Pomegranate Mandarin Salad with Avocado and Feta

This Pomegranate Mandarin Salad with Avocado and Feta is a festive salad for any winter meal or holiday potluck! Serve it like a Christmas or holiday wreath, just for fun.

Winter holidays always make me crave mandarin oranges.  While I love eating them as a healthy snack, adding them to salads like this Pomegranate Mandarin Salad perks up my daily dose of leafy greens as well.

This gorgeous orange and romaine salad is bursting with Vitamin C-rich fruit, crunchy pecans and creamy avocado.  It's topped with crumbled feta or goat cheese. Make it festive by serving it as a holiday wreath in a round serving dish, decked out with cheerful coloured fruits and nuts, tiny pomegranate jewels and sprinkled with a little feta "snow" on top.

Fresh, crisp and colourful! This is a 5 star Christmas salad!

If you're my age, you'll probably remember that mandarins were only available for a short time every winter, and never until the beginning of December. They came individually wrapped in thin green tissue papers in small wooden (yup, wooden) boxes.

To us kids, their arrival in the stores meant that Christmas couldn't be far behind, and that in itself was cause for great excitement. At school, our Christmas gift from our teacher was always a mandarin orange and a candy cane.

It was a big deal to see who could remove the peel from their orange in one piece.

Today, the boxes are smaller, they're made of cardboard, but the oranges are just as sweet and delicious!

Upcoming potluck or holiday dinner? Let's make this Christmas Wreath Salad !

Ingredients for Pomegranate Mandarin Salad with Avocado and Feta

• romaine lettuce:  I like the crispness of romaine in this salad as it supports the other ingredients and prevents them from falling to the bottom of the bowl. You can also add in a few other mixed greens, if you'd like, but I recommend starting with a bed of romaine.
• mandarin oranges:  Use organic if they're available where you live. Removing the white pith is probably the most time-consuming part of making this wreath salad! Running the peeled oranges under cool running water and using a soft vegetable brush helps make this job go a lot faster.
• cucumber:  Scrub but leave the peel on for added colour.
• avocado: Peel and slice just before serving to prevent browning, or dip in a little diluted lemon juice.
• pomegranate arils: These look like little festive holiday lights brightening up this potluck winter salad.
• pecans:  Lightly toasting them brings out their natural flavour.
• feta cheese: Crumbled on top, it resembles snow! Substitute goat cheese if you'd like, or leave it off to keep this salad vegan and dairy-free.
• vinaigrette: A simple citrus vinaigrette made with olive oil, lemon juice, white wine vinegar, shallots, Dijon and a touch of honey dresses this Christmas salad beautifully.

Make this holiday wreath salad to add fun to your winter meals! 

1. Arrange healthy crisp greens in a round shallow bowl or platter around a central dish that will hold the citrus vinaigrette.
2. Then, top with mandarin orange segments, cucumber, sliced avocado and pomegranate arils.
3. Finish by sprinkling with toasted pecans and a light dusting of feta cheese.

Make ahead!

Make this holiday salad ahead of time, cover and refrigerate. Add avocado slices and drizzle with the slightly sweet citrus dressing just before serving.

What to serve with this Holiday Wreath Salad

Add it to your traditional turkey dinner, or serve it with one of these main dishes:

• Cranberry-Rosemary Boneless Chicken Thighs
• Easy Baked Lemon Chicken
• Pistachio-Crusted Salmon
• Easiest Chicken Saltimbocca
• Cranberry Glazed Chili Chicken Wings
• Paleo Hoisin Orange Glazed Chicken Thighs

4 Reasons to make this Pomegranate Mandarin Salad today!

1. it tastes amazing. A romaine salad with oranges is always a popular choice!
2. every bite is fresh, juicy and nutritious
3. it looks beautiful on a holiday buffet table
4. it will brighten up any dull winter day!

Pomegranate Mandarin Salad with Avocado and Feta

This Pomegranate Mandarin Salad with Avocado and Feta is a festive salad for any winter meal! It's bursting with fruit rich in Vitamin C, crunchy pecans and creamy avocado. Top it with crumbled feta or goat cheese.

Print Pin Rate

Course: Salads

Cuisine: Canadian, American

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes

Servings: 4

Calories: 285kcal

Author: Flavour & Savour

Ingredients

• 4 cups romaine lettuce with other crisp mixed greens, if desired
• 1 long English cucumber thinly sliced
• 1 avocado peeled, pitted and sliced
• 2 mandarin oranges peeled and sectioned, pith removed
• 1/2 cup pomegranate arils
• 1/2 cup feta cheese crumbled
• 1/3 cup pecans toasted

Citrus Vinaigrette

• 1/2 cup olive oil extra virgin
• 3 tbsp lemon juice freshly squeezed
• 2 tbsp white wine vinegar or Champagne vinegar
• 1 small shallot finely minced
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon honey
• 1/2 teaspoon each, sea salt and pepper

Instructions

• To make a wreath-shaped salad, place a small bowl for the vinaigrette in the centre of a larger round shallow bowl or platter.
• Arrange bite-sized pieces of romaine or other greens in the bowl around the small dish. Top with remaining ingredients, finishing with feta cheese and pecans.
• Whisk vinaigrette ingredients together and pour into the small bowl in the center of the serving bowl.
• Serve and drizzle vinaigrette over all just before serving.

Notes

If you're not serving this salad right away, add the avocado just before serving to prevent browning.

You'll have dressing left over for another salad, so nutrition label does not include dressing.

Nutrition

Calories: 285kcal | Carbohydrates: 23g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 16mg | Sodium: 219mg | Potassium: 696mg | Fiber: 8g | Sugar: 12g | Vitamin A: 4500IU | Vitamin C: 52.5mg | Calcium: 165mg | Iron: 1.5mg

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If you love adding citrus fruit to salads as much as I do, you may like these too!

• Winter Citrus Salad with Arugula and Goat Cheese
• Citrus Avocado Salad with Shrimp and Smoky Vinaigrette
• Orange and Avocado Salad with Parmesan Crisps
• Baby Bok Choy Salad with Ginger Orange Dressing
• Shrimp Salad with Grapefruit and Mint

This recipe was originally published in 2016. It has been updated with new photos and information.

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