Pomegranate Salad with Polenta Croutons and Maple Lime Dressing

This salad has the flavor X factor. Yes, it’s a colorful, balanced meal with protein (LAFF), unsaturated fat (avocado), complex carbohydrates (polenta), and antioxidants (pomegranates, mixed greens). Yes, it’s straightforward to make. And, yes, it’s customizable. But there’s an X factor (the zest factor!) that leaves me satisfied and energized—mentally and physically—every time I eat it.

Ingredients (2 entree salads and about ½ cup dressing)

Besides mixed greens, here’s what you’ll need for this salad. If at all possible, use pure maple syrup…the real stuff.

4-6 cups mixed greens 1 cup LAFF protein crumbles 1 avocado 1 pomegranate 1 tube (18 oz) polenta (such as Ancient Harvest)* ⅓ cup lime juice 2 tablespoons 100% pure maple syrup (my favorite) ¼ cup nutritional yeast (such as Bob’s Red Mill)* 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard 1 teaspoon water ¼-½ teaspoon ancho chili powder (adjust to your taste) ⅛-¼ teaspoon fine sea salt Cooking spray Additional sea salt

Method

Heat the oven to 415 Fahrenheit.

Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray.

My small Ninja blender is perfect for making this dressing. And this dressing is perfect for adding pizazz to salads.

Dice the polenta into crouton-sized pieces. Scatter the diced polenta over the baking sheet, and coat them with cooking spray. Sprinkle with salt.

Bake the diced polenta for 35-40 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes. Voila! You have delicious polenta croutons. (The croutons are done when they have the amount of crunch that YOU like.

While the croutons bake, (1) remove the seeds (arils) from the pomegranate, (2) slice the avocado, (3) make the dressing, and (4) prep the LAFF.

(1) To remove the arils, try the whacking method shown here.

(2) You can slice the avocado without peeling it as shown here and (in more detail) here. For whatever reason, I enjoy the sensation of peeling avocados, so, unlike most people, I remove the peel before slicing. To each her own.

(3) To make the dressing, blend the lime juice, maple syrup, nutritional yeast, ancho chili powder, Dijon mustard, water, and salt in a small blender. Taste with a clean spoon. See tips below on how to adjust the seasoning and consistency to your liking.

(4) Pour 1 cup of LAFF into a microwave-safe small bowl (a cereal bowl works). Stir approximately 1 tablespoon of the dressing into the LAFF. Microwave at 20 second intervals until the LAFF is warm.

To construct the salad, place the greens in a large bowl (or two individual bowls). Add the arils and avocado. Toss with the dressing, reserving about 1 tablespoon of the dressing. Add the LAFF and croutons. Drizzle the top with the reserved dressing.

Gem of a salad!

Tips and Notes

If serving guests, you can allow each person to ladle the dressing on their own salad. In that case, consider doubling the dressing recipe in case anyone has a heavy hand.

Adjusting the flavor of the dressing: If it’s too mild, add ancho chili powder. If it’s too dull, add lime juice and salt. If it’s too thin, add more nutritional yeast. If I’m in doubt about anything, I add maple syrup.

Like a lot of dressing on your salad? Or letting guests dress their own salads? Double (or triple) the dressing recipe and save any leftovers for future salads.

You can replace the 100% pure maple syrup with agave, but don’t replace the pure maple syrup with regular pancake syrup. How do you know if your syrup is 100% pure? Look at the ingredients. Pure maple syrup has only one ingredient—maple syrup. Other syrups—typical pancake syrups—contain less tasty ingredients such as corn syrup.

I like the polenta croutons best when they’re flavored with only sea salt. But you can add other spices, such as ancho chili powder, to amp up the zestiness. You can also cook the croutons on the stove top in a cast iron skillet.

Zhuzh up this salad by adding fresh mint, a bit of red onion, or carrot ribbons. (You can make carrot ribbons by running your peeler over a peeled carrot.)

This salad pairs well with butternut squash soup or a baked sweet potato.

I am not sponsored or affiliated with any brands other than LAFFkitchen.