Arugula, Apple & Bacon Salad with Cranberry Vinaigrette
This salad is exactly what you need to break up the monotonous Thanksgiving table. This fresh Cranberry Vinaigrette transforms even the most mundane salad.
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Ingredients
Scale
For the salad:
- 6 cups arugula leaves
- 1 apple, cored and sliced finely
- 1/2 cup EITHER fresh pomegranate arils OR sugar free dried cranberries
- 4 slices of bacon
For the Cranberry Vinaigrette:
- 1 cup fresh cranberries
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
- 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- Sea salt & pepper to taste (omit pepper for AIP)
- 2 – 4 tbl water, depending on desired thickness
Instructions
- Cook the bacon and set aside to cool while you make the dressing.
- Add all of the cranberry dressing ingredients to a blender except the water.
- Puree until all cranberry dressing ingredients are combined. Slowly add the water until the dressing is your preferred consistency.
- Divide the arugula leaves, apple slices and EITHER pomegranate or sugar free dried cranberries between plates equally.
- Drizzle the salad plates with cranberry vinaigrette.
- Chop the cooked and cooled bacon into pieces and top the salad with them before serving.
Notes
This recipe is very tart / sour. I personally LOVE that when this dish is on a holiday table as it cuts through the richness of other foods, PLUS it is free of added sugar which makes it suitable for people following Whole 30 or 21 Day Sugar Detox programs. Feel free to add a liquid sweetener to this if needed, though!