Festive Winter Salad Recipe

Name: Festive Winter Salad Recipe
Total time: 15 min
Ingredients: 8 ounces romaine lettuce or other greens, Note 1, washed and dried well.; 1 cup Pomegranate seeds, Note 2 to extract seeds. Note 3 to store. ((1 pomegranate)); 1 pear, julienned ((cut into thin strips)); 1/3 cup roasted nuts (Note 4); 1/4 cup ricotta cheese, Optional ((or use goat cheese or feta instead)); 1/2 orange, juice and zest ((2 tbsp juice, 1 tsp zest)); 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard; 2 tablespoon maple syrup ((or honey)); 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar ((or lemon juice)); 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt ((or more to taste)); 1/8 teaspoon pepper; 2 tablespoon olive oil

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I love this winter salad recipe. It’s holiday-ish, the flavors are addictive, it’s got lots of texture and a fabulous citrus sweet and tangy dressing.

Ready in 15 minutes or, with shortcuts, 5 minutes! So add this pretty salad to your holiday spread and make it as simple or as complex as you like.

The salad can, of course, be served at any time of year, but I love to serve it as a Christmas salad recipe during the holiday season or winter months. You see the red, green and white, right?

The festive salad is light and refreshing – and a great way to brighten up your holiday menu. Build your own beautiful salad in just a few minutes with endless variations.

Here are the key ingredients I use for a holiday meal, focusing on the red, green and white. I also like to add contrasting textures like nuts for example.

GREEN: winter greens or any green salad (other green options are snap peas, shaved brussels sprouts and creamy avocado).
RED: pomegranate seeds (other red options are beets or red peppers)
WHITE: juicy pears and ricotta (other options are creamy goat cheese, feta cheese or water chestnuts)

The vinaigrette dressing is just the right blend of sweet, citrus and tang. More on the sweet side I’d say, so feel free to find the balance you like.

Creative Serving Suggestions

Instead of the usual side salad, try one of these alternatives.

I discovered a cool new way to serve this winter salad recipe while I was making it. Try it as an appetizer with little Gem lettuce leaves as lettuce cups. Fill them with nuts, ricotta, pomegranate seeds and julienned pear, then drizzle on some citrus vinaigrette. Winter salad cups – delish! This takes more prep time. Or ask your guests to make their own.
Design the winter salad in the shape of a wreath on a circular platter. Serve the dressing in a small bowl in the center of the wreath.

Ingredients – tailored to your taste

lettuce, nuts, pomegranate seeds, dressing, pear, ricotta cheese — Ingredients: green lettuce, pomegranate seeds, pear, pecans, ricotta cheese, vinaigrette salad dressing.

Here are a few variations and substitutions to experiment with using fresh ingredients.

Lettuce: Feel free to mix it up with lots of green contrasts.
- Crisp greens: ‘little gem lettuce’ (a cross between romaine and butter/Boston), romaine lettuce or iceberg lettuce.
- Soft lettuce greens: Boston/Bibb lettuce, arugula, frisée or other leafy greens
- Deep greens: kale salad, baby spinach
- Other greens: shredded brussels sprouts, cabbage, snap peas or creamy avocado.
Pomegranate: If you can’t find one, try slivers of roasted beets, chopped red peppers, red onion or dried cranberries for the lovely red contrasts.
Nuts: Any toasted chopped nuts are fine – pecans, macadamia, walnuts, almonds, pistachios. Toasting the nuts adds a wonderful nutty flavor. Or try candied nuts from your local bulk food store.
Cheese: I like the mild creamy ricotta as a blank slate for the vinaigrette. Other good choices are feta and goat cheese. Or nothing.
Vegetables/Fruits: Add or substitute with mandarin oranges or other citrus fruit, roasted butternut squash cubes, chopped apple, jicama or chopped water chestnuts.
Salad Dressing:
- You can add finely chopped green onion, tarragon, chives, garlic.
- Feel free to replace the orange zest with lemon zest or lime juice.
- Other good dressings for this holiday salad are honey-lemon salad dressing, honey-mustard, poppy-seed, pomegranate vinaigrette and champagne vinaigrette.

Step-by-step instructions

pomegranate cut in half — _{Extract the pomegranate seeds. See two ways in the recipe. (or buy the seeds)}

tapping pomegranate over bowl with spoon — _{Extract the pomegranate seeds. See two ways in the recipe. (or buy the seeds)}

winter salad on plate — Slice pears, roast nuts and assemble the winter salad and drizzle with vinaigrette salad dressing

Shortcuts

If you use all the following shortcuts, this winter salad recipe would take about 5 minutes to prepare! I’m always happy to use shortcuts with good quality, simple ingredients.

Buy pomegranate seeds.
Get pre-washed romaine lettuce or other greens
Buy pre-roasted nuts. Crush them with the back of a small pan.
Use a good store-bought vinaigrette and add a dash of pure maple syrup or honey and some orange zest if you like.

FAQ about pomegranates

What are pomegranate seeds?

Pomegranates have white seeds covered in a sweet-tart, bright red nectar called arils. They burst with flavor and make a gorgeous garnish for the best winter salad recipes. And they are highly nutritious. The darker and deeper the color, the sweeter the seeds.

What is the best way for seeding a pomegranate?

Extracting the seeds is a bit messy, but it’s fairly simple. There are a couple of ways to do it. Cut the pomegranate in half. Taking the first half, hold the pomegranate seed side down over a bowl. Smack the outside with a wooden spoon (hard!) to release the seeds. Repeat with the other half. Here’s a Jamie Oliver video for how to extract pomegranate seeds. Alternatively, try this other option from Cooks Illustrated where you release the seeds into cold water.

How many pomegranate arils do you get from one pomegranate?

You will get about 1 to 1 1/4 cups (175 – 220 grams) or a bit more from one Pomegranate.

Where can I buy pomegranate seeds?

You can skip the process of extracting the pomegranate seeds and buy them in little containers at the grocery store. Many mainstream groceries and Costco now carry them. They keep for 3-4 days in the fridge.

Make Ahead

The dressing can be made several days ahead. You can also roast the nuts ahead and store them in an airtight container when cooled to keep them fresh. And, extract the pomegranate seeds up to 4 days ahead. Cut the pears and assemble the salad just before serving.

Other winter salad recipes you might like

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