Delightful Pomegranate Christmas Salad Honey

Every year when pomegranates pop up at my local market, I break out this jewel-toned salad with its honey mustard dressing. It's turned into our family's go-to holiday dish thanks to its eye-catching colors and sweet-tangy flavor bursts. Works just as well for big family gatherings as it does for quiet dinners at home.

The first time I threw this salad together was for a Christmas dinner centerpiece. Now my buddies request it whenever holidays roll around. It's become my trusty option anytime I'm craving something nutritious with a touch of luxury.

Tasty Ingredients

• Raw walnut halves: They add a wonderful buttery crunch – grab plump ones without any wrinkles
• Hulled pumpkin seeds: They're toasty and nutty – shop from good bulk sections for maximum freshness
• Honey or pure maple syrup: Needed for candying the nuts and sweetening the dressing – try neighborhood honey for extra flavor
• Chipotle powder: Adds a warm smokiness – swap in regular chili powder if you want less heat
• Kosher salt: Lifts all the flavors and creates balance between sweet and savory
• Assorted salad greens: Creates the foundation – mix different leafy options like arugula, baby spinach or young kale
• Curly endive frisée: Brings nice bitterness and fun texture with its curly shape
• Apples or pears: Add juicy sweetness – pick super firm ones for the best snap
• Avocados: Provide silky richness – choose ones with slight give when gently squeezed
• Pomegranate seeds: The showstopper for both flavor and look – find fat, ruby-red ones
• Crumbled cheese: Brings salty tang – blue, goat or feta all work great; break them by hand from blocks
• Extra virgin olive oil: Forms the dressing base – use recently opened bottles for best taste
• Balsamic or apple cider vinegar: Creates tang and richness – authentic balsamic makes a big difference
• Dijon mustard: Helps blend the dressing smoothly and adds gentle heat
• Honey again: Cuts the vinegar's sharpness with natural sweetness
• Fig preserves: Contributes background fruitiness – spring for a quality brand
• Grated orange zest and fresh orange juice: Adds citrus zing – pick fragrant, uncoated oranges
• Freshly ground black pepper: Gives subtle warmth and depth

How to Make It

Sauté the Nuts and Seeds:

Toast walnuts and pumpkin seeds in a dry pan over medium heat for 5-7 minutes, moving them around until they smell fragrant. Watch carefully so they don't burn. Pour in honey, then sprinkle with chipotle and salt. Keep cooking about 2 minutes more, constantly stirring until they look shiny and sugar-coated. Quickly spread them on parchment in a single layer to cool and crisp up.

Prepare the Produce:

Wash and completely dry your greens and frisée – a salad spinner works wonders for this. Cut apples or pears into small chunks, and slice avocados just when you're ready to serve so they don't turn brown. Pull out pomegranate seeds manually or grab pre-packaged ones to save time.

Assemble the Salad Base:

Dump all your leafy greens and frisée into a wide, roomy serving bowl. Toss in the fruit chunks and avocado pieces. Sprinkle most pomegranate seeds throughout, saving some for the top. Mix in about half your candied nuts and seeds for good distribution.

Make the Honey Mustard Dressing:

Combine olive oil, vinegar, dijon, honey, fig preserves, orange zest and juice in a jar or bowl. Add a little kosher salt and several twists of black pepper. Shake the closed jar hard or whisk energetically until everything's smooth and blended.

Dress and Finish the Salad:

Right before serving, pour about half the dressing over everything, adding more if needed after tasting. Scatter the cheese crumbles on top along with your remaining candied nuts and pomegranate seeds for a pretty finish. Add a few more pepper grinds and some chili flakes if you want extra kick.

I always look forward to the pomegranate seeds the most. When my daughter was small, we'd sit together pulling them out one by one, and we'd end up eating and giggling more than actually cooking. This salad now holds so many memories, and I love that it's packed with goodness too.

Flavor Boosters

Store any extra salad in a sealed container in the fridge but keep leftover dressing in a separate jar so everything stays crisp. The candied nuts stay crunchiest in a room temperature jar, only mixing them in just before eating. Once dressed, the salad will last about a day refrigerated but tastes way better fresh. If you're planning ahead, wait until serving time to cut the avocado and put everything together.

Serving Suggestions

This pairs wonderfully with holiday turkey or baked ham. For something lighter, enjoy it with a bowl of winter veggie soup and crusty bread. Any leftovers taste great wrapped in soft tortillas with some sliced chicken. To make it vegan-friendly, just skip the cheese and stick with maple syrup instead of honey.

Creative Twists

This dish takes inspiration from traditional European winter salads while nodding to Persian cooking where pomegranates star in many celebration dishes. In our home, it's grown to be as much a part of Christmas traditions as any dessert because of all the happy times we've shared around it.

Try this salad once and you might find yourself making it every holiday season. Savor all those colorful crunchy bites!

Common Questions About This Recipe

→ Can I prepare the salad in advance?

You can get all your salad bits ready ahead of time, but don't mix in the honey mustard dressing until you're about to eat. This keeps everything nice and crunchy.

→ What cheese pairs best with this salad?

Blue cheese, goat cheese, or feta all work great to add a creamy, tangy touch against the sweet and crunchy stuff. Just pick whichever one you like most or already have in your fridge.

→ Is there a substitute for pomegranate seeds?

When you can't find fresh pomegranate seeds, dried cranberries can fill in. They're a bit sweeter and not as juicy, but they'll still give you that nice tart flavor.

→ How do I keep apples or pears from browning?

Just mix your cut apples or pears with a splash of lemon or orange juice before adding them to your salad. This stops them from turning brown and keeps them looking fresh.

→ Can I use maple syrup instead of honey?

Sure thing! Real maple syrup works great in the dressing and for coating nuts. It'll give you a deeper, richer sweet taste than honey.