Baby Spinach Salad with Pomegranate and Orange

Last week, my friend Jolie calls from Whole Foods and says “I’m supposed to bring a salad for a dinner party tonight – what should I make?”  I thought of this salad that we made at another friend Alyssa’s cooking birthday party a few years ago – it’s a great winter dish because pomegranates and oranges are in season.  You can make your workload as simple or as complex as you choose so you don’t have to wait until a dinner party to make it.  Even the guys liked it!

Baby Spinach Salad
with Pomegranate and Orange

Ingredients

1. 1 lb baby spinach
2. 1 pomegranate (or a container of pomegranate seeds)
3. 1 navel orange, sections peeled and sliced (or 1 can of mandarin oranges, drained)
4. 2/3 C sliced almonds, toasted
5. Goat cheese (optional)

Rinse and pat dry spinach. 

You can seed your own pomegranate - (hint: don’t wear a white shirt while doing so) or stores like Whole Foods have containers of pomegranate seeds.

For the oranges, you can either make your own orange segments or just drain a can of mandarin oranges.  To make orange segments, peel the rind from the orange, segment, remove the membranes from each segment, and then slice into bite size pieces.

To toast almonds, either place in a sauté pan on low heat or on a cookie sheet and broil in the oven.  It makes the almonds taste nuttier, they are crispier and less soggy when mixed with salad dressing.

Sprinkle goat cheese on top, if desired.

You can either use a bottled balsamic vinaigrette like Litehouse or Newman’s Own or make your own with this recipe that was given to me at my recipe bridal shower almost 15 years ago (thank you, Mrs. Murphy!):

Balsamic Vinaigrette

1. 2 T olive oil
2. 1 T balsamic vinegar
3. 1 t sugar
4. 2 t Dijon mustard
5. 1/8 t salt