Scrambled Eggs, Cheese, and Avocado Tortilla Bowl Recipe
September 16, 2025
Pomegranate Salad & Holiday Salad Marathon! Recipe
Pomegranate Salad: The newest addition to my Present Off Salads assortment! Recent pomegranate AND a pomegranate dressing, child spinach, marinated uncooked kale, honey walnuts and blue cheese all come collectively in an enormous festive salad for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and each event in between.
Additionally … saying the RecipeTin Eats’ 30 Day Vacation Salad Marathon!
Welcome to Day 1 of the RecipeTin Eats’ Vacation Salad Marathon! For one thing fully totally different from the standard vacation baking countdowns on the market, I’m bringing you a brand new salad recipe EVERY SINGLE DAY from at this time by to Christmas Eve!
That’s 30 new salad recipes* that may land on RTE between now and Christmas. 30! Thirty! THIRTY!!!! And that’s along with the three typical recipes you’ll proceed to obtain every week!
* I get weekends off 😇
Are you excited? I’m! As a result of aren’t all of us bored of the standard tomato-cucumber-lettuce backyard salad routine??
Click on right here to see all of the Vacation Salad Marathon recipes thus far, or join on the spot updates and also you’ll obtain a free e-mail alert every time I publish a brand new salad! 🙂
So for Salad #1 I supply this festive, substantial, something-a-little-different DOUBLE Pomegranate Salad!
This festive wanting salad has holidays written throughout it. Suppose Christmas/ Thanksgiving, Easter, and each in between. This dish can be nice for any events while you need to put out what I name a Present Off Salad (right here’s extra of them): Salads which have one thing a bit of totally different about them, and are stuffed with fascinating textures and unique-yet-familiar flavours.
For at this time’s salad, somewhat than the standard token sprinkling of pomegranate seeds, we’re utilizing LOADS on this recipe for a giant hit of contemporary juicy pops in addition to after all all that vibrant color. And:
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Pomegranate Dressing – Tart and candy;
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Marinated kale – Easy, provides bulk and makes uncooked kale infinitely extra scrumptious;
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Child spinach – For selection so it’s not simply all kale;
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Dried cranberries – One more fruity dimension, virtually like dried pomegranate seeds!
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Blue Cheese – For intensely savoury, salty pops taking part in off towards the candy/tart dressing and nuts (sure blue-cheese-haters, you may sub); and
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Cinnamon Honey Walnuts (optionally available) – As a result of …. they’re superb? And so they deliver welcome textural crunch to the salad.
I really like how this salad has such a wide range of textures, colors and flavours that simply work collectively to so nicely!
Pomegranates could be a bit expensive nevertheless it’s the star ingredient for this salad and also you solely want one. Plus, you get extra seeds out of it than you suppose – at the least 1 cup, normally extra!
Right here’s what goes within the salad:
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Pomegranates – Recent is finest for the juiciest pops of color, with the additional good thing about the sheer satisfaction you get to expertise eradicating the seeds by smacking the pomegranates. Sure, it’s oddly satisfying…
take away pomegranate seeds
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Uncooked marinated kale – Sure, I stated RAW however earlier than all you Kale Haters go working for the hills, hear me out. I prefer to MARINATE my kale which tenderises the leaves and softens the harshness of the distinct kale flavour. All you want is 1 teaspoon of olive oil and a pinch of salt, then get your palms in there to scrunch/soften the kale and depart for half-hour to tenderise. SO MUCH TASTIER!!!
Oh and that is my trick for a way I take away kale leaves from the stems shortly!:
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Blue cheese – Any cheese that’s creamy, salty however crumble-able (is {that a} phrase?) is okay right here. When you’re simply beginning to dip your toes within the bluer waters of the cheese world (see what I did there), go for Blue Castello. It is a superb delicate blue that’s a great way to introduce sceptics to blue cheese. I don’t have a favorite, I simply usually love all method of blue cheese!
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Dried cranberries – For an additional little sprinkle of vacation flavour that enhances the pomegranate!
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Citrus or stone fruit – I don’t all the time embody it however for the sake of providing you with all choices, I’ve added it within the recipe. It provides one more component of each color and contemporary juicy curiosity! I used grapefruit as a result of it’s what I’ve, however I desire blood or regular oranges. Peaches and nectarines are so good too, simply not fairly in season but!
Right here’s what you want for the tangy and candy Pomegranate Dressing:
Pomegranate Molasses
Pomegranate Molasses is the star ingredient right here. Its a thick sweet-tart syrup generally utilized in Center Jap delicacies that tastes a bit like top-shelf balsamic, like we’d use for issues like Caprese Salad – with the bonus of a stunning pomegranate flavour. It’s made by lowering pomegranate juice and thickening with sugar to make it syrupy, so it makes a ravishing shiny and sticky dressing that coats the salad nicely.
The place to purchase pomegranate molasses – It’s fairly widespread these days, bought within the vinegar part of on a regular basis grocery shops. Whereas you will get costly manufacturers, it’s also possible to discover good worth ones. The one pictured above is from Harris Farm Markets (Sydney) and value $5. Pricier than most vinegars sure, however you get good bang on your buck as a result of a bit of goes a good distance and it’s wonderful to use as an on the spot salad dressing – simply drizzle over any greens (uncooked, steamed, roasted). It’s bought such an intense flavour you don’t want a lot!
It additionally makes a wonderful straight substitute for Balsamic Glaze in any recipe.
And final however not least, right here’s what you want for these crispy Honey Cinnamon Candied Walnuts – honey, cinnamon and walnuts. You’re shocked, proper? 😂
Different to walnuts – Pecans would even be actually nice on this. Almonds would even be nice – I’d roast them complete (in the event that they’re uncooked almonds) then roughly chop into massive items.
Making the Honey Cinnamon Candied Walnuts
Simply toss the walnuts within the honey and cinnamon, bake for 12 minutes, then depart to chill in order that they turn out to be crispy!
A salad this gorgeous and distinctive shall be at residence at any vacation or celebratory feast. Suppose Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter, birthdays and different celebrations. I see it worthily served alongside a giant juicy roast turkey, a grand beef standing rib roast, the crispiest ever pork crackling roast or a glistening Maple Glazed Ham.
It’s additionally bought good oomph issue, which in my world means that is substantial sufficient to be a meal due to the kale which is unquestionably extra filling than the standard leafy greens.
So it might undoubtedly additionally perform as a centrepiece in a salad unfold for a wholesome and veggo-friendly feast – one thing I’ve been doing extra incessantly not too long ago for lunch gatherings out of the sheer comfort of having the ability to do all of the prep forward and never cooking sizzling dishes, plus it caters to the “Calorie Aware”. That is notably related to the RecipeTin Household, amongst whom there’s all the time at the least one particular person or one other on a “food plan”!
Right here’s a suggestion for a number of salads for a Salad Unfold that I’d serve alongside this Pomegranate Salad:
Salad Unfold Suggestion
I do know that sounds perhaps too wholesome and all, serving simply large platters of salad for a lunch. However imagine me after I say inevitably a facet of crusty bread and butter will make an look, or flatbread for stuffing. I’m not that virtuous! 😂 – Johnsat x
Ingredients
- 5 kale stems (big and leafy, sub baby rocket/arugula but skip marinating)
- 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
- Pinch of salt and pepper
- 1 pomegranate , big, juicy (or 1 cup pomegranate arils, Note 2)
- 8 cups (120g/4.5oz) baby spinach (or baby rocket/arugula)
- 100g/3.5 oz blue cheese , crumbled yourself (Note 3)
- 1/2 cup dried cranberries (or raisins, craisins)
- 2 blood oranges , normal oranges, yellow peach, nectarine or grapefruit (optional, for extra colour/juicy/interest)
- 1 1/2 cup walnuts or pecans
- 1/4 cup honey (runny, so warm if super thick), or maple syrup
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp pomegranate molasses (Note 4)
- 1 1/2 tbsp red wine vinegar (or white wine vinegar or cider vinegar)
- 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 tsp each salt and pepper
Instructions
- Remove leaves: Grab the base of the stalk then run your fist up the stalk to remove the leaves.
- Slice: bundle the kale leaves on a chopping board, then slice 0.5 cm / 1/5" thick.
- Scrunch: Place in bowl, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Use your hands to scrunch in order to soften leaves and coat everything with the oil. Do this for 20 seconds. Leave for 30 minutes to marinate – leaves will soften. Try it – much tastier than plain raw!
- Toss: Place walnuts in a bowl, drizzle with honey, sprinkle with cinnamon and salt. Mix, spread on paper lined baking tray.
- Bake: Bake at 180°C/350°F (160°C fan) for 15 minutes, tossing once halfway. Leave to cool, then use fingers to roughly break walnuts up into slightly smaller pieces.
- Place ingredients in a jar and shake very well, being sure that there is no molasses left on the bottom of the jar. (Shake in jar is better than whisking to bring this dressing together).
- Cut pomegranate in half. Over a bowl, turn cut face downwards, then use a wooden spoon to (very!) firmly smack the back of the pomegranate. The seeds will fly out through your fingers into the bowl. It's very satisfying!!!
- Keep smacking all over the skin until the seeds are all out. Pick out any white pith that fell out, then use seeds per recipe. You will probably get some juices pooling in the bowl; add this to the dressing too.
- Peaches, nectarines: Halve, remove stone, then cut into 4mm / 1/6" slices.
- Grapefruit, oranges: Cut off peel and pith, then segment (see this video at 41 sec for demo)
- Dress greens lightly: Place kale and spinach leaves in a giant bowl. Drizzle with about 3 tablespoons of Dressing then toss very well.
- Layer half: Pour half kale/spinach into a large serving bowl. Sprinkle with 1/3 EACH of walnuts, blue cheese (crumbled), pomegranates, orange segments, and cranberries.
- Presentation layer: Top with remaining kale & spinach, then remaining walnuts, blue cheese, pomegranates, orange segments and cranberries. Drizzle over remaining dressing just before serving.
- Serving: Best served freshly assembled but this salad will hold up much better than most because kale doesn't go as soggy once dressing, it's even good the next day!
Notes
1. Marinated raw kale – raw kale is quite chewy and has a distinct kale flavour that many people don’t really enjoy. To tenderise and neutralise the flavour, all it takes is marinating with a small amount of olive oil and a pinch of salt and pepper. Just scrunch/rub and a little bit goes a long way, leave 30 min (up to 3 days!). It makes an amazing difference!
2. Pomegranate – In some places, fresh pomegranate seeds are sold in cups. But nothing beats fresh – it’s juicier, and giving the pomegranate a good whack to remove the seeds is all part of the fun!!
Avoid frozen – they lose colour when they thaw!
3. Blue cheese – Gives a fabulous hit of extra wow factor in anything you add it to for the intense flavour, little pops of creaminess and salt. Use anything that can be crumbled, but not creamy blue brie. Blue Castello is a very mild creamy blue cheese that is reasonably good value – good for those cagey about blue cheese.
Goat’s cheese or Danish feta (creamy) – These make excellent alternatives, for the blue cheese-shy types, as it has a similar creamy crumble-able texture and flavour profile. Firm Greek Feta makes an adequate substitute (but it’s not as creamy).
Don’t buy pre-crumbled or packet feta if possible – it’s dry and a waste of money.
4. Pomegranate Molasses – sold in bottles in the vinegar section, it’s a reduction that looks like balsamic glaze with the same thick syrupy consistency and a similar sweet/tart flavour. Except it’s made from pomegranates! Common nowadays, available at large grocery stores and no more expensive than balsamic reduction. See in post for more ways to use it – excellent quick drizzle option for salads, you’ll never look back once you try it!
5. Storage – dressed salad keeps better than most because kale is hardier than usual leafy greens. It’s still decent for 2 days – keep in the fridge.
Make ahead – just prepare all the components separately, then assemble just prior to serving. The marinated kale will keep for up to 3 days in the fridge.
6. Nutrition per serving, assuming 8 servings.
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