Description
A festive and vibrant Christmas Salad featuring baby spinach, citrus fruits, toasted pecans, dried cranberries, and crumbled goat cheese, all tossed in a tangy honey Dijon lime dressing. This refreshing salad is perfect for holiday gatherings and offers a delightful combination of sweet, tart, and savory flavors.
Ingredients
Scale
Salad Dressing
- 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 3 tablespoons honey
- Juice of 1 large lime (freshly squeezed)
Salad
- 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 the extra virgin olive oil, Dijon mustard, honey, and freshly squeezed lime juice in a mason jar. Whisk well with a fork until the dressing is emulsified and smooth. Add additional lime juice if desired for a tangier flavor.
- Assemble Individual Salads: For an elegant presentation, place the baby spinach evenly into individual salad bowls. Top each bowl with dried cranberries, mandarin orange segments, crumbled goat cheese, toasted pecan halves (reserving some pecans chopped for garnish), and pomegranate arils.
- Dress the Salad: Drizzle the prepared dressing over each salad bowl just before serving to maintain freshness and crunch.
- Alternative Assembly: Alternatively, combine the baby spinach, dried cranberries, mandarin orange segments, and crumbled goat cheese in a large serving bowl. Toss gently with the salad dressing until all ingredients are coated evenly. Then, garnish the top of the salad with the toasted pecan halves (some chopped) and pomegranate arils for added texture and color.
Notes
- For best flavor, toast the pecans lightly in a dry skillet over medium heat until fragrant before use.
- Use freshly squeezed lime juice for the dressing to enhance the brightness of the salad.
- This salad is best served immediately after dressing to preserve the texture and freshness of the ingredients.
- You can substitute goat cheese with feta if preferred.
- Adjust honey and lime juice in the dressing to taste for preferred sweetness and acidity.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 5 minutes (to toast pecans)
- Category: Salad
- Method: No-Cook
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: Christmas salad, holiday salad, spinach salad, citrus salad, pecan salad, goat cheese salad, festive salad
