Pomegranate and Pear Salad

YIELD: About 8 Servings | PREP TIME: 8 minutes | COOK TIME: N/A

Ingredients

For the Pomegranate Honey Dijon Vinaigrette:

3 TBSP fresh pomegranate juice

1 TBSP white wine vinegar

1 lemon, zested and juiced, juice divided

1 TBSP honey

1 TBSP Dijon mustard

½ tsp kosher salt

¼ tsp black pepper

¾ cup extra virgin olive oil

For the Pear + Pomegranate Salad:

1/2 cup pomegranate arils

1 lb. salad greens

1/2 cup sliced honey roasted or toasted almonds

1 cup crumbled blue cheese

2 ripe d’Anjou pears, sliced

This tasty pear and pomegranate salad is full of California harvest-season flavors. The recipe makes 6-8 first-course or side dish servings, but it’s also fabulous as a main dish, with or without chicken or salmon tossed in. Feel free to make this pomegranate salad recipe your own: swap the almonds for walnuts or pepitas, use Feta rather than blue cheese, or even sub apples or mandarins’ wedges for the pears. The pairing of the pomegranate arils and tangy dressing are really the key here-everything else is absolutely customizable. Try this salad recipe with pomegranates too, and this winter fruit salad recipe when you’re ready for something sweeter.

Instructions

For the Vinaigrette:

Combine the pomegranate juice, vinegar, lemon zest, half of the lemon juice, honey, Dijon, salt and pepper in a small mixing bowl. Stir to combine. Slowly drizzle in the olive oil, whiskey vigorously to emulsify. Taste and adjust salt and pepper as desired. Alternatively, you can blend everything together in a mason jar with a stick blender.

For the Pear + Pomegranate Salad:

Toss the salad greens with enough dressing to lightly coat. Top with almond slices, blue cheese crumbles, and pear slices. Finish the salad with fresh pomegranate arils.

NOTE:

Slice the pears at the last minute to prevent browning, or toss the slices with a bit of lemon juice.