplings from fruit, they'll be healthy and very tasty with their natural sweetness.

Snack Mix With Cranberries

Ingredients:

• 1 cup dry, sweetened cranberries
• 1 cup raisins
• 1 cup raw pumpkin seeds
• 2 cups raw sunflower seeds

1. Put ingredients into mixing bowl.
2. Stir until combined.
3. Transfer into a festive bowl.

Sausage Apple Skewers

Ingredients:

• 1 summer sausage
• 2 small red apples
• Fresh lemon juice
• Ice bath
• Wooden toothpicks

1. Cut sausage and apples into bite-size pieces.
2. Mix lemon juice into the ice bath.
3. Put the apples into the ice bath.
4. When ready to serve, take apples out of the ice bath and pat dry.
5. Make skewers by placing one sausage wedge and one apple wedge on a toothpick.
6. Continue until all pieces are used. Should make about 32 skewers.

Shrimp with Pineapple Appetizers

Ingredients:

• 1 can (4-1/4 oz.) shrimp (drained)
• 1 can (8 oz.) crushed pineapple (drained)
• 1/4 cup reduced calorie mayonnaise
• 2 tsp. Dijon mustard
• 1 tbsp. minced green onion
• 1/2 tsp. dill weed
• Cucumbers or crackers

1. Combine all ingredients except cucumbers or crackers.
2. If using cucumbers, cut them into one-eighth to one-fourth-inch thick slices.
3. Spoon heaping teaspoon of shrimp-pineapple mixture onto cucumber slices or crackers.
4. Garnish with extra green onion or dill weed if desired.

Multi-Fruit Kabobs

Ingredients:

• 2 bananas
• 1 can (13-1/2 oz.) pineapple chunks (drained and reserve juice)
• 8 maraschino cherries
• 1 small avocado
• 5- or 7-inch skewers
• Fruit-based dressing
• Melon balls
• Lemon or lime juice

1. Cut bananas into half inch slices.
2. Cut avocado into half inch squares.
3. Dip bananas and avocado into reserved pineapple juice.
4. Alternate chunks of banana and avocado on skewers.
5. Put cherry at the top of each skewer.
6. Place on platter of salad greens.
7. Dip kabobs into dressing or have the dressing on the side.
8. In addition, make melon balls by scooping out watermelon, cantaloupe and honeydew with a ball-sized measuring spoon.
9. Fill fancy glasses with melon balls.
10. Drip lemon or lime juice over them.

Citrus, Mango and Honey Iced Tea

Ingredients:

• 1 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 cup fresh lime juice
• 1 cup honey
• 1/4 cup water
• 4 cups cold, brewed mango tea

1. Whisk together juices, honey and water.
2. Pour into ice cube tray and freeze overnight.
3. Place several ice cubes in each glass.
4. Pour the tea over ice cubes.
5. Let stand a few minutes until the cubes begin to melt.
6. Stir and serve.