Also … announcing the RecipeTin Eats’ 30 Day Holiday Salad Marathon!

Holiday Salad MARATHON!

Welcome to Day 1 of the RecipeTin Eats’ Holiday Salad Marathon! For something completely different from the usual holiday baking countdowns out there, I’m bringing you a new salad recipe EVERY SINGLE DAY from today through to Christmas Eve! That’s 30 new salad recipes* that will land on RTE between now and Christmas. 30! Thirty! THIRTY!!!! And that’s in addition to the 3 usual recipes you will continue to receive each week!

  • I get weekends off 😇 Are you excited? I am! Because aren’t we all bored of the usual tomato-cucumber-lettuce garden salad routine?? Click here to see all the Holiday Salad Marathon recipes to date, or sign up for instant updates and you’ll receive a free email alert whenever I publish a new salad! 🙂 So for Salad #1 I offer this festive, substantial, something-a-little-different DOUBLE Pomegranate Salad!

Pomegranate Salad

This festive looking salad has holidays written all over it. Think Christmas/ Thanksgiving, Easter, and every in between. This dish is also great for any occasions when you want to put out what I call a Show Off Salad (here’s more of them): Salads that have something a little different about them, and are full of interesting textures and unique-yet-familiar flavours. For today’s salad, rather than the usual token sprinkling of pomegranate seeds, we’re using LOADS in this recipe for a big hit of fresh juicy pops as well as of course all that vibrant colour. And:

Pomegranate Dressing – Tart and sweet; Marinated kale – Simple, adds bulk and makes raw kale infinitely more delicious; Baby spinach – For variety so it’s not just all kale; Dried cranberries – Yet another fruity dimension, almost like dried pomegranate seeds! Blue Cheese – For intensely savoury, salty pops playing off against the sweet/tart dressing and nuts (yes blue-cheese-haters, you can sub); and Cinnamon Honey Walnuts (optional) – Because …. they’re amazing? And they bring welcome textural crunch to the salad.

I love how this salad has such a variety of textures, colours and flavours that just work together to so well! Pomegranates can be a bit pricey but it’s the star ingredient for this salad and you only need one. Plus, you get more seeds out of it than you think – at least 1 cup, usually more!

What goes in my Pomegranate Salad

Here’s what goes in the salad:

Pomegranates – Fresh is best for the juiciest pops of colour, with the extra benefit of the sheer satisfaction you get to experience removing the seeds by smacking the pomegranates. Yes, it is oddly satisfying…

How to remove pomegranate seeds

Raw marinated kale – Yes, I said RAW but before all you Kale Haters go running for the hills, hear me out. I like to MARINATE my kale which tenderises the leaves and softens the harshness of the distinct kale flavour. All you need is 1 teaspoon of olive oil and a pinch of salt, then get your hands in there to scrunch/soften the kale and leave for 30 minutes to tenderise. SO MUCH TASTIER!!!

Oh and this is my trick for how I remove kale leaves from the stems quickly!:

Blue cheese – Any cheese that’s creamy, salty but crumble-able (is that a word?) is fine here. If you’re just starting to dip your toes in the bluer waters of the cheese world (see what I did there), opt for Blue Castello. It is an excellent mild blue that’s a good way to introduce sceptics to blue cheese. I don’t have a favourite, I just generally love all manner of blue cheese! Dried cranberries – For an extra little sprinkle of holiday flavour that complements the pomegranate! Citrus or stone fruit – I don’t always include it but for the sake of giving you all options, I’ve added it in the recipe. It adds yet another element of both colour and fresh juicy interest! I used grapefruit because it’s what I have, but I prefer blood or normal oranges. Peaches and nectarines are so good too, just not quite in season yet!

Pomegranate Dressing

Here’s what you need for the tangy and sweet Pomegranate Dressing:

Pomegranate Molasses

Pomegranate Molasses is the star ingredient here. Its a thick sweet-tart syrup commonly used in Middle Eastern cuisine that tastes a bit like top-shelf balsamic, like we might use for things like Caprese Salad – with the bonus of a lovely pomegranate flavour. It’s made by reducing pomegranate juice and thickening with sugar to make it syrupy, so it makes a beautiful glossy and sticky dressing that coats the salad well. Where to buy pomegranate molasses – It’s pretty common nowadays, sold in the vinegar section of everyday grocery stores. While you can get expensive brands, you can also find good value ones. The one pictured above is from Harris Farm Markets (Sydney) and cost $5. Pricier than most vinegars yes, but you get good bang for your buck because a little goes a long way and it’s excellent to use as an instant salad dressing – just drizzle over any greens (raw, steamed, roasted). It’s got such an intense flavour you don’t need much! It also makes an excellent straight substitute for Balsamic Glaze in any recipe.

Honey Cinnamon Candied Walnuts

And last but not least, here’s what you need for those crispy Honey Cinnamon Candied Walnuts – honey, cinnamon and walnuts. You’re shocked, right? 😂 Alternative to walnuts – Pecans would also be really great in this. Almonds would also be great – I would roast them whole (if they’re raw almonds) then roughly chop into large pieces.

Making the Honey Cinnamon Candied Walnuts

Just toss the walnuts in the honey and cinnamon, bake for 12 minutes, then leave to cool so they become crispy!

How and what to serve with Pomegranate Salad

A salad this pretty and unique will be at home at any holiday or celebratory feast. Think Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter, birthdays and other celebrations. I see it worthily served alongside a big juicy roast turkey, a grand beef standing rib roast, the crispiest ever pork crackling roast or a glistening Maple Glazed Ham. It’s also got good oomph factor, which in my world means this is substantial enough to be a meal thanks to the kale which is definitely more filling than the usual leafy greens. So it would definitely also function as a centrepiece in a salad spread for a healthy and veggo-friendly feast – something I’ve been doing more frequently recently for lunch gatherings out of the sheer convenience of being able to do all the prep ahead and not cooking hot dishes, plus it caters to the “Calorie Conscious”. This is particularly relevant to the RecipeTin Family, amongst whom there is always at least one person or another on a “diet”! Here’s a suggestion for a selection of salads for a Salad Spread that I’d serve alongside this Pomegranate Salad:

Salad Spread Suggestion

I know that sounds maybe too healthy and all, serving just big platters of salad for a lunch. But believe me when I say inevitably a side of crusty bread and butter will make an appearance, or flatbread for stuffing. I’m not that virtuous! 😂 – Nagi x

Watch how to make it

Life of Dozer

Not overly enthusiastic about this Salad Marathon…