This Orange Date and Pomegranate Spinach Salad is a colourful winter salad guaranteed to brighten any meal! Enjoy this citrus date salad at a festive holiday dinner, too.
This Orange Date and Pomegranate Spinach Salad makes a beautiful, healthy winter salad, guaranteed to cheer you up on the dreariest day!
Baby spinach and peppery arugula, sweet oranges, squishy dates and tiny pomegranate jewels make this citrus-date salad one to remember . . . and, if you're like me, it's one you'll make again and again. It's just that good!
It's easy to find fresh salad ingredients in the summer months (when we basically live on fresh salads and grilled meat). In the winter months, however, it can be a little more challenging to find veggies that are at their peak.
That's when we need to be creative, and use the fruits and veggies that ARE in season. For example, this Watermelon Radish and Satsuma Spinach Salad is perfect for those months in which satsumas are in season. It adds an exotic element to your meals when you're getting tired of soups and stews!
Similarly, when kiwis are at their peak, this Kiwi Mandarin Salad with Creamy Avocado Dressing makes a refreshing addition to your dinner, and it's full of all that Vitamin C we need in the winter months. And of course, my favourite Pomegranate Mandarin Salad with Avocado and Feta is always in demand in my home.
In today's winter salad recipe, I used sweet navel oranges, Medjool date and pomegranates to dress up a base of a baby spinach-arugula salad mix to make this green salad with winter fruit.
This is an easy salad to put together and it's oh-so good! Here's what you'll need.
Ingredients for Orange Date and Pomegranate Spinach Salad
greens: baby spinach, or a spinach-arugula blend. I used this blend, because I like the contrast of peppery arugula with the sweet fruit. I also added a few fresh sprouted seeds.
oranges: you'll be peeling and sectioning the oranges, but you'll also need the zest, so remember to zest it first!
dates: Medjool dates are soft, squishy and naturally sweet. You'll remove the pits and quarter the dates lengthwise.
pomegranate seeds: or arils, as they're also called. Buy a fresh pomegranate and seed it yourself, or buy them already seeded. They're also available frozen in the freezer section of your supermarket.
almonds: I like flaked almonds in this winter salad recipe. Toasted lightly, they add a nice element of crunch!
Honey Citrus Dressing: has just the right amount of sweet citrus flavour this salad needs!
And here's what you'll do:
How to Make Orange Date and Pomegranate Spinach Salad
- When I make a salad, I usually make the vinaigrette first, then set it aside to allow the flavours to blend. I like to use a small jar to mix the ingredients, then just shake, shake, shake!
- Since you'll need a little orange zest to garnish this salad, remember to zest one of the oranges first. Then slice off both ends of the oranges so you have a stable base. Slice from top to bottom to remove the peel and the white pith, which can be bitter. Next, using a sharp paring knife, make cuts close to the membrane on either side of each segment, gently lifting them out. Take care not to cut into the inner membrane to make it easier to remove all the sections. Watch this short video that demonstrates how to section an orange.
- Toast sliced almonds in a skillet over medium-low heat.
- Pit and quarter the dates, slicing lengthwise.
- Arrange the greens in a shallow bowl, then top with orange sections, dates, pomegranate arils, toasted almonds and garnish with orange zest.
- Toss with Honey Citrus Dressing just before serving. Guaranteed rave reviews!
Possible Variations
This is a flexible spinach salad! Make it your own by trying these ideas.
- Use mandarin oranges instead of navel oranges.
- Substitute pistachios for the almonds.
- Add some crumbled feta or goat cheese. Make it a Pomegranate Orange Feta Salad!
- Make it a meal: Add shredded chicken breasts.
- Add crispy crumbled bacon. We all know from eating Bacon-Wrapped Stuffed Dates how well bacon and dates complement one another.
The Honey Citrus Dressing recipe below will complement any of those choices.
How to Store this Citrus Date Salad
Dress this salad shortly before serving, or dress only what you plan to eat. Store it covered in the refrigerator. You may not need all the citrus vinaigrette in this recipe, so refrigerate leftover dressing in a jar for up to 5 days. Just shake before serving.
More Winter Salad Inspiration!
Try these healthy salad recipes, too.
- Winter Citrus Salad with Arugula and Goat Cheese
- Red Quinoa Tabouli with Pomegranate
- Nourishing Quinoa Salad with Cranberries and Pears
- Fresh and Crispy Kohlrabi Winter Salad
- Six Tasty Healthy Winter Salads
- Shaved Brussels Sprout Salad with Cranberries and Pecans
Orange Date and Pomegranate Spinach Salad
Ingredients
Salad
- 6 cups baby spinach-arugula blend
- 2 large oranges peeled and sectioned
- 1 tablespoon orange zest
- 8 Medjool dates pitted and quartered lengthwise
- ⅓ cup pomegranate arils
- 2 tablespoon flaked almonds toasted
Honey Orange Dressing
- ¼ cup orange juice
- 2 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon honey use maple syrup or sugar for vegan diet
- ¼ cup olive oil
- ¼ tsp each salt and pepper
Instructions
- Wash and dry baby greens and set aside.
- Spread flaked almonds in a skillet and heat over medium heat until just beginning to brown and beome fragrant. Remove from heat immediately, as they will continue to brown in the heat of the pan.
- Zest one of the oranges, then peel and remove sections from the membranes.
- Remove pits from the dates, then quarter them, slicing lengthwise.
- Remove pomegranate seeds (arils) from half a pomegranate.
- Arrange salad in a shallow bowl or large platter. Begin with salad greens, then top with orange segments, dates, pomegranates and flaked almonds. Garnish with orange zest.
- When ready to serve, toss with Honey Orange Dressing.
Nutrition
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Anne
Great salad recipe! I was a little worried about adding dates to it, but OMG that is such a good idea! Love this salad. I substituted raspberries for the pomegranate.
Flavour & Savour
I know--the dates seem odd, but they really do add a lot of interest and natural sweetness to this salad that just works with the fruit! Thanks for stopping by.