Pear & Pomegranate Winter Salad

You won’t miss your summer salads after trying this version celebrating 2 delicious winter fruits: pomegranate and pears.

I love salad with fruit, I just can’t get enough of them. I really don’t like typical garden salads. Iceberg lettuce, carrots, tomatoes and cucumber… not a salad in my book. Spinach, fresh berries, and some avocado…now that’s what I call a salad. Although salads with fruit are definitely harder to come by in the winter, especially in New England, I’ve got you covered with this pear and pomegranate combo.

This salad uses arugula as its base. I think the peppery flavor pairs nicely with the sweet fruit. Sometimes I find arugula to be a bit too peppery, if that’s the case for you can add half arugula half spinach.

The elephant in the room with this salad is the Parmesan Cheese. I know it seems out of place but trust me it works so well! Actually trust Jessica of How Sweet It Is. I discovered the fruit/Parmesan combination on her website and have been obsessed with it ever since. I like to use Trader Joes freshly saved Parmesan, Romano and Asiago cheese. The large shavings are perfect for a salad. The bonus is that this Parmesan “blend” is much more affordable than traditional Parmesan.

Although the salad is a recipe for one, the dressing will serve much more, about eight servings. I keep the dressing in the fridge and it last about a week. It will like separate in the fridge, but just shake it before using. I know many homemade vinaigrettes used mustard as an emulsifier, but I really dislike mustard. I did some research and found that honey was a pretty good substitute. Without mustard the dressing might separate more, but I am happy with the consistency and taste without it.

What I love most about this salad and dressing is that they are both great formulas for many salad variations. It’s easy to swap any fruit, lettuce, seed/nut, and cheese for another to make the salad completely different. I will certainly post some of my favorite variations on this blog. Even the dressing can be modified to fit with different salad combinations. You can swap in any type of vinegar for the apple cider vinegar.

I hope this salad cures your winter blues.