Kale, Pomegranate and Potato Salad

With the Christmas holiday over and all the ornaments packed away, this kale, pomegranate and potato salad will brighten your table!rn

When the colder months approach, it tends to be a bit harder to find fresh produce. If you dig a little deeper and keep your eye out, you will find amazing in-season fruits and vegetables that complement each season. Today, I was inspired by these beautiful and in-season pomegranates at my local grocery store and decided to make a hearty winter salad. I love how festive and inviting the pomegranate seeds appear when paired with any greens. The best part about this salad is its simplicity. Just a few ingredients and voila! The subtle dressing allows you to really taste every aspect of the salad. I paired this salad with Bartlett pears, pomegranate, chopped kale, chopped parsley and mini baked potatoes. The sweetness from the pears balanced out the herbaceous flavor of the parsley.

Kale, Pomegranate and Potato Salad

Ingredients:

• Arils from one pomegranate
• 1 Bartlett pear sliced
• 2–3 cups kale, chopped
• ¼ cup parsley, chopped
• 1 ½ cup mini baked potatoes
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1/4 cup white balsamic vinegar
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• Pinch Himalayan salt
• Optional: pine nuts, pumpkin seeds, and hemp seeds for topping

Directions:

1. Remove stems of kale and coarsely chop into small pieces. Drizzle 1 tablespoon of olive oil and 1 teaspoon of salt over kale and let it sit for 10 minutes to soften. After 10 minutes, rinse under cold water.
2. Bake your mini potatoes in the oven at 400 degrees for 30 minutes or until tender
3. In the meantime, chop your parsley and pears. Crack open your pomegranate and remove the seeds.
4. Place in a small bowl and set aside
5. Whisk white balsamic, olive oil, lemon juice, and salt in a small bowl
6. Combine all salad ingredients and pour dressing on top. Place in fridge for 1–2 hours.
7. Optional: Top with a few handfuls of pine nuts, pumpkin seeds and hemp seeds

You can eat the salad right away, but I tend to leave it in the fridge for a few hours so the flavor enhances. If you don’t want to use potatoes, you could add 1.5 cups of cooked quinoa or wild rice as a substation. Before I serve the salad I add a few handfuls of hemp seeds, pumpkin seeds, and pine nuts. This is optional, but I love the flavor profile of nuts in my salad.

This salad is so healthy, it will make up for all of those Christmas treats during the holidays!

Happy cooking!

Check out these fabulous tradtional recipes with vegan flair!