From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I was up at first light this morning. That, truly, is not my habit. The birds have returned to the woods behind our home and the bickering that accompanies their annual quest for real estate belies the birdsong of which the poets spoke. Only the deaf or the dead sleep in these days. While it's noisy, the feuding is a sure sign that the damp gray that marks our winter has had its day and that ascendant Spring is on its way.
A quick stroll through still muddy woods reveals early hellebores in full bloom while daffodils, defying grave and gravity, are grasping for the sun. There will, of course, still be a bad day or two, but worst of winter here is over, and with that spirits and meals lighten. I had a taste for salad today, and, so, for lunch came up with this creation. The salad is quite simple, and without the dressing would not be worth your time, but the play of the tangy molasses-like dressing against the salty bite of cheese and sweet, candied nuts is really very special. I serve each salad with its own shot glass of dressing to avoid having to deal with the color of balsamic vinegar on a fully dressed salad. It makes for a far nicer presentation. I think you'll enjoy the salad. You can find my recipe for Candied Walnuts here if you'd like to make your own. Here's the recipe for the salad and the balsamic-pomegranate dressing.Cranberry, Apple and Walnut Salad...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite
Ingredients:
Salad Dressing
1 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup pure pomegranate juice
2 tablespoons orange juice
1/4 cup agave syrup
Salad
8 cups baby greens
1/2 cup feta cheese
1 firm large apple, cut in 1/4-inch dice
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup candied walnuts
Salt and pepper
Directions:
1) To make salad dressing: Combine vinegar, pomegranate juice, orange juice and agave syrup in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Simmer until thickened, about 5 minutes. Cool for 20 minutes.
2) To make salad: Place 2 cups of greens of each of 4 salad plates. Top each with 2 tablespoons of feta cheese. Sprinkle each salad with a portion of apples, cranberries andd walnuts. Serve dressing on the side. Yield: 4 servings.
You might also enjoy these recipes:
Raw Pineapple-Macadamia Salad - Health Seeker's Kitchen
Endive and Fennel Salad a la Honest Fare - Green Kitchen Stories
Cobb Salad - Skinny Kitchen
Kale with Raisins and Pine Nuts - No Recipes
Yummy Spinach Salad - Cookery Corner
Winter Grapefruit Salad - Bless Us O Lord
Raw Carrot and Parsley Salad - ATX Gluten-Free
63 comments :
Pomegranate juice in the dressing sounds interesting and tasty!
your salad is yummy and beautiful,love it!:)
What a pretty and hearty looking salad! And I adore the picture of the hellebores! I deleted my earlier comment because of a bad spelling mistake.
So fresh and healthy looking. Can't go far wrong when pomegranate is added to the dressing!
Beautiful looking salad, I love it that they are fruits and not vegetables:D
SO love it when we're in 'crossover' season - still midsummer downunder in OZ; and you're coming out of winter - recipes to suit us both!!
Oooh this looks delectable :o) x
Hi Mary , how are u dear?
An absolutely delightful salad , love the combi!
Ha ha , the birds i say , i lovee the chirping though!
The dressing is fantastic too!
Oh yeah those candied walnuts ,i have them bookmarked!
Interesting combination and oh how I love those walnuts, Diane
oh this is one of my favorite combinations - looks fantastic!
Sounds like an interesting dressing -- I like fruits in salads and often, in winter add dried cranberries or fresh blueberries or apple and especially with the sweetness of a candied nut and some cheese, perfect, when tomatoes are not at their best!
Cindy and I have a long-standing disagreement on whether fruits or sweets should be included in salads. She says yes. I say no--it's a guy thing.
So it pains me to now have to tell her I was wrong. This looks so special. I can almost hear the birds a'feudin'!
This salad is definitely an ode to Spring Mary.
Oh Mary, that salad is gorgeous! I love the look of it and the dressing sounds amazing. I think it's good when you have a black dressing like that to serve it on the side... the greens look so much better for presentation that way and people get to use as much or as little as they care to.. win win all around!
The salad looks delicious - I have bookmarked it for later. Unfortunately, spring for me is weeks, if not months, away. Jealous would be a good word here!
No birdsong here! However, spring will come at winter's end as always. I've been chanting that sentence over and over!! In the meantime, your salad dressing is most welcome. I have both pomegranate juice and molasses on hand. Great idea to serve the dressing alongside the salad!!
Best,
Bonnie
This is absolutely delightful salad. I will eat and enjoy just about any kind of salad, but one like this is always a special treat.
This salad is an absolute delight. I like it and the presentation is so beautiful! Have a good day!
Mary, you give hope of spring!! The salad and dressing sound so refreshingly light and crisp against the dull, gray mush of winter! Thank you. Blessings ~ Tanna
Mary! This look delicious!! blessings, gloria
This is one of my very favorite types of salads, the nuts add that crunch that's desired by the palate.
Simple, colorful and delicious salad..
http://krithiskitchen.blogspot.com
Loving the sweet fruitiness in the dressing and in the salad. But really love the fact that spring is awakening...somewhere. We are months away and I dreamed of spring last night. Was a nice dream.
This salad looks absolutely fantastic! It is wonderful to watch! Have a nice day! Blessing, Carol B.
I've used your candied walnut recipe and can attest to its simplicity and yumminess!
I wonder if I'll be able to find agave syrup here, and if not, what would be a good substitute. I've made a different salad for lunch every day for the past week, and I'd like to try this one.
Off to google agave!
Gorgeous salad, looks delicious, I love everything in there, and the dressing has such delicious flavors! Saving this one, thanks!
That salad looks delicious. However, I'm interested in the dressing since I now have to watch sodium. That might be one I can actually have-thanks for posting it!
Wonderful salad! All the flavors are working so well together! Thank you for sharing Mary :)
I love these fresh, fruit and nut salads! But that pomegranate dressing sounds soooo good... thank you for sharing!
What a beautiful looking salad. I wish I could say we're over the worst of the winter, but I'm afraid we have at least another month!
I am on the prowl for healthy delicious salads these days! I truly hope that the worst of winter is over...but so long as I had this salad around, I could at least pretend that spring was ever nearer.
Just reading the ingredients of this salad made my mouth water!
We used to have a bird that camped out outside my window who mimicked car alarms. THAT made sleeping in very difficult too!
I love the sound of your healthy salad. Looks so colorful too!
Thanks so much Mary for giving my Skinny Cobb Salad a link on your site!
One of my favorite restaurants nearby makes a similar salad...candied walnuts, pears instead of apples, but cranberries and a gorgonzola instead of feta. You have a choice of adding chicken if you like. I have no idea what the dressing is and while it's good, I doubt very much it's as good as yours. I really like the idea of the fruit along with the balsamic, Mary. It's a lovely fresh, healthy salad.
I do hope good weather is on the way.
The dressing sounds so good, I would enjoy just dipping some bread into it!
that is such a gorgeous salad! i love the candied walnuts and homemade dressing!
Lovely presentation, Mary! I love the idea of individual servings of salad dressing in shot glasses! It keep the salad fresh and lets everyone use just as much as they like. Perfect!
Mary, Your blog is beautiful!!! I may not get the recipe posted until later in the week but I'm happy to share the cheese souffle recipe from my class at Viking Cooking School. Thanks for following. I'll be back to One Perfect Bite!
Cheese + nuts + fruit = genius. Proven mathematical formula.
Very healthy salad perfect too.
A beautiful ready for Spring salad! I think there are quite a few of us who would welcome the noisy birds proving that Spring is just around the corner.
Velva
A refined and elegant take on the traditional Waldorf Salad - lovely!
love adding cranberry and walnuts to salad but never tried pomegranate juice. great idea Mary. Thanks for sharing
i literally love walnut salad with apples, and I like your idea of adding cranberries!
Beautiful salad! And your words made me crave spring even though I won't get close to spring for a couple of months up here. :(
Lovely salad, and I am glad that you are feeling Spring in the air :-)
ciao
A.
All such fantastic ingredients !!
Mary, thanks so much for visiting!
I want to nibble on the walnuts and the apples first and then get to the leaves :)
We just got 5 more inches of snow, I'm jealous that the worst of your winter is almost over. The salad looks refreshing and hearty.
This is an absolutely beautiful salad! I made a salad recently that used pom juice in the dressing. I had never had it before but it was amazing. Thank you for sharing this great recipe! I'm so ready for spring. Candace
Birds singing, flowers blooming. Not in my neck of the woods, not yet anyway. I wait...
Your presentation looks gorgeous Mary. I can feel the tang and the sweet from here.
Thank you so much for sharing...
I'm off to check out World Nutella Day. Would you believe I almost forgot...
What a beautiful salad.
I adore salads like this, so filling and delicious! Miriam@Meatless Meals For Meat Eaters
What a great and healthy combination...Now, I need to make this salad and a fork to dig in!
Love this fruity salad and the addition of pomegranate juice. I could eat this every other day. yum!
This salad looks yummy! I bet the pomegranate vinaigrette is delicious on this salad. :)
I enjoyed reading the description of your morning. The photo of the hellebores is beautiful and so is your salad. It looks like it has a lovely balance of sweet and tangy.
I have a huge brood of birds taking up residence in my Laurel tree who have taken upon themselves to bicker all day and night. I am hoping a big rain might quiet them up a little! Your salad is so inviting and the dressing sounds divine.
Lovely combination, Mary.
Thank you for linking my carrot and parsley salad! Your cranberry salad looks delicious. I love the mixture of ingredients.
Hi Mary, thanks for your kind comments on my blog. I'm enjoying reading your beautiful blog as well! So many yummy recipes! Have a wonderful day, Ryan
Pom juice in salads -I would never have thought of that. Your salads all look delish!
Post a Comment