If you are searching for a beautiful salad to serve during the holidays, this bowl full of color and taste will be sweet perfection! Holiday Salad is the exceptional choice for all your special gatherings. Tossed with candied walnuts and pumpkin seeds, these crisp greens rub elbows with crunchy apples, smooth avocados, peppy pomegranate, and crumbled cheese. Then, drizzled with a sweet and tangy citrus balsamic dressing, it lends the exact punch a festive salad requires. Holiday Salad is not the typical sad salad sitting all alone and untouched on the buffet table. Give your guests a beautiful salad selection they will actually come back for again and again. Happy Holidays, friends!
Ingredients
For the candied walnut mixture:
- 1 1/2 cups walnuts
- 1/2 cup pumpkin seeds, shelled
- 1/3 cup honey or maple syrup
- 1/4 teaspoon chipotle chili powder
- kosher salt, to taste
- flaky salt, to taste
For the salad:
- 6 cups mixed greens
- 2 cups frisée
- 2 apples or pears, chopped
- 2 avocados, sliced
- 2 cups pomegranate arils
- 1 cup blue cheese, feta, or goat cheese, crumbled
For the dressing:
- 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup balsamic or apple cider vinegar
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 tablespoon fig preserves
- 2 teaspoons orange zest, plus 2 tablespoons orange juice
- kosher salt, to taste
- black pepper, to taste
- chili flakes, to taste
Directions
Step 1 –Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Step 2 –Line an 18×26-inch baking sheet with parchment paper.
Step 3 –In a large bowl, add the walnuts, the pumpkin seeds, 1/3 cup of the honey, the chipotle chili powder, and the kosher salt and toss to combine.
Step 4 –Bake the walnut mixture, stirring once, until the walnuts are toasted, about 15 minutes.
Step 5 –Transfer the walnut mixture to a wire rack.
Step 6 –Spread the walnut mixture into one layer and evenly sprinkle with the flaky salt, then set aside.
Step 7 –In a large bowl, add the mixed greens, the frisée, the apples, the avocados, the pomegranate arils, the blue cheese, and the candied walnut mixture and gently toss to combine.
Step 8 –In a large glass jar or clean large bowl, add the olive oil, the balsamic vinegar, the Dijon mustard, the remaining honey, the fig preserves, the orange zest, the orange juice, the kosher salt, the black pepper, and the chili flakes and shake or whisk to combine.
Step 9 –Drizzle the dressing mixture over the salad mixture and gently toss to combine.
Step 10 –Serve.
