By The ISFA work continues — another kitchen table this week, another young family with numbers that might work. I sat across from a couple in Madison County and laid out the grants and watched their faces change from fear to possibility, and the change is the thing I live for now.
Thursday was tater tot hotdish, because Thursday is always tater tot hotdish and the schedule doesn't change for anything — not pandemics, not loss, not the passage of years. The tater tots go in at 375 and come out golden and the family eats them and the eating is the Thursday and the Thursday is the structure and the structure holds. But I also made cinnamon rolls extra frosting earlier this week, because the kitchen doesn't only look backward. The kitchen grows.
Seed starting continues at the Holloway household — the windowsill green, the grow lights purple, the soil mix precise. The annual miracle of February and March: things grow even when everything says they shouldn't. The growing is the argument against everything.
The tater tot hotdish feeds the Thursday, and the cinnamon rolls feed the something-extra, but the seed trays on the windowsill remind me that I also need things that are green and alive and a little bit celebratory — and that’s where this salad comes in. After a week of sitting across from families whose lives are in the middle of changing, I want a bowl that looks like things are already growing. The pomegranate arils catch the light exactly the way the grow lights catch the seedlings, and eating it feels like making an argument, the same kind the windowsill makes every February.
Pomegranate Splash Salad
Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 0 min | Total Time: 15 min | Servings: 6
Ingredients
- 6 cups fresh baby spinach
- 1 cup pomegranate arils
- 1/2 cup candied pecans
- 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
- 1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion
- 1 medium cucumber, thinly sliced
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons pomegranate juice
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Make the dressing. In a small bowl or jar, whisk together the olive oil, pomegranate juice, honey, Dijon mustard, salt, and pepper until the dressing is smooth and emulsified. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.
- Build the salad base. Add the baby spinach to a large serving bowl or platter. Arrange the cucumber slices and red onion over the top.
- Add the toppings. Scatter the pomegranate arils and candied pecans evenly over the salad. Crumble the feta cheese across the surface.
- Dress and serve. Drizzle the dressing over the salad just before serving and toss gently to coat. Serve immediately while the greens are crisp.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 205 | Protein: 4g | Fat: 14g | Carbs: 17g | Fiber: 3g | Sodium: 215mg