Ambrosia - the food of the gods

I always buy marshmallows in the winter for hot chocolate and by the time spring comes there are a lot leftover. Most of the time I make sweet treats out of them, but this time I wanted to do something different. Then I remembered this dessert that I had at a friends place which had marshmallows, cream and fruits which we all really liked. It was sweet and tart and had a fun texture thanks to the marshmallows. It was called Ambrosia, which is a southern variation of fruit salad, typically made with whipped cream, yogurt, fruits and coconut. Sometimes it contains nuts as well.

I decided to skip the cream completely and made it with yogurt instead. For the fruit  I used mandarin oranges and pineapples, since I already had them in my pantry. You could use a combination of fresh berries - blueberries, raspberries and strawberries work well. Even canned peaches are good in this dessert. Here is my version which the kids love and so does the child in the adult.

Ambrosia

1 11.5 oz can of mandarin orange segments in a light syrup
1 8 oz can of pineapple slices in pineapple juice
11/2 cup mini marshmallows
2 cups 0% french vanilla yogurt (I like Stonyfield)
1/2 cup thinly sliced toasted almonds (optional)

1.  Drain the mandarin oranges in a colander and set aside.
2.  Drain the pineapple slices but hold the juice if required for thinning out later. Cut the pineapple slices into 1/2 inch pieces.
3. In a large serving bowl, add the yogurt, and the fruits and mix well. If the mixture is too thick, add a couple of table spoons of the saved pineapple juice. Gently fold in the marshmallows and refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving. This time allows the marshmallows to soak up the yogurt and the juice from the fruits and develop a nice jelly like texture.
4. Serve topped with toasted almonds if using. I didn't use them since my daughter does not like nuts.

Serves 4