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Whoever said winter was colorless could not have been more misguided.
And this winter beet and pomegranate salad is proof.
I mean, do you see all the color?!? All the reds, greens, yellows and orange? Winter COLOR right there I tell you! I know I have been all about the cheesy, hearty and extra cozy recipes as of late, but behind the scenes I still crave a good salad. Something simple and light, yet full of color…and fruit, I am so a ‘fruit in my salad’ kind of girl.
Love it.
Since my theme for this week seems to be Christmas Eve Dinner, I feel I should let you know that this salad will definitely be on my table. Ask anyone in my family, this salad always makes an appearance. Typically in a giant bowl and typically with double the pomegranates plus whatever else happens to be in the fridge, usually just a random mix. Maybe some mushrooms, grapefruit, kale, I dunno anything in there is fair game + candied pecans, pomegranates and blue cheese. Those three are always a must.
SOO basically, this is the prettier version of my Christmas Eve salad.
The beets are a new addition though…loving the beets…more to come… and soon!! 🙂
When it comes to recipes for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, I like to keep them simple. We always have SO many people packed into one house and that just means craziness. I can’t remember a Christmas Eve when mom, dad and I were not running around trying to get dinner on the table. It was hard, there were a lot of people! My mom used to make Christmas Eve Dinner for 30+ when we lived in Ohio… just thinking about preparing for that literally makes me stress…
Go Jenny…aka mom. Despite the huge crowd (and a crazy mother in law) her Christmas Eve party was always the best.
Point is, simple is the name of the game. Especially when it comes to the salad. I have so many other dishes on the table that I want the salad to be able to compliment them all, not stand out with its own intense flavor that just doesn’t pair well with anything else on the table, you know?
I like light and super fresh flavors with a little bit of crunch + um, lots of good cheese. Duh.
I adore the beets in this salad, beets + pomegranates are such a great combo and they’re obviously beautiful too! The maple pecans add a little sweetness and the blue cheese adds serious deliciousness… what, I love blue cheese! I know there are some of you who aren’t blue cheese lovers. I personally think this is crazy, but I get it. It’s moldy cheese, that can be weird. If you’re not into blue cheese try goat cheese or feta.
BUT PLEASE, don’t skimp on the cheese. Salads need cheese. Got it? Get it. Good!
For the dressing I went with my standard, balsamic, fig preserves, and a splash of fresh citrus. This is honestly one of my favorite salad dressings. It’s simple, but full of just the right amount of sweet and tangy flavors, Perfect.
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Winter blues??? Naah, salad in for the win!
P.S. If you are looking for a quick and kind of fancy Christmas Eve meal (or really any nice occasion), check out this yummy steak and pasta dinner, I created for Colorado Homes and Lifestyles Magazine!! SO GOOD and this meal would be perfect when paired with THIS salad!
Mmm such a satisfying salad! And that dressing sounds awesome!
beautiful photos! I love making big bowls of salads but sometimes just run out of creative ideas, thanks for sharing! and date night dinner looks amazing (you are one of the very top bloggers I’d like to visit for dinner 🙂 )
I so love your recipes!! Just to confirm, you don’t peel the beets? Looking forward to trying this one.
Thanks Jane! I personally do not because I enjoy the skin, but some people prefer to peel them. It is really personal prefrence.
Beautiful pictures and you really do know how to make foods look their best. Looks delicious 🙂
Seriously why should our winter dishes be colorless stews and casseroles? Bring on those bright and festive Christmas colors! Just looking at this dish is already getting me out of my seasonal depression! These pictures are absolutely wonderful.
This is such a beautiful salad! Love all the flavors and textures you have going on.
This is such a beautifullllll salad! So many things I love in one bowl <3 <3
I couldn’t agree more Tieghan! The same goes for wardrobe options … whoever said you had to wear black and grey all winter long was so wrong. I’m wearing pink today actually! Goes well with this amazing salad!
I can’t say this enough–wonderful pictures.
Sometimes I forget to read because I can’t take my eyes of the pictures.
Don’t they call that eye candy??
I love everything about this salad!!! Beautiful colors and loaded with flavor!!
Beautiful!!! Pomegranates are possibly the prettiest fruit out there. Love all the colors in this salad. And yes..salad needs cheese!!
I’m loving beets and pomegranates right now. It is after all the season for it. And you combine them both in this gorgeously colorful salad!! Stunning because I can’t tear my eyes away. Cheese ah… I’m becoming what they call in Holland a kaaskop or cheesehead! So yay for lots of cheese! 🙂
Down here in South Africa we have Christmas in summer, so salads are always on the menu! This one is definitely going on the table this year. Not only does it sound delicious – it looks amazing too. A question – what do you mean by fig preserve in the dressing, and I see it is not included in the instructions?
Hey Wendy! Fig preserves are basically just figs ground into a paste. If you cannot find this try using your favorite jam/jelly. Fixed the recipe to read correctly now, thanks!
I love the pomegranate in this salad. It looks so delicious and perfect to go along in a holiday meal. 🙂 but seriously, I could stare at your photos all day! I so need to have this on my meal plan for Christmas dinner!
Hmmmm, interesting! I always have a BIG Christmas Eve dinner, with a full table – Christmas Eve is our Christmas, actually!! – ladden with some sort of roast, pies, veggies, cakes, cheeses, the whole shebang. But, even though I adoooore salads, never have I had one on my Xmas Eve oor Xmas lunch table, because I always tend to associate salads to semthing fresh, refreshing, and rather on the cold side for a Christmas meal. THis one is kind of making me change my mind!!!
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