Sunshine Salad

You knew it had to happen sometime. It was inevitable. I mean, really, this is primarily a Southern food blog, right?

What am I talking about? Why, congealed salad, of course. Something that every Southern cook “of a certain age” has in his or her repertoire. And not just one or two recipes, either. I’m talking about dozens.

Those of you who are from Southern families – when have you ever been to a family reunion where there weren’t at least six different congealed salads offered? Or a church homecoming dinner-on-the-grounds. You could fix a plate of nothing but congealed salads at one of those affairs.

Now before you go looking down your nose at congealed salads, just stop and think about it a minute. What’s so bad about congealed salad? Why do people look down on them these days? I know they’re out of style and yes, there’s a little sugar in there, but just look at this recipe – it’s jam packed with fresh grated carrots, pineapple and pecans. It’s vibrantly colorful and refreshing, too. So, what’s not to like? Nothing bad there.

I’m going to encourage you to rethink your attitude toward the poor old congealed salad. Even if you think it’s hopelessly out of style, it’s still a classic. Or if it makes you feel more up-to-date, just call it “vintage.”

1 small pkg. lemon jello

1 cup boiling water

8 oz. can crushed pineapple

2 tblsp. lemon juice

3 medium carrots, grated

½ cup chopped pecans

dash salt

Mayonnaise (optional)

Drain the pineapple, reserving the juice. Set the pineapple aside for now. To the reserved pineapple juice, add the lemon juice and enough cold water to equal one cup.

Dissolve the jello with boiling water. Stir the pineapple juice mixture into the dissolved jello. Pour the jello into a mold or a small square baking dish. Place it in the refrigerator and chill until it begins to thicken (about 45 minutes to 1 hour).

Add the reserved pineapple, shredded carrots, pecans and salt. Stir very well to combine the ingredients. Pour into a mold and chill until set (4 hours or overnight). To serve, cut into squares and top with a small dollop of mayonnaise (if desired).

Enjoy!

Download a printable copy of Sunshine Salad.