Pomegranate Salad

By Carolanne

Using pomegranates in a Halloween salad serves double duty: Pomegranates, a fall fruit, are plentiful in stores now, and the arils (seeds) look like ... drops of blooooood!

Ingredients

• 6 cups arugula leaves or mixed greens (baby spinach, mesclun mix, baby romaine or a combination)
• 1/2 cup toasted walnuts (halves or large pieces) (see note)
• 1/3 cup crumbled blue cheese
• 1/2 cup pomegranate arils (from 1/2 a medium pomegranate)
• 1/2 sweet, crisp apple, cored, seeded and sliced thin (Fuji, Gala or Honeycrisp) (optional)
• 1/4 cup pomegranate juice
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 tablespoon cider vinegar
• 1 to 2 tablespoons grapeseed oil (or other neutral oil)
• Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Preparation

Step 1

Toss arugula or greens with walnuts and crumbled blue cheese and divide mixture among 6 salad plates or 4 dinner plates. Sprinkle 1 to 2 teaspoons arils over each. Add apple, if desired.

Whisk together pom juice, honey, cider vinegar and grapeseed oil until well blended. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Drizzle a bit of dressing over each plate and then serve salad with more dressing, if desired.

Note: Toast walnuts in a single layer on a cookie sheet in 300-degree oven for 5 to 6 minutes. Watch carefully to make sure they don't burn.