Christmas Salad

A Merry Christmas Salad!!! How beautiful is this? A photo similar to this caught my attention right away, it’s like putting a Christmas wreath on your dinner table! And the recipe I saw looked so easy, and it was so easy! Thank you to Two Healthy Kitchens for your beautiful photos and inspiration to make this salad, it will be a Christmas tradition for years to come at my house!

I also love ideas to keep meal preparation simple, especially on a holiday like Christmas Day, after all, I want to sit and enjoy visiting also! This salad fits every aspect of a perfect Christmas dish - healthy, beautiful, tasty, and easy to prepare - Merry Christmas to me 🤗.

Here’s what you need, along with a little story telling . . .

LETTUCE - About 5 ounces. A beautiful organic spring mix is available from my local market in bulk, how easy is that? It was purchased the day before serving to ensure freshness.

ORANGE SLICES - One mandarin sized orange will cover your salad just fine. I wish I could remember the varietal that I purchased because they were so good. I know it wasn’t the “cuties”, but another similar small orange variety. These peel easily and most of the pith comes off with peeling so there isn’t any extra work.

POMEGRANATE ARILS - A lesson to share here! I purchased a small container of seeds, it was about the shape and size of a yogurt container, and something I had never purchased before. Normally a “do it yourself” chef, I would usually buy fresh, but I really wanted to keep preparation easy, and having the seeds all ready to go seemed like a good investment. Not. They tasted rancid and smelled terrible, the “use by” date was fine so who knows what was wrong? Back to the store to purchase a pomegranate and pick out some seeds . . lesson learned.

GOAT CHEESE - I purchased a container of pre-crumbled goat cheese, another possible time saver? No, not really, some of the chunks were still large enough that I got my hands into it and crumbled them up. Might as well have purchased a slightly less expensive “log” and crumbled it all.

GREEN PISTACHIO’S - Another funny story - I love my local market that focuses on local, healthy, and organic foods, but, all they carried in bulk was organic shelled pistachio’s, at $31 something a pound. Ha. A very small scoop of these to continue to add to my simple to prepare meal, but next time, I will plan ahead and do a little shelling of pistachio’s in advance 😬.

ORANGE VINAIGRETTE DRESSING - now here is a reason for the season, this dressing is exceptional! Place it in the middle of the platter to make a beautiful wreath presentation. This dressing is one that you will want to enjoy all year long.

ORANGE VINAIGRETTE -
1/3 cup fresh squeezed orange juice, about 1/2 of an orange
2 tsp honey or agave
3 Tbsp champagne vinegar
3 Tbsp light olive oil or avocado oil
1 tsp dijon mustard
salt and pepper to taste

SALAD INGREDIENTS - (all approximate amounts depending on the size of the salad you need and how large your platter is, these amounts served four)
6 ounces lettuce
1 small orange
1/2 cup green pistachios
1/3 cup pomegranate arils
2 ounces crumbled goat cheese, about 1/3 cup

Arrange the lettuce around your dressing dish as shown in the photo above, and then place your toppings over the lettuce. What a beautiful Christmas salad! Enjoy your simple entree for your busy day!