Persimmons are packed with antioxidants, colorful, and delicious – and they're at their peak right now! This easy salad is great for every day but is also a perfect side dish for your Thanksgiving meal.
Ingredients:
Salad
4 ripe Fuyu persimmons
4 cups arugula
4 cups baby spinach (can substitute other salad greens if desired)
1 medium red onion
½ cup of pecan or walnut halves, toasted and chopped
½ cup of feta, crumbled
1 medium avocado, peeled and diced into ½ chunks
1½ cups of pomegranate arils (seeds from one medium pomegranate, reserve juice)
Vinaigrette
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar
3 Tablespoons pomegranate juice (can substitute fresh squeezed orange juice)
1 Tablespoon honey or maple syrup
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
½ teaspoon sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Directions:
Finely slice onion and place in a bowl of ice water for 15-20 minutes to remove some of the bite, then drain well. Cut persimmons into 8-12 wedges each, depending on the size of the fruit. (NOTE: no need to peel the persimmons unless you prefer to – the skin is perfectly edible!) Whisk together all of the vinaigrette ingredients until emulsified and set aside to assemble salad.
Combine arugula, spinach and red onion in a large serving bowl. Gently toss in persimmon wedges, feta, avocado and toasted nuts. Scatter pomegranate seeds on top, and drizzle with vinaigrette. Add a few grinds of black pepper and serve immediately.
This article first appeared in the November 2023 edition of the HealthPerks newsletter.