You do not need a special occasion to make a salad that impresses everyone at the table. You have the opportunity to elevate your meal from ordinary to extraordinary every single day. This salad is perfectly balanced and every bite bursts with more flavor than the last. The textural differences complement the subtly tart and sweet flavors. Whether you want to impress a few guests or enjoy a nutritious salad alone, this is the recipe that will change your outlook on what a salad means. It’s more than a bowl of greens; rather, it’s a dynamic bowl of deliciousness.

Why is this salad so refreshing? Besides adding a lovely mix of vibrant orange and red, the mandarin oranges and pomegranate arils burst with sweetly tart juices. They also pack a healthy dose of vitamin C and powerful antioxidants. If there are other seasonal fruits available to you, it is perfectly acceptable to use those instead of pomegranates and mandarins. For example, pears, grapefruit, and different orange varieties would be excellent choices.

While spinach is the base for the salad, we recommend that you procure baby spinach for a unique freshness and nutritional boost. We also included avocado, as it not only provides a creamy textural difference, but a large amount of monounsaturated fats that benefit heart and brain health. As with any salad, the dressing ties everything together. It is a rich poppyseed dressing that has the perfect balance of tangy and sweet.