Winter fruit shines in this pretty Kale, Pomegranate and Mandarin Orange Salad. Serve it as a side dish or top it with chicken or shrimp for dinner. 98 calories and 2 Weight Watchers Freestyle SP
Kale, Pomegranate & Mandarin Orange Salad Recipe
I can never turn down a really good salad, particularly one that is packed with seasonal fruits and veggies, like this kale, pomegranate and mandarin orange salad. Funnily enough, tend to serve even more side salads in the winter than I do in the summer because often I'm looking for a dose of greens to accompany a soup or stew.
If kale just isn't your thing, I have two thoughts for you. First of all, make sure you give it another shot with kale leaves that have been massaged in warm water. It makes all the difference in the world to the texture! Second, if you really can't jump on the kale wagon, feel free to substitute it with spinach, arugula mixed greens. Any of those will work well with the rest of the ingredients.
What you need for this kale mandarin orange salad recipe:
- Kale: While you can certainly use bagged kale, I prefer to start with whole kale leaves because I find the bagged kale still contains pieces of the tough stem. Once the stems are removed and the leaves are chopped, place the chopped kale in a colander and massage under warm water. Baby kale could also be substituted, but it's not necessary to massage it under water because the leaves are more tender.
- Pomegranate: The seed pods inside of a pomegranate are called arils and there are a couple of ways to get a hold of these little jewels. You can either buy containers of arils in most grocery stores (all the work is done!) or you can buy whole pomegranates and seed them at home (see my tutorial here).
- Pistachios: Shell the pistachios - or buy raw, shelled nuts - and place them in a dry skillet set over medium heat. Toast, stirring frequently, until just starting to brown. Watch them carefully because they seem to go from raw to burnt in a heartbeat!
- Mandarin oranges: Halos, cuties, clementines, tangelos - any and all will do! Just peel and separate the segments.
- Goat cheese: Crumble the chevre (soft goat cheese) straight into the salad.
Other pomegranate recipes:
Light Merginues with Pomegranate & Pistachios {Cookin' Canuck}
Warm Hummus with Lamb & Pomegranate {The Lemon Bowl}
Roasted Vegetable & Farro Salad with Pomegranates {Baked Bree}
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Kale, Pomegranate & Mandarin Orange Salad
Ingredients
The Salad:
- 3-4 large kale leaves stems removed, leaves chopped (about 5 cups)
- 2 mandarin oranges peeled & segments separated
- ¾ cup pomegranate arils see How to Seed a Pomegranate
- 1 ounces goat cheese chevre, crumbled
- ¼ cup raw pistachios lightly toasted
The Dressing:
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- ½ teaspoon agave nectar or honey
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon ground pepper
Instructions
The salad:
- Place the kale in a colander and massage in warm running water until tender, about 2 minutes. Drain well and transfer to a serving bowl.
- To the serving bowl, add the mandarin orange segments, pomegranate arils, goat cheese and pistachios.
- Toss with the dressing. Serve.
The dressing:
- In a small bowl, whisk together the balsamic vinegar, olive oil, agave nectar, salt and pepper.
Notes
Nutrition
Disclosure: I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for me to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.
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