Description
A festive and vibrant Christmas Salad featuring fresh baby spinach, mandarin oranges, dried cranberries, toasted pecans, goat cheese, and pomegranate arils, tossed in a zesty honey Dijon lime dressing. Perfect for holiday gatherings as a refreshing side or light main dish.
Ingredients
Scale
Salad Dressing
- ⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 1 large lime, juiced (freshly squeezed)
Salad Ingredients
- 6 oz baby spinach
- 1 cup pecan halves, toasted (some chopped finely)
- ½ cup dried cranberries
- 3 mandarin oranges, peeled and segmented
- ⅓ cup goat cheese, crumbled
- ⅓ cup pomegranate arils (or more)
Instructions
- Make salad dressing: Combine the extra virgin olive oil, Dijon mustard, honey, and freshly squeezed lime juice in a mason jar. Whisk well with a fork until the dressing is emulsified and smooth. Adjust by adding more lime juice to taste if desired.
- Assemble the salad individually: Arrange baby spinach in individual salad bowls. Top each bowl with mandarin orange segments, dried cranberries, crumbled goat cheese, toasted pecan halves (reserving some chopped pecans), and pomegranate arils.
- Drizzle dressing: Drizzle the prepared salad dressing evenly over each individual salad just before serving to maintain freshness.
- Alternatively assemble the salad: In a large serving bowl, combine baby spinach, mandarin segments, dried cranberries, and crumbled goat cheese. Pour the dressing over the mix and toss gently to combine all ingredients. Finally, top the salad with toasted pecan halves (including the finely chopped ones) and pomegranate arils for texture and color.
Notes
- Toast pecans in a dry skillet over medium heat for 3-5 minutes, stirring frequently until fragrant to enhance their flavor.
- Adjust the sweetness and acidity of the dressing by adding more honey or lime juice according to taste preference.
- If goat cheese is not preferred, feta cheese can be a good substitute.
- To save time, dressing can be prepared up to a day in advance and refrigerated.
- For added crunch, consider adding sliced red onions or cucumber slices.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bowl (approximately 150 g)
- Calories: 230 kcal
- Sugar: 15 g
- Sodium: 150 mg
- Fat: 16 g
- Saturated Fat: 3 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 12 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 16 g
- Fiber: 4 g
- Protein: 4 g
- Cholesterol: 10 mg
