Description
A festive and vibrant Christmas side dish salad featuring fresh romaine lettuce, peppery baby rocket, sweet dried cranberries, crunchy candied almonds, tangy blue cheese, and crisp apple cubes. This salad is dressed in a honey-Dijon dressing that perfectly balances sweet and tart flavors, making it a refreshing complement to your holiday meal.
Ingredients
Scale
Salad
- 8 large lettuce leaves (Romaine)
- 30 g baby rocket
- 60 g dried cranberries
- 60 g candied almonds
- 30 g blue cheese
- 1 apple, cut into cubes
Dressing
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 2 tbsp honey
- 1 tsp red wine vinegar
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 50 ml olive oil
Instructions
- Prepare the Dressing: In a bowl, whisk together Dijon mustard, honey, red wine vinegar, lemon juice, salt, and pepper until well combined. While whisking constantly, slowly drizzle in the olive oil to emulsify the dressing.
- Assemble the Salad: Reserve a small portion of the salad ingredients excluding the lettuce and rocket. In a large mixing bowl, combine the Romaine lettuce, baby rocket, dried cranberries, candied almonds, blue cheese, and apple cubes. Add half of the dressing and gently toss everything together to coat the ingredients evenly.
- Finish and Serve: Transfer the salad to a serving dish. Garnish with the reserved ingredients and drizzle with the remaining dressing to finish. Serve immediately for the freshest taste.
Notes
- To prevent the salad from wilting, dress it just before serving.
- Substitute blue cheese with feta or goat cheese if preferred.
- Use fresh lemon juice for the best flavor in the dressing.
- Candied almonds can be replaced with toasted walnuts or pecans for a different crunch.
- For a vegan version, omit the blue cheese and use a maple syrup substitute for honey in the dressing.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 180 kcal
- Sugar: 12 g
- Sodium: 150 mg
- Fat: 12 g
- Saturated Fat: 3 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 8 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 16 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 4 g
- Cholesterol: 10 mg
