Festive Holiday Salads {Persimmon Pomegranate Salad and Pink Grapefruit Avocado Salad}

Salads are a nice addition to any holiday meal, served as a starter or a light side dish.  Whether you’re entertaining or being entertained, why not make either a Persimmon Pomegranate Salad or Pink Grapefruit Avocado Salad. Both salads have fresh fruit, making them even more refreshing and healthy.


I came up with two light salad dressing recipes to go with these two salads, both with a sweet, citrusy, tangy taste.  Dressings for salads are often heavy in oil.  Although the standard salad dressing recipe calls for a ratio of three parts oil to one part vinegar or citrus juice, I used an equal proportion of oil to vinegar/citrus juice.  The result is a dressing that is sweeter, lighter and fresher tasting. Try reducing the amount of oil next time you make salad dressing.  Depending on the acidity of the vinegar or citrus juice you use, you can usually reduce the amount of oil a fair amount, just taste as you go.

Persimmon Pomegranate Salad

Persimmons are high in vitamin A and vitamin C as well as dietary fiber.  Fuyu persimmons are sweet, but firm, and are especially refreshing in this salad.  Pomegranate seeds are also high in vitamin C and dietary fiber, and add a nice tartness. Hazelnuts are high in vitamin E and add a nice crunch. 

Fuyu Persimmons Are Sweet And Firm

Printable Recipe
Persimmon Pomegranate Salad:

2 fuyu persimmons

8 cups mixed baby greens

½ cup pomegranate seeds

¼ cup toasted hazelnuts

Clementine Salad Dressing:

4 tablespoons light olive oil

4 tablespoons fresh clementine juice

salt and pepper, to taste

Slice persimmons into wedges, cutting off stem caps.

Whisk Clementine Salad Dressing ingredients together.

To serve, place a handful of baby greens on a salad plate.  Top with persimmon slices, pomegranate seeds and toasted hazelnuts.  Drizzle Clementine Salad Dressing on top.

Serves 4-6.

Grapefruit Avocado Salad

This salad was inspired by Grapefruit Avocado Salads I've seen lately.  Grapefruit and Avocado are a wonderfully refreshing combination. I found an Orange Muscat Champagne Vinegar at Trader Joes that is citrusy, sweet and tart.  You can also use the Clementine Orange Dressing from the Persimmon Salad recipe. Pink Grapefruits are a good source of vitamin A and fiber, and are high in vitamin C. Avocados are high in dietary fiber, vitamin C, and heart healthy monounsaturated fats.

Printable Recipe

Pink Grapefruit Avocado Salad

2 pink grapefruits, cut into segments

8 cups baby greens

2 avocados, cut into slices or chunks

1 Belgian endive, cut into 1/2” pieces

½ cup thinly sliced red onion

3 tablespoons pistachio nuts, shelled, raw or lightly toasted

Orange Champagne Dressing

4 tablespoons light olive oil

4 tablespoons Orange Muscat Champagne Vinegar

salt and pepper, to taste

To cut grapefruit into segments, cut peel off and remove as much of the white pith as possible.  

Using a sharp knife, cut along membranes.

Cut Along Membranes On Both Sides Of Segments To Loosen And Remove Segments

Remove pink grapefruit segments and set aside.

Beautiful, Juicy Pink Grapefruit Segments

Mix Orange Champagne Dressing ingredients together.

To serve, place a handful of baby greens on a salad plate.  Top with grapefruit segments, avocado, endive, red onion and pistachio nuts.  Drizzle with dressing just before serving.

Serves 4-6.

I would love to hear what Holiday Salads you're making or eating! 

More Persimmon Salad and Grapefruit Avocado Salad Recipes:
Persimmon Pomegranate Fruit Salad, Simply Recipes
Spinach Salad with Fuyu Persimmon, Cookin' Canuck
Persimmon Salad with Ginger, Mint and Yogurt, the kitchn
Grapefruit and Fennel Salad with Avocado, Cooking with Michele
Grapefruit Avocado Spinach Salad, Scraping the Skillet
Grapefruit, Orange and Avocado Salad, Two Peas and Their Pod
High Fiber Grapefruit & Avocado Salad, Shape Magazine