Making choices in line with President Landis’ “Healthy Women” Special Project should be easy when planning your Thanksgiving menu. Eating a Rainbow along with your roast turkey and dressing will certainly be delicious, nutritious and …in the case of this salad… visually appealing on your dining table or sideboard!
Look at the jewel-toned winter salad developed by blogger Tiegan Gerard of Half-Baked Harvest. Green, red, walnut brown and white tones catch the eye, and the drizzle of balsamic fig dressing is fragrant and lightly sweet. Every ingredient listed provides health benefits… from the strength promised by the mixed greens to the brain-boosting walnuts. Ruby colored cranberries add vitamin C… as do pomegranate arils, which also provide fiber, potassium and a welcome dose of antioxidants. The cinnamon adds more than warm flavor; it also helps lower blood sugar levels. Also noteworthy is the arugula; don’t be tempted to “skip it!” Its subtle peppery taste is interesting and provides the micronutrients folate, magnesium and vitamin K.
Winter Salad with Balsamic Fig Dressing
- 2 c. raw walnuts
- 1/3 c. pure maple syrup
- 1/4 t. cinnamon
- pinch of crushed red pepper
- 1/2 t. salt
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine these ingredients. Place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
Bake for 15 to 25 minutes, until the walnuts are toasted and golden, stirring two- or three-times during cooking.
In a serving dish, combine:
- 6 c. mixed greens (kale and spinach shown here)
- 2 c. arugula
- arils from one pomegranate
- 1 c. dried cranberries
- cooled roasted walnuts
- 4 oz. goat cheese
To make the dressing, combine:
- 1/3 c. olive oil
- 1/4 c. balsamic vinegar
- 1 T. fig preserves
- salt and pepper to taste
Drizzle over salad just before serving and toss gently.
(An additional thought or two: for those who are allergic to walnuts, pecan halves could be subbed; just watch the roasting time as they might cook more quickly. Also… if you are not a fan of goat cheese, feta would work nicely.)
Reminder – It’s almost time to celebrate your club’s successful Fall recruiting campaigns! Club Presidents, please submit the September – November seasonal recruitment report to GFWC and to our MemberShip Crew report by December 1st. Learn more about the campaigns, tips, information, grants, and project ideas at https://www.gfwc.org/membership/recruitment-campaigns/