Tropical Salad

I grew up with a tub of small curd cottage cheese in my refrigerator.  In high school, I was the only one who would pass up the Corn Nuts as a snack and head straight to the so-called salad bar… a utility cart carrying bins filled with strawberry Jell-o squares, fruit cocktail, iceberg lettuce and cottage cheese.  A stocked cart by high school salad standards.  I made the best of it with my concoction of cottage cheese combined with pineapple chunks scooped out of the fruit cocktail bin.  My tropical salad.  I loved the combination of sweet and salty flavors and didn’t care for the weird looks coming from my friends.

Fast forward to adult world and cottage cheese continues in my life.  I’ve completely overhauled the sweet and salty flavors of my beloved high school salad by adding a variety of sweet flavors from mango and banana chunks. I’ve also added texture from dried fruit and nuts and a cinnamon creamy sauce that brings it all together.

It’s now become a breakfast treat for my 8 year old son and a mid-day snack for me. This breakfast salad travels best when prepared the night before and refrigerated in a tightly sealed in jar.  During the morning rush, just throw it in a lunch bag and its’ ready go.  It also makes the morning commute more enjoyable if you are hungry and sitting in traffic.

I predict this salad will make cottage cheese cool again… at least in my world. All I know is that I look forward to this treat every week as I try to get through those crazy weekday mornings.