Description
A festive and refreshing Christmas Salad featuring baby spinach, toasted pecans, dried cranberries, mandarin oranges, goat cheese, and pomegranate arils, all tossed in a tangy and sweet Dijon mustard and honey dressing with a hint of lime.
Ingredients
Scale
Salad Dressing
- 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 1 large lime juice, freshly squeezed
Salad Ingredients
- 6 oz baby spinach
- 1 cup pecan halves, toasted, some finely chopped
- 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 all salad dressing ingredients in a mason jar. Whisk well with a fork until emulsified. Adjust lime juice to taste for desired tanginess.
- Assemble Salad: Arrange baby spinach evenly into individual salad bowls. Top each bowl with dried cranberries, mandarin orange segments, crumbled goat cheese, and toasted pecans (some chopped). Drizzle with the prepared salad dressing.
- Alternative Assembly: In a large serving bowl, combine baby spinach, dried cranberries, mandarin orange segments, and goat cheese. Add the dressing and toss gently to coat. Finally, top the tossed salad with toasted pecan halves (some chopped) and pomegranate arils for garnish.
Notes
- Toast pecans in a dry skillet over medium heat for 3-5 minutes until fragrant, stirring frequently to prevent burning.
- Adjust sweetness of the dressing by adding more honey if desired.
- Use fresh lime juice for best flavor in the dressing.
- For added crunch, substitute or add walnuts or almonds.
- Can be prepared a few hours in advance; keep dressing separate and toss just before serving to maintain freshness.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cup
- Calories: 250 kcal
- Sugar: 15 g
- Sodium: 150 mg
- Fat: 18 g
- Saturated Fat: 4 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 14 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 18 g
- Fiber: 4 g
- Protein: 5 g
- Cholesterol: 10 mg
