Festive holiday salads

Make these vibrantly colorful salads to add some cheer (and a healthy crunch) to your holiday table.

Dressing

Juice from ½ large navel orange (about 1/3 cup)

¼ cup honey

1½ tablespoons champagne vinegar (or white wine vinegar)

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

Kosher salt

Fresh ground black pepper

Salad

5 ounces spring mix (or any salad greens mix)

2 large navel oranges, peeled and cut into supremes (see tips)

½ cup shelled pistachios

½ cup pomegranate seeds

½ cup crumbled feta cheese (or goat cheese)

In a small bowl or jar, combine orange juice, honey, vinegar, olive oil, mustard, salt and pepper until well blended.

On a large round platter, with a small bowl placed in the center—to hold the dressing—arrange the greens around the outside. Top with orange supremes (see Chef’s Tip), pistachios, pomegranate seeds and cheese. Pour the dressing into the small center bowl for guests to drizzle as preferred.

Chef’s Tip

Slicing orange supremes

Supremes are individual orange sections that are free of the white membrane commonly found under the outer rind of an orange. Using a paring knife, slice off the ends of the orange at the stem and at the navel. From one of the open ends, carefully slice away the remaining membrane and outer peel following the curve of the orange. The final step is to cut between the sections to separate each individual supreme.

---

Roasted Tomatoes and Peppers Caprese Salad

SERVES 4–6

3 large Roma tomatoes, quartered and seeded

3 sweet baby bell peppers, quartered and seeded

Extra virgin olive oil

Kosher salt

Fresh ground black pepper

1 pound mozzarella cheese, sliced

Fresh basil leaves

Balsamic vinegar, optional

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Toss tomatoes and peppers with olive oil and salt and pepper on a foil-lined baking sheet pan. Roast in preheated oven about 20–25 minutes until tender. Remove and allow to cool.

On a large platter, arrange tomatoes and peppers in an overlapping design. Spoon some of the juices from the roasting pan over the tomatoes and peppers. Top with slices of the mozzarella and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Tuck some of the basil leaves among the tomatoes and peppers. Drizzle with additional olive oil and balsamic vinegar, if desired, and garnish with a few more basil leaves.

Chef’s Tip

Baby bell peppers vs. regular bell peppers. Sold in the produce section as a specialty item, baby bell peppers are simply bell peppers harvested before they reach a full-grown state. Because they are much smaller in size, they are more tender and milder in taste. They do not require peeling or roasting to remove the skin. Use them “as is” in any of your dishes.

---

Blood Orange Beet and Fennel Salad

SERVES 4–6

Dressing

1 lemon, juiced

2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

¼ cup olive oil

1 small garlic clove, minced

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

Kosher salt

Fresh ground black pepper

Salad

3–4 beets

2 teaspoons olive oil

1 radicchio, sliced

1 fennel, thinly sliced, reserve fronds

2 blood oranges, peeled and sliced

¼ cup pine nuts, roasted

Chopped fennel fronds, for garnish

In a small bowl or jar, combine lemon juice, vinegar, olive oil, garlic, mustard, salt and pepper until well blended.

Preheat oven to 400 F. Peel and cut or slice beets. Toss with olive oil on a foil-lined small baking sheet pan. Roast in preheated oven about 45 minutes until tender. Remove from oven and allow to cool.

Into a shallow bowl or platter, add radicchio, fennel, oranges, beets and nuts. Toss with dressing and garnish with fennel fronds. Add additional salt and pepper if desired.

Chef’s Tip

Toasting nuts. In a small skillet over medium heat, toast nuts for 6–8 minutes while constantly swirling the pan. You can also toast nuts in a 400 F oven for about 7 minutes.

---

Pear Cambozola Avocado Salad with Candied Pecans

SERVES 6–8

Dressing

1/3 cup olive oil

3 tablespoons red wine vinegar

1 small garlic clove, minced

1½ teaspoons Dijon mustard

½ teaspoon sugar

Kosher salt

Fresh ground black pepper

Salad

2 tablespoons sugar

½ cup pecan halves

2 romaine hearts lettuce, torn into bite-size pieces

2 red Bartlett pears, cored and thinly sliced

1–2 avocados, peeled and sliced

6 ounces Cambozola cheese, crumbled (or blue cheese)

2 scallions, sliced diagonally

In a small bowl or jar, combine olive oil, vinegar, garlic, mustard, sugar, salt and pepper until well blended.

Into a small skillet, over medium heat, add sugar and pecans. Cook, swirling the skillet occasionally, 5–7 minutes until sugar starts to caramelize. Spread onto a piece of parchment paper, separate the nuts and allow to cool.

On a large platter or shallow salad bowl, add lettuce, pears, avocado slices, cheese and scallions. Drizzle with salad dressing. Top with caramelized pecans.

Chef’s Tip

What is Cambozola cheese? Cambozola is a combination of French Camembert and Italian Gorgonzola blue cheese. It has a milder taste than typical blue cheeses.

___

Bonus tip

When making salads, do not “cut” lettuce with a knife. Instead, break into bite-size pieces and wash in a lettuce spinner before using.

___

Related Stories

Ham (and more) for the holidays—Spend less time in the kitchen and more time enjoying the company of friends and family this holiday season with Chef Belinda Smith-Sullivan’s complete meal plan. None of these recipes require more than a half-hour prep time.

Festive finger foods—Entertain your holiday guests with a selection of bite-sized goodies that are easy to prepare ahead of time.

Maximizing holiday leftovers—Concerned about what to do with holiday leftovers? Don’t be. With these easy recipes, you can repurpose all those wonderful dishes into snacks, appetizers, soups and breakfast treats.

Holiday pies—Who says there must be cake? Share the joy of the holidays by making these stellar pies for your family and friends.

Holiday desserts—What separates holiday meals from other family feasts? The wonderful desserts, of course! Create sweet holiday memories with these recipes from Chef Belinda Smith-Sullivan.