Since I’m the “weird eater” in the family, I am usually the one who gets asked to bring a salad. Which I don’t mind at all! I like to remind people that salad doesn’t have to be boring or predictable.

Poor maligned salad often gets relegated to the forgotten sad side dish category. And that’s tragic! A beautiful salad can be so much more!

The key is to use a variety of colors and textures, and to dress it with enough fat and acid to make it shine.

Since pomegranates are in season, I wanted to feature them in this salad. The addition of fruit brightens any salad, and both pomegranate arils and green apple slices add a tart crunch here.

There’s no shame in using pre-washed salad mixes. In this salad, I made use of Trader Joe’s Cruciferous Crunch—a blend of kale, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, and red and green cabbage. Delicious and full of phytonutrients that lower estrogen levels and fight cancer. Good deal for $2.99 a bag! I also threw in a half a bunch of cilantro, but you can skip it if you’re not a fan.

I whisked together a simple salad dressing of orange juice, olive oil, and honey, inspired by a recipe I’d made in the store earlier in the week.

For a toasty crunch, I added roasted sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds—sources of healthy fats to counterbalance all those unhealthy fats from the pie I’d be eating later….

I combined all of the ingredients in a large bowl and tossed with the dressing. Letting it refrigerate in the dressing overnight helped soften the greens, but they were hardy enough that they didn’t wilt.

It made a gorgeous and eye-catching addition to our holiday table, and I hope it does yours, too!