Arugula & Pomegranate Salad with Champagne Vinegarette & Parmesan Crisps

I hope everyone had an amazing holiday season--one filled with adventures and feasting with  friends and family. For most of us, the New Year marks the transition back to healthy eating and exercising. Which is why I created this winter themed salad, complete with Pomegranates, Parmesan Crisps and a "fancy" Champagne Vinaigrette. It is so rich in flavors that you'll forget it's a salad.


 The inspiration for this salad started with the pomegranates- they're incredibly tasty but are something I rarely buy. Mainly because I HAVE NO IDEA how to deseed them. Every time I try, I squirt juice into my face and get mouthfuls of the bitter white stuff inside (YUCK). So the last time I was in the grocery store, I intentionally put one in my cart and said, "By golly I'm going to conquer this Pomegranate." With a little research, I discovered there is a way to tastefully deseed a Pomegrante (god bless Youtube). Watch this video for full instructions: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-qfQ3_N7S6Y&feature=fvwrel  

You basically break a pomegranate open and deseed it in water. HOW EASY is that? Now for the actual salad.

Arugula & Pomegranate Salad 

          1 box or bag or arugula
          1 carrot grated
          1/2 a container of pea shoot sprouts
          3/4 cup pomegranate seeds 
          1/2 a cup pecans (or walnuts, pumpkin seeds, pine nuts)

Fill a large salad bowl with arugula. Top with grated carrot, pea shoot sprouts, pomegranate seeds and nuts. Set aside.

Champagne Vinagrette

         1 garlic clove, finely chopped
          2 tablespoons dijon Mustard
          1/4 cup champagne vinegar (or white balsamic vinegar)
          2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
          2 tablespoons honey
          2 or 3 dashes hot sauce
          1/2 teaspoon salt
          1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
          1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil**

Whisk together the garlic, mustard, vinegar, lemon juice, honey, hot sauce, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Slowly whisk in the olive oil until the dressing is emulsified(fused together). Alternatively, you can combine all the ingredients in a blender or a food processor and puré until smooth. I found whisking it with a fork really fast worked just fine.

**Double the recipe and save left overs for future salads. 

Parmesan Crisps
               1 bag of shredded Parmesean (1/2 to 1 cup)
               Parchment Paper

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees (175 Celsius). Cover a regular sized cookie baking sheet with parchment paper. Using a tablespoon measure, place cheese in mounds (of 1 or 2 TBS of Parmesan)  Flatten out mounds with the back of a spoon, making sure mounds are at least 4 inches apart. Season with pepper, paprika, or cayenne, if desired. Bake on the middle rack of the oven for 10-15 minutes, until golden brown. Let cool.   


Toss the salad with the dressing, garnish with crisps and enjoy!