A fresh spinach salad, with sweet persimmons, jicama and avocado is paired with a salty-sweet miso dressing.
Eat an apple before you go, fill your plate with plenty of veggies, drink lots of water...and so on. These are just of few of the tips provided by the diet experts to help us survive the plentiful offerings of holiday buffets and cocktail parties, and avoid the dreaded holiday weight gain. That's all well and good until the waiter whisks by with the tray of bacon-wrapped scallops and Brie cheese canapés.
The only way I'm going to lose weight at a Christmas party is by sprinting after that ever-elusive black and white-clad scoundrel. I have no idea why my husband denies all knowledge of my existence at these functions. Rather than deny myself the satisfaction of these party goodies, I have decided the best way to insure that my jeans still fit by New Year's is to eat more healthfully at home.
After using some of the persimmons given to me by Kalyn of Kalyn's Kitchen (given to her by Andrea of Rookie Cookery) in my Pan-Fried Brie with Persimmon Salsa Canapés, I wanted to try something a little lighter. I found a variation of this recipe from Gourmet Magazine and made my own version by changing the ingredients of the dressing, combining miso, lime juice, and olive oil. The persimmons, jicama, avocado, and spinach compliment each other in both taste and texture. At first, I was a bit skeptical about the flavors of the dressing, but was very pleasantly surprised by the salty-sweet juxtaposition of the persimmons and miso.
The recipe:
The dressing:
In a blender, combine 4 teaspoons fresh lime juice, 4 teaspoons water, 1 ½ tablespoons white miso (fermented soybean paste), ¼ teaspoon black pepper, and ⅛ teaspoon salt. Blend until smooth.
With the blender running, slowly pour in ⅓ cup plus 2 tablespoons olive oil. Stop pouring the olive oil a couple of times throughout this process, with blender running, to insure that the emulsification is forming well. Season to taste with additional salt and pepper.
The salad:
Place 6 ounces fresh spinach leaves in a serving bowl. Peel, cut in half lengthwise, seed (if necessary), and thinly slice 1 pound (about 1 ½ large) firm, but ripe, Fuyu persimmons. Peel and cut ¼ of a medium-sized jicama into matchstick pieces.
Halve, pit, and peel one large, ripe avocado, and slice thinly. Toss the spinach with a few tablespoons of the miso dressing. Add the persimmon, jicama, and avocado and toss with a 2-3 additional tablespoons of dressing, to taste. Serve.
Other salads with persimmons:
Kalyn's Kitchen's Black Bean Salad with Fuyu Persimmon, Avocado, & Lime-Cumin Dressing
Savour Fare's Arugula Salad with Persimmons & Gouda
Rice & Wheat's Baby Spinach Salad with Persimmons, Blue Cheese & Candied Walnuts
Hobson's Choice Warm Persimmon Salad with Spanish Chorizo & Cabrales
The Culinary Chase's Rocket & Prosciutto-Wrapped Persimmon Salad
Printable Recipe
Spinach Salad with Persimmon and Miso Dressing Recipe
Ingredients
The Dressing:
- 4 teaspoons fresh lime juice
- 4 teaspoons water
- 1 ½ tablespoons white miso fermented soybean paste
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- ⅓ cup + 2 tablespoons olive oil
The Salad:
- 6 ounces fresh spinach leaves
- 1 pound about 1 ½ large Fuyu persimmons, peeled, halved lengthwise, seeded, and thinly sliced
- ¼ medium-sized jicama peeled and sliced into matchstick pieces
- 1 large ripe avocado, halved, pitted, and thinly sliced
Instructions
The Dressing:
- In a blender, combine lime juice, water, white miso, black pepper, and salt. Blend until smooth. With the blender running, slowly pour in olive oil. Stop pouring the olive oil a couple of times throughout this process, with blender running, to insure that the emulsification is forming well. Season to taste with additional salt and pepper.
The Salad:
- Place fresh spinach leaves in a serving bowl. Toss the spinach with a few tablespoons of the miso dressing. Add the persimmon, jicama, and avocado and toss with a 2-3 additional tablespoons of dressing, to taste. Serve.
Nutrition
Lea Ann
What a beautiful salad! And so healthy. Can't wait to try it.
Vegetable Matter
Another great idea for persimmons, a fruit I never know how to use. They look especially pretty with the thick avocado wedges. Well done. Again!
Shirley
Lol! I like your intro. I guess its "survival of the fit".
MaryMoh
This salad looks very colourful and healthy. I love persimmons. I'm sure the salad tastes very delicious.
MMary
A colourful and healthy salad. I would love this one especially with the persimmons. They are so delicious.
Cookin' Canuck
Thanks to all of you for your comments! My husband and I polished off a huge bowl of this salad for lunch yesterday. The miso dressing makes a great accompaniment to the sweet persimmons and jicama.
Miranda
This is so healthy and wonderful. It is a great and fantastic recipe. I love it!
pegasuslegend
very different and so healthy would be a great brunch 🙂
Laura
This looks fabulous, A perfect lunch:)
lululu
When I saw the title of this dish, the word of "persimmons" has made me guess a little bit about what kind of dressing you would made to go with it.
Putting miso sounds very interesting, and I bet the savory taste of miso went perfectly well with the sweet fruit in the salad!
Winnie
That looks great! I love miso dressings...you and Kalyn are inspiring me to get those persimmons!
Claudia
I love every possible combintion for spinach salads. This looks so delicious.But I will confess - I partake of all holiday goodies and worry about my jeans later.
citronetvanille
Love salads of all kinds, but never used persimons, I just eat them as a fruit. I love the light dressings too! delicieux!
Tasty Trix
I think I may need to eat nothing but this for the next month!!
April Cavin
I would happily eat this in place of calorie-laden apps. Love the flavor combo--
Danielle
Wow! What a wonderful combination of ingredients! Really great!
LollyChops
That dressing looks fantastic!!!
Divina Pe
Love the salad with all the wonderful ingredients. They're healthy yet definitely good enough to be served on a Christmas table.
Angie's Recipes
Simply delicious!
I want to have some salad for lunch today too!
Kalyn
Just gorgeous. That would be a perfect lunch for me! (And may I say your blog looks fantastic!)