More Party Recipes

Back in the 60's, we always had jello salad at big family gatherings. As the years went by, I focused on using healthy recipes that called for whole foods and natural ingredients, and could hardly bring myself to make those jello salads. They typically called for a box of jello mix, complete with artificial flavor and color, plus some artificial, whipped cream substitute...

As our kids grew older, I realized they'd missed out on that jello salad tradition. We hadn't continued to make it for family gatherings, but they made up for lost time once they discovered it at church potlucks! It can be quite the crowd pleaser.

With a new generation on the horizon, I'm hoping to start a new family tradition of serving healthy jello salad recipes, made with natural fruit juices. I might add cream, although you could substitute coconut milk, soy milk, or almond milk. By using a cream substitute and some agar-agar in place of the gelatin, you can have a vegan jello salad option too.

For vegetarians, vegans, and others who prefer not to use gelatin (an animal product), you can substitute agar-agar powder (derived from seaweed). You can use the same amount, but you do need to boil it some to completely dissolve it. While gelatin will dissolve in heated water, the agar-agar mix will need to be heated to boiling. A jello salad made with agar-agar will stay firm even at room temperature, which can be a nice feature on hot days.