About a week ago I received a package of POM Wonderful 100% Pomegranate Juice from Kristen at POM Wonderful. Kristen had seen my blog and asked me if I'd be interested in trying the juice and possibly using it in a recipe. I immediately replied that I would love to try it and then began pondering uses for it.
The adorable 8-ounce bottles of juice arrived complete with nutritional and health benefit info. While you probably know that pomegranates are very high in antioxidants, you may not know some other health benefits and information about the fruit and about POM Wonderful in particular. Check out POM Wonderful's Web site to learn more.
And now onto the recipe! I first drank one of the bottles to get a sense of the flavor, how sweet the juice is, and what it might combine well with. Lots of chocolate ideas initially flew through my head, but eventually, I found myself craving salad and thinking that POM Wonderful 100% Pomegranate Juice could be a key component to a light, refreshing salad dressing.
This recipe is just a rough guide. You can alter it to make as much or as little salad as you want, and the dressing recipe can be easily doubled, or even tripled. I made enough for two salads and had plenty of arugula, fennel, and pomegranate seeds leftover.
Arugula And Fennel Salad With POM-Orange Vinaigrette
This peppery arugula salad gets extra brightness and sweet notes from oranges,
apples, and pomegranate seeds, plus extra crunch from sliced fennel.
apples, and pomegranate seeds, plus extra crunch from sliced fennel.
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 0 minutes
Yield: 2 to 3 servings
Ingredients
Dressing
1 tablespoon orange juice (preferably fresh squeezed)
2 tablespoons POM Wonderful 100% Pomegranate Juice
1 tablespoon champagne vinegar
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon orange zest
Salad
Arugula
1 apple, diced or cut into matchsticks
1 lemon wedge
1 orange, cut into slices or wedges
1 fennel bulb, sliced
1 pomegranate, peel and reserve seeds
Preparation
To make dressing, in a small bowl whisk all dressing ingredients with a fork. Set aside.
Squeeze lemon juice over apples pieces and toss gently.
Assemble salad. Place arugula on a small salad plate. Top with your desired amount of apple, orange, and fennel pieces. Toss on some pomegranate seeds.
Drizzle with the orange-POM vinaigrette.
Grab a fork and dig in!
And don't forget to pack some up to take for lunch!
I was so happy with how well all the flavors came together and how filling this salad was in spite of its lightness. The apples and fennel give it a hearty crunch while the dressing and lemon juice provide an uplifting zing. The arugula and fennel have pretty strong flavors, so if you happen to not be a fan, feel free to switch those out with something else (mesclun greens, celery, etc.). I really enjoyed the whole combination and can't wait to eat the leftovers for lunch!
Note: I followed Joy of Cooking's directions for cleaning the pomegranate: Cut the top off and score the rind lengthwise in 4 or 5 places. Place the whole thing in a bowl and cover with cold water. Let soak for 5 minutes, then gently peel away the rind while holding the fruit under water. The rind and pith should float and the seeds should sink. Remove any floating rind and pith and drain the seeds into a colander. (My seeds were a little resistant, but all in all, this was a good method. I didn't stain any of my fingers with pomegranate juice!)
Have you had a pomegranate or POM Wonderful juice? What did you think?