Green Salad with Honey Leek Vinaigrette

Here is a delicious green salad made with butter lettuce, spinach, pomegranate and pumpkin seeds, that works at any time of the year. The “secret sauce” is the dressing. Made with honey and leeks, this green salad stands high atop the rest for flavor and holiday adaptation. You can enjoy this in autumn as you can in winter, spring or summer. You can add seasonal fruit to this salad, but one key ingredient that should not be deleted is the pomegranate. Loaded with crunch, flavor and anti oxidants, pomegranate seeds can be enjoyed all year long. Of special note is the delicious vinaigrette made with honey and leeks something which I would never have considered using in a vinaigrette. I love to be pleasantly surprised, and this vinaigrette left me speechless!

Ingredients:

1 large head butter lettuce
1 bunch spinach leaves
1 small container Pomegranate seeds or seeds of 1/2 pomegranate
1/2 cup pumpkin seeds, toasted

For the Vinaigrette:

1/4 cup grape seed oil
2 tablespoons white vinegar
1 tablespoon minced leek (white part only)
2 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
pinch of cayenne pepper

Directions:

For Vinaigrette:
Blend all vinaigrette ingredients together using hand held mixer to properly emulsify, or shake well in jar.

Toast pumpkin seeds until some begin to plump, about 10 minutes, at 350°
Wash the lettuce and spinach leaves well and dry
Arrange in bowl with half the pomegranate seeds. Toss with dressing and add remainder of the pomegranate seeds on top.

Serves 6