Pomegranate orange salad with a special bit of seasoning

In cold months you tend to eat heavier food to help you deal with the weather. However, no matter how wonderful the main course tastes, it will taste so much better with a light, bright side dish to balance it off. This salad is one of those side dishes. As a bonus, it is quick, quick, quick to put together. The beauty of this salad will draw comments and then you will get rave reviews on the entire dinner. This salad is the key. Its brightness makes all the other dishes sing in harmony. The last time we had this it was served with sauteed green beans and roasted zucchini (both very garlic-heavy) and meat loaf. It was a fine symphony.

Pomegranate Salad Ingredients

• 1 pomegranate
• 2 seedless oranges
• 1 finely minced garlic clove
• 3 tablespoon olive oil
• a pinch of salt
• a dash of pepper
• fresh mint sprigs

Pomegranate Salad Steps

1. Remove the pomegranate seeds using the underwater method to keep the juice contained.
2. Peel the oranges and slice into 1/2 inch rounds. Feed the end pieces to the kids or consider them your bonus for making such a fine salad.
3. Arrange the orange slices in a single layer on a serving platter. Each slice represents a single salad serving.
4. Sprinkle pomegranate seeds over each orange slice.
5. Garnish the platter with sprigs of mint. I usually use lemon balm since it is growing everywhere we have water. An alternative to the sprigs as garnish is to slice the leaves into thin ribbons then sprinkle them lightly over the pomegranate seeds. Either way, the colors are show-stopping.
6. Mix the oil, garlic, salt and pepper in a small container. Drizzle it over the salad just before serving. There is no need to add vinegar or lemon juice to this vinaigrette. The pucker power from the oranges and pomegranate seeds provides the needed acid boost.

If you have any left, refrigerate these beauties in an airtight container and enjoy them the next day with lunch. Actually, add them to the lunch box since they taste wonderful at room temperature.