This holiday-worthy salad is bursting with a variety of flavors and textures with dried cranberries, crunchy pumpkin seeds, fresh apples, crispy sweet potato slices, and roasted Brussels sprouts. Its colorful appearance hints at the wide range of antioxidants and nutrients it brings along with its flavor. Topped with our favorite balsamic vinaigrette, we decided we wanted this salad more often than just special occasions.
I made this for Thanksgiving, and it would make the perfect salad for a Christmas meal as well, but I think we will make it regularly! You can easily turn it into a main dish event by adding another protein (chicken, turkey, crumbled cheese, or even beans)!
You may find that you have plenty of these ingredients on hand after Thanksgiving, so this could be a great time to try this recipe out.
Notes:
- You can air fry the vegetables and cut the cooking time in half.
- Variation: Use pomegranate seeds instead of dried cranberries
- Use whatever apple you love to snack on (honeycrisp, pink lady, or gala are some of our favorites)
- You can use sprouted pumpkin seeds or soaked and dried ones, if desired
Other Recipes You May Enjoy:
The Great Big Holiday Salad
Ingredients:
- 2 small (or 1 large/medium) sweet potatoes, peeled and then thinly sliced.
- 8 ounces (about a heaping cup) Brussels sprouts
- 8 cups of lettuce (I like a mixture of chopped romaine and spring mix)
- 2 tablespoons fresh thyme (optional)
- Salt
- 3-4 tablespoons oil or fat of choice (I used extra virgin olive oil)
- 1 large apple, cored and thinly sliced
- ½ fresh lemon (optional)
- ⅓ cup of pumpkin seeds
- ½ cup dried cranberries (you can use fruit sweetened, if desired)
- 1 recipe balsamic vinaigrette (below)
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 425. Put parchment paper on a sheet pan. Prepare sweet potatoes by peeling, then cut in half lengthwise (for small sweet potatoes) or cut into quarters for a large sweet potato. Then, thinly slice. Cut thin so that they will get browned and crispy when roasted. Rinse Brussels sprouts, and cut the woody stem off. Cut each Brussels sprout into quarters. Place sprouts on one half of the prepared sheet pan and drizzle with one tablespoon of oil/fat, one tablespoon of the optional fresh thyme, and salt. Toss to evenly coat. If the sprouts aren’t well coated with oil, add a second tablespoon and toss again. Do the same with the sweet potatoes on the other side of the sheet pan with the other 2 tablespoons of oil/fat, salt, and optional fresh thyme.
2. Put in the middle of the oven and roast until the sweet potatoes are starting to crisp and brown (around 25 minutes). Remove from oven and cool.
3. While the vegetables are cooking, make the balsamic dressing, and core and cut the apples. If not serving right away, toss apples with lemon juice to prevent browning.
4. To serve: In a large bowl, place all of your greens, and then add the rest of the toppings. Drizzle with the dressing, toss to coat well, and serve.
Balsamic Vinaigrette
Ingredients:
- 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
- ¾ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 teaspoons dijon style mustard
- 1 teaspoon unrefined salt
- 1-3 garlic cloves, peeled, and finely minced or put through a garlic press
Directions: Put all the ingredients into a mason jar, put the lid on, and shake until well mixed (or, whisk with a small whisk in a bowl).
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