Description
A vibrant and refreshing Pomegranate Salad featuring kale, baby spinach, honey-glazed walnuts, dried cranberries, and tangy pomegranate dressing. This nutrient-rich salad combines sweet, tart, and savory flavors with crunchy textures for a perfect side dish or light meal.
Ingredients
Scale
Greens
- 5 large kale stems, big and leafy (or substitute baby rocket/arugula, omit marinating if using substitute)
- 8 cups (120g/4.5oz) baby spinach or baby rocket/arugula
Fruit & Cheese
- 1 big, juicy pomegranate (or 1 cup pomegranate arils)
- 2 blood oranges (or normal oranges, yellow peach, nectarine, or grapefruit, optional for extra color and juiciness)
- 100g (3.5 oz) blue cheese, crumbled
- 1/2 cup dried cranberries (or raisins or craisins)
Honey Walnuts
- 1 1/2 cup walnuts or pecans
- 1/4 cup honey (runny; warm if thick) or maple syrup
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/8 tsp salt
Dressing
- 2 tbsp pomegranate molasses
- 1 1/2 tbsp red wine vinegar (or white wine vinegar or cider vinegar)
- 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
Additional
- 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil (for massaging kale)
- Pinch of salt and pepper (for massaging kale)
Instructions
- Prepare the Kale: Remove the leaves from the kale stems and tear them into bite-sized pieces. Place the kale in a large bowl, add 1 tsp of extra virgin olive oil, a pinch of salt and pepper, and massage the leaves vigorously for about 2-3 minutes until they soften and become tender.
- Toast and Glaze the Walnuts: Preheat a pan over medium heat. Add the walnuts or pecans and toast them for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent burning. In a small bowl, mix honey (or maple syrup), cinnamon, and salt. Remove the nuts from the pan, quickly toss them in the honey mixture, and spread them on parchment paper to cool and harden.
- Prepare the Pomegranate: Cut the pomegranate to extract the arils (seeds). Set aside 1 cup of arils for the salad.
- Segment the Oranges: If using blood oranges or other optional fruit, peel and segment them, removing all pith and membranes to add juicy bursts of flavor and color to the salad.
- Make the Dressing: In a small bowl or jar, whisk together the pomegranate molasses, red wine vinegar, extra virgin olive oil, salt, and pepper until emulsified.
- Assemble the Salad: In the large bowl with the massaged kale, add baby spinach, crumbled blue cheese, dried cranberries, pomegranate arils, orange segments, and honey-glazed walnuts. Pour the dressing over the salad and gently toss to combine all ingredients evenly. Serve immediately to enjoy the fresh textures and flavors.
Notes
- If substituting baby rocket/arugula for kale, skip the massaging step as these greens are tender.
- You can use 1 cup of pre-prepared pomegranate arils to save time.
- Freshly crumbled blue cheese gives the best flavor but pre-crumbled cheese works as well.
- Pomegranate molasses can be found in specialty stores or online; it adds a unique tart sweetness to the dressing.
- For a vegan version, substitute blue cheese with a plant-based cheese alternative and use maple syrup instead of honey.
- Store any leftover dressing separately in the fridge for up to 3 days.
