Pomegranate, Sunflower & Edamame Salad with Honey Dijon Pepper Dressing

This salad accomplishes two lovely things:

1. It gets me eating raw greens in the dead of winter when I could easily live off comfort food like vegan hot cocoa and muffins.

2. It satisfies the sweet and salty combo that I adore. (Kind of like my greatest treat-love dark chocolate covered pretzels do… only this salad is a bit healthier.)

I used a spinach base but you can easily mix it up with kale, arugula or any other salad greens. The pomegranate seeds provide a sweet bite balanced by the slightly salty sunflower seeds and crunchy edamame.

And the dressing, my friends, is not to be underestimated. This salad dressing is so simple yet flavorful that you might want to make it a salad staple. An added bonus? There’s plenty of health benefits going on in this simple dish.

• Pomegranates have tons of antioxidants,  immune boosting properties, is said to lower blood pressure and even, ahem, prevent erectile dysfunction.
• Sunflower seeds are a great source of vitamin E,  can help lower cholesterol and provide a nice source of healthy fat.
• Edamame is rich in vitamin B, C and E, high in iron, provides fiber, and 11g of protein in about a half-cup serving. (The average adult’s daily requirement for protein is 46 to 63g.)

When you’re able to eat your vitamins and antioxidants through whole foods there’s less need to go hog wild on the “super foods”!

Salad Ingredients

Serves 2-4 

6 ounces baby spinach (or preferred greens)

1/2 cup pomegranate seeds

3-4 heaping tbsp sunflower seeds (I prefer the salted variety in this dish)

1 cup shelled edamame (You can find pre-shelled at Whole Foods or Trader Joes, or shell yourself at home)

Dressing Ingredients 

*Makes about 2 cups – you’ll have some leftover for future salads, a veggie dip, marinade etc.

1/4 cup dijon mustard

1/2 cup apple cider vinegar

1-2 tbsp quality olive oil

1/2 cup honey (or agave if you’re vegan)

Several shakes of black pepper

Salt to taste

Directions

• Combine dry salad ingredients in a big bowl.
• Combine all wet dressing ingredients in a smaller bowl and whisk together until smooth in texture and even in color. Season with plenty of pepper and a bit of salt to taste.
• Add dressing to salad one tablespoon at a time, taste and add more as needed.

That’s it – so simple! Enjoy as a side dish or bulk it up with an additional protein source for a more filling salad.