January 19, 2016 By Emily

Cranberry Pomegranate Salad

As a food blogger I am always looking for inspiration for the next recipe, whether at a church potluck, shopping the local farmer’s market or on the back of a food product at the grocery store. I originally saw a recipe for Cranberry Pomegranate salad on the back of a product I found while shopping. It sounded really good, so I purchased the other ingredients I needed and created the ‘recipe idea’ listed on the back….. It. Was. Awful. No joke! You’d think that they would have company taste testers try this stuff out before it’s printed. Well, if they’d had me create the recipe, it would be the salad I’m sharing with you today. Much. Much. Better. Think ‘Salad awesomesauce!’ (I’m doing my touchdown dance now in case you’re wondering.)

This salad is light, delicious and packed with great flavor. Dried cranberries and candied walnuts offer sweetness that’s balanced with the tartness of blue cheese and the zing of red onion. Tossed with baby greens and dressed with pomegranate vinaigrette made fresh at home. You could even add fresh pomegranate seeds (arils) as a garnish for this salad.

While giving this salad a much needed makeover, I remembered how much I love candied walnuts! If you can’t find them at the store, no worries! They are simple to make at home. Here’s how. I hope you love this salad. I find it’s the perfect companion to a great stake dinner, and just right on it’s own for a brunch book club meeting. Enjoy and don’t forget to leave a comment!