Description
A festive and vibrant Christmas Salad featuring baby spinach, toasted pecans, dried cranberries, mandarin oranges, goat cheese, and pomegranate arils, tossed in a tangy honey-lime Dijon mustard dressing. Perfect for holiday gatherings as a refreshing and colorful side dish.
Ingredients
Scale
Salad Dressing
- 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 1 large lime, freshly squeezed juice
Salad Ingredients
- 6 oz baby spinach
- 1 cup pecan halves, toasted (some chopped finely)
- 1/2 cup dried cranberries
- 3 mandarin oranges, peeled and segmented
- 1/3 cup goat cheese, crumbled
- 1/3 cup pomegranate arils (or more)
Instructions
- Make Salad Dressing: Combine the olive oil, Dijon mustard, honey, and freshly squeezed lime juice in a mason jar. Whisk well with a fork until the dressing is fully emulsified and creamy. Taste and add more lime juice if desired to enhance the tangy flavor.
- Arrange Salad: For an elegant presentation, add baby spinach to individual salad bowls. Top each portion with pecan halves (reserving some chopped finely), dried cranberries, mandarin orange segments, crumbled goat cheese, and pomegranate arils.
- Dress the Salad: Drizzle the prepared dressing evenly over the assembled salad in each bowl.
- Alternate Assembly (Tossed Option): In a large serving bowl, combine baby spinach, dried cranberries, mandarin orange segments, and goat cheese. Toss gently with the salad dressing to coat all the ingredients. Finally, top the salad with the toasted pecan halves (including the finely chopped ones) and pomegranate arils to finish.
Notes
- Toast pecans in a dry skillet over medium heat until fragrant to enhance their flavor.
- If lime juice is not available, lemon juice can be used as a substitute in the dressing.
- The salad can be prepared ahead by making the dressing and prepping the ingredients separately; combine just before serving to keep spinach fresh.
- For a vegan version, substitute honey with maple syrup and omit goat cheese or use a plant-based cheese alternative.
- Adjust the sweetness of the dressing by adding more or less honey according to personal preference.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 220 kcal
- Sugar: 12 g
- Sodium: 150 mg
- Fat: 16 g
- Saturated Fat: 3 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 11 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 15 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 5 g
- Cholesterol: 8 mg
