Mixed Green Salad with Grapefruit & Cranberries

From EatingWell: November/December 2009 — Subscribe Now!

Grapefruit juice is the base for the tangy vinaigrette on this salad studded with grapefruit segments and dried cranberries. It serves 12 as a starter or about 6 if you’d like a large portion per person.

Mixed Green Salad with Grapefruit & Cranberries Recipe

12 servings, about 1 cup each

Active Time: 25 minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes

Nutrition Profile

Ingredients

2 red grapefruit
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons minced scallions
1 tablespoon white-wine vinegar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
8 cups torn butter lettuce
6 cups baby spinach
1 14-ounce can hearts of palm (see Shopping Tip), drained and cut into bite-size pieces
1/3 cup dried cranberries
1/3 cup toasted pine nuts (see Tip)

Preparation

Remove the skin and white pith from grapefruit with a sharp knife. Working over a bowl, cut the segments from their surrounding membranes. Cut the segments in half on a cutting board and transfer to a large salad bowl. Squeeze the grapefruit peel and membranes over the original bowl to extract 1/4 cup grapefruit juice.
Whisk oil, scallions, vinegar, salt and pepper into the bowl with the grapefruit juice.
Add lettuce, spinach and hearts of palm to the salad bowl with the grapefruit segments. Just before serving, toss the salad with the dressing until well coated. Sprinkle cranberries and pine nuts on top.

Tips & Notes

Make Ahead Tip: Refrigerate the dressing (Steps 1-2) in a jar or cruet for up to 2 days. Refrigerate the grapefruit segments for up to 2 days. Assemble and refrigerate the undressed salad for up to 4 hours. Toss with the dressing and top with cranberries and pine nuts just before serving.

Shopping tip: Hearts of palm are the tender inner stem portion of certain species of palm trees. Their flavor and texture is reminiscent of artichoke. Look for canned hearts of palm near other canned vegetables in most supermarkets.
Tip: To toast chopped nuts, small nuts and seeds, place in a small dry skillet and cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until fragrant and lightly browned, 2 to 4 minutes.