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Winter Salad & Warm Cranberry Honey Dressing

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Eating salad outside of the summer months can be difficult but not with Winter Salad & Warm Cranberry Honey Dressing. Big flavors and warm dressing will get salad back on your menu with a bang!Winter Salad & Warm Cranberry Honey Dressing on a gold rimmed China salad plate, fresh blackerries, pomegranate and pears

This delicious recipe was originally published in November 2014 and has been updated January 2018! 

I’m not exactly sure what happens when winter sets in regarding eating fresh salads but it feels like an oxymoron. Slow Cookers andInstant Pots percolate away rendering hearty vegetable mixtures but eating a salad has seemed best left for May and later. Until now.

Winter Salad with pear slices, blackberries and Warm Cranberry Honey Dressing

Salad in the winter when not eating it often, is like an oasis of sorts. We all need our greens a cold, light salad isn’t what we crave in the cold winter months. There is a trick to get around this: big flavor and warm temperatures!

Warm Cranberry Honey Dressing in antique crystal salad dressing carafe

Beautiful, pink Warm Cranberry Honey Dressing is full of healthy ingredients and vibrant flavors that blend perfectly. It will perk up the most ordinary of salad ingredients and is a great option for winter holiday salads.

Winter Salad with pears and blackberries with Warm Cranberry Honey Dressing on a vintage gold rimmed salad plate

How to Get Excited about Eating Winter Salad

When making winter salad, combining seasonal fruits and vegetables creates exciting flavors and is visually beautiful; the latter makes winter salad enticing (‘we eat with our eyes first’ really is true). Winter produce has deeper flavor so the sweetness of fruit, some bitter greens, crunch from seeds or nuts combine for a tasty, satisfying recipe.

This winter salad recipe makes two side salads or one entree salad. It can be doubled or quadrupled if serving a group.

Winter Salad with Warm Cranberry Honey Dressing on a vintage salad place with half pomegranate

How to make Winter Salad & Warm Cranberry Honey Dressing – Step by Step:

Warm Cranberry Honey Dressing is a favorite to dress up any winter salad. Made with fresh cranberries, honey, shallots, apple cider vinegar and grapeseed oil, it is not only a beautiful presentation but full of antioxidants, polyunsatured fats and Vitamin E (great for our parched skin and hair in the winter months).

The dressing is easy to prepare in a blender and dress whatever suits your mood. It is warmed briefly before serving for the best flavor. Keep the dressing handy in the refrigerator to dress simple greens to keep those salads coming (having a great dressing makes all the difference in my experience). My favorite winter salad includes winter greens, pear, blackberries and roasted pepitas (pumpkin seed kernels) for a delicious bite both for the palate and the eyes.

Warm Cranberry Honey Dressing on Winter Salad with pears, blackberries and pepitas

More Easy Salad and Dressing Recipes to Try:

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Warm Cranberry Honey Dressing with Winter Salad. A beautiful, creamy option to dress up any winter salad! - BoulderLocavore.com
5 from 9 votes
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Warm Cranberry Honey Dressing and Winter Salad

This flavor packed seasonal salad will make salad in winter something exciting!  Warm Cranberry Honey Dressing compliments spicy winter greens, sweet fruit and crunchy seeds.  It can also be made and kept in the refridgerator to dress up greens when the mood strikes.

Course Salad
Cuisine American
Keyword cranberry honey dressing, warm cranberry dressing, winter salad
Prep Time 20 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Servings 4 side salads
Calories 321 kcal
Author Toni Dash

Ingredients

Ingredients for Warm Cranberry Honey Dressing:

  • 1/4 cup fresh Cranberries
  • 2 tablespoons Honey
  • 3 tablespoons Apple Cider Vinegar
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground Mustard (dry)
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons Shallots
  • 1/4 cup Grapeseed Oil
  • Kosher Salt and Ground Black Pepper to taste

Ingredients for side Winter Salad:

  • 6 cups Mixed Greens (prepared mixed organic greens offer many options or use your favorite lettuce)
  • 2 small ripe Pears , cored and sliced thinly lengthwise
  • 20 large Blackberries rinsed
  • 1/2 cup Pomegranate Arils (seeds)
  • 6 tablespoons roasted Pepitas (pumpkin seed kernels; available in most bulk food areas of grocery stores)

Instructions

Instructions for Warm Cranberry Honey Dressing:

  1. Place all ingredients into a blender (except salt and pepper) and pulse to fully puree ingredients to emulsify the dressing. Warm for a few seconds in the microwave before dressing the salad.

Instructions for the Winter Salad:

  1. Place the greens on two salad plates (or one large plate if making one entree salad). Layer the pear slices, berries, pomegranate arils and pepitas on top of the lettuce. Dress with a few tablespoons of dressing and serve.

Nutrition Facts
Warm Cranberry Honey Dressing and Winter Salad
Amount Per Serving
Calories 321 Calories from Fat 189
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 21g 32%
Saturated Fat 2g 10%
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 19mg 1%
Potassium 376mg 11%
Total Carbohydrates 31g 10%
Dietary Fiber 5g 20%
Sugars 20g
Protein 6g 12%
Vitamin A 14.1%
Vitamin C 26.7%
Calcium 2.3%
Iron 10.7%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
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Reader Interactions

Comments

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    • Thank you Jodee! I too love it. Candidly it’s the dressing that usually stands between me and eating a good salad. I love the seasonal nature of this one, the east of putting it together, it’s healthy nature and of course the beguiling pink color! It will be a staple on the ready in my fridge this winter!

      Reply

  3. The salad is so pretty and pink! The dressing sounds yummy–I love having some homemade dressing in the fridge. Making a salad is a snap when your dressing is ready to pour.

    Reply

    • Isn’t there just something about pretty, pink food Rachel? Like a pink frosted cupcake. Who can resist it?! I completely agree on keeping some homemade dressing in the fridge. If I start with that I’m much more apt to eat and prepare salads for my family.

      Reply

    • Oh I’m so glad you do Aggie! It has so many great seasonal flavors that ‘play well together’. The blend of the dressing also brings out the best in the cranberries without their severe tartness.

      Reply

    • I love them too Beth! The wide border plates were my Great Grandmother’s the gold and green rimmed plates were my Grandmother’s. So lucky they picked up such fun pieces!

      Reply

    • I think that is true for me too Abby and frankly is probably deeply rooted in our survival DNA. Salads all summer long and heartier, warm foods in winter. This dressing is flavorful without being overbearing or too light as many summer dressings are; and having it slightly warm feels right for the season!

      Reply

  14. I’ve been eating summer salads for weeks but at the run up to Thanksgiving, it doesn’t matter that it’s 100 degrees outside, I want American seasonal food. You can take the woman to Australia but the Yank is more than skin deep. 🙂 I love your warm winter salad. It’s pretty too.

    Reply

  18. I think it is not so much that we don’t make salads in winter it is that we like big warm meals and comfort food to keep warm. I love the idea of this salad and dressing and will try and make it soon.

    Reply

    • I agree Melissa. I think it’s normal to want hearty warm food; I’m the same way too. Give me soup any day right now! I do think the flavors and warmth of this dressing make salad exciting again for the cold months. It’s worked with my crew at least!

      Reply

  24. I love the dressing! I agree that salads are usually quite staple during the warmer months, but your salad can be best enjoyed anytime! The colors of the dish is perfect – as they always say, “half the meal is the eye appeal!” Thanks for sharing the recipe.

    Reply

  27. I’ve never made a salad dressing like this before but I sure would love to! I think it’s going to be perfect for the season and I’m definitely going to enjoy it. Thanks for the tips on how to properly prepare the dressing!

    Reply

  28. The colors in this salad are beautiful! Lovely photos. I think the Cranberry Honey Dressing sounds delicious. I love a yummy salad with lots of flavors.

    Reply

  31. I am loving the combination of flavors for this salad dressing. It looks simply scrumptious. I don’t enough salads.

    Reply

  34. My mouth is watering over here! This is the kind of salad and dressing that I could be happy eating every single day of my life. Bring on the yum!

    Reply
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