My favorite winter ingredients together in a salad worthy of entertaining. Bitter and sweet flavors with crunch and a decadent dressing!
Perfect for the Holidays! Ingredients for this composed salad: Grilled Radicchio Wedges, Endive, Lettuces, Pink Grapefruit Sections, Sunflower Sprouts, Watermelon Radish, Pomegranate Seeds and Macadamia Nuts. `
Drizzle a Pomegranate-Macadamia Vinaigrette on top and serve.
A vibrant winter salad, one which I served on Thanksgiving, and think it’s the perfect salad for a special holiday, celebration or dinner party. All can be ahead of time, and plattered when your guests are ready.
The flavor combinations are meant to meld: fruity with nutty… bitter with sweet.
I love grapefruits in salads, and now, in winter, you will have your pick of juicy, plump, red ruby grapefruit. Always a popular touch to add a little zest in your food!
Grilling radicchio elevates this bitter, crimson tight chickory-lettuce into something special and different.
Simply heat up a cast iron skillet, brush wedges with a little neutral oil and coconut palm sugar
(I love this sugar for it’s caramel flavor and it’s unrefined.) Sear the wedges for just a minute on each side,
then cool. The caramelized edges add flavor, and the interior leaves will remain a gorgeous crimson color.
Great lettuces to use in the salad are bibb lettuce, little gem lettuce and curly kale – use what you like!
My favorite sprouts are sunflower sprouts – crispy and refreshing, with a totally nutty flavor. When you try them, you will be addicted!
Pomegranate seeds always adds a luxurious touch to any salad, and a nice pop of color (they’re loaded with fiber, vitamin C, vitamin K and potassium.)
I have used macadamia nuts in this salad for their bite, creamy texture and buttery-sweet flavor. In the vinaigrette, I’ve added macadamia nut oil (lasts a long time in the refrigerator) as its mild taste complements the salad and the robust taste of the pomegranate molasses. Try one that is organic, or expeller pressed (not chemically extracted) – its extremely low omega-6 fatty acid content and contains a good dose of antioxidants. Feel free to try other nuts and oils… such as walnut and hazelnut.
Enjoy!
Karen
