If you’re looking for the perfect healthy winter side salad, this Pomegranate Orange Arugula Spinach Salad with a homemade vinaigrette is full of flavor.

I love a good fresh salad, but I’ve never been very fond of store bought salad dressings. Even the healthiest looking ones often have ingredients listed on the back that I can’t pronounce, so I prefer to make my own. This salad started with the dressing – a light and refreshing pomegranate vinaigrette that was full of zing.

I had never even eaten a pomegranate until I was well into my 30s. In fact, I can think of dozens of foods (beets, jicama, dragon fruit, ox tail, green chile just to name a few) that I had never tried until I was well into adulthood but my kids can identify today. My kids know that every winter, our house will never be without foods like pomegranate and grapefruit. They are part of that very small winter collection of fruits that make our long, dark, grey, cold winter bearable until the long days and summer sun bring a bounty of Oregon berries and stone fruit to our home.

This salad makes the perfect light and refreshing side salad to any protein packed dinner. Or, if you prefer, you can easily transform this into a hearty entree salad with the addition of delicious goodies like goat cheese, sunflower seeds, avocado, and chicken like I did right after taking these photos. I absolutely love tart and juicy fruit to balance out the bitter greens. Its a food match made in heaven.

Be sure to check out how I remove the seeds from pomegranates here:

Ingredients

equal parts spinach and arugula
1 shallot thinly sliced
2 oranges cara cara or blood orange recommended
1 pomegranate arils removed
freshly ground pepper
pomegranate vinaigrette
*quantity and proportions of all ingredients can vary as desired

Instructions

Add greens to large bowl. Top with shallots.
To remove flesh from orange, slice skin from top and bottom of orange to fully expose the flesh. Then, while using a cutting board, slice away remaining skin and any white parts (known as the pericarp) to expose only the orange flesh. Then, using a sharp knife, cut the wedges out from each section and add to salad.
Sprinkle salad with pomegranate seeds - as many as you desire.
Then, toss with pomegranate vinaigrette and freshly ground pepper.
Divide the salad among individual plates, distributing the orange sections evenly. Garnish with the reserved pomegranate seeds. Serve immediately.