Description
Christmas Salad with Honey Mustard Dressing: Brighten your holiday table! Fresh greens, fruit, nuts, and a tangy homemade dressing make this recipe special.
Ingredients
Scale
- Salad Base & Freshness:
- 6 cups mixed greens
- 1 cup pomegranate seeds
- 1 Fuji or Honeycrisp apple, thinly sliced
- 1/4 red onion, very thinly sliced
- Crunch & Sweetness:
- 1/2 cup candied pecans
- 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
- Honey Mustard Dressing:
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- Salt, to taste
- Black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Whisking the Dressing:: First things first, let’s get that dressing going. In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, honey, Dijon mustard, and apple cider vinegar. This is where the magic happens, where liquid gold starts to form! I sometimes add a tiny splash more vinegar if I’m feeling extra zesty, or a bit more honey if I’m craving sweetness. Give it a good whisk until it looks emulsified and creamy—you’ll see the color lighten and the texture thicken slightly. Season with a pinch of salt and a good grind of black pepper. Taste it, adjust it; this is *your* dressing, after all!
- Prepping the Fresh Ingredients:: Now for the fun part: getting all those vibrant bits ready for your Delicious Christmas Salad. Wash and thoroughly dry your mixed greens; nobody likes a watery salad, honestly. Thinly slice your red onion—and I mean *thinly*! A mandoline works wonders here if you have one, or just a very sharp knife and a steady hand. Core and thinly slice your apple. This is where I sometimes get distracted and leave the apple slices a little thick, but hey, it just adds more crunch, right? Set everything aside, ready for assembly.
- Assembling the Base:: Grab your biggest, prettiest salad bowl. Layering is key for a visually stunning Delicious Christmas Salad! Start with your mixed greens as the foundation. They’ll create a fluffy bed for all the other beautiful ingredients. I like to gently toss them with just a tiny bit of the dressing at this stage, so every leaf gets a little love, but not too much—we don’t want soggy greens! This step always feels like building a little edible landscape, honestly. It smells so fresh already, like a garden in winter.
- Adding the Color and Crunch:: Time to sprinkle on the stars! Evenly scatter the pomegranate seeds over the greens. Their bright red pop is just so festive! Next, add your thinly sliced apples and the delicate red onion rings. Then, the candied pecans go on—don’t be shy, they add so much texture and a delightful sweetness. I always make sure to scatter them widely so every forkful gets a little bit of everything. This is where I sometimes get a little messy, with pecans rolling off the counter, but it’s all part of the process, right?
- Finishing with Feta:: Finally, crumble the feta cheese generously over the entire salad. The creamy white against the reds and greens? Just gorgeous! The salty tang of the feta is honestly the perfect counterpoint to the sweet dressing and the crisp fruit. I sometimes go a little overboard with the feta, but can you blame me? It just ties everything together so beautifully. It’s like the perfect snowy dusting on a vibrant winter scene, I think.
- Serving Your Delicious Christmas Salad:: Just before serving, drizzle the remaining honey mustard dressing over the top. You want enough to coat everything lightly, but not drown it. Give it a gentle toss—don’t overmix, or you’ll bruise the greens and break up those beautiful pomegranate seeds! I usually serve it immediately so everything is super fresh and crisp. The aroma of the dressing and the fresh produce together is just wonderful, really. It’s ready to be the refreshing star of your holiday table!