With Christmas fast approaching in just 10 days, I wanted to create a recipe that would be a nice compliment to any roasted duck, goose, turkey, ham, chicken, whatever. This is a colorful recipe that will brighten up your holiday table and your guests’ tastebuds.

Last Christmas, my parents bought me this amazingly simple but effective device that de-seeds a pomegranate in under a minute. I had to wait for this winter for pomegranates to be in season again and now that I know how quick and easy it is to de-seed them I’m going to buy them a lot more this season!

If you’d rather make this a side dish instead of a salad you can follow the extra step (minus the ginger dressing) to make it a warm saute much like you’d make kale or cabbage on the stovetop normally. I wasn’t sure if either would taste good but we were both blown away by how delicious the warm and the cold versions were! Seriously, so so tasty. The pomegranate seeds still popped in the warm version and the butter made the greens just melt-in-your-mouth. The Asian dressing on the cold salad with the salty blue cheese and sweet pomegranate seeds were a knock-out combination. Happy Holidays!

Kale, Cabbage, Fennel and Pomegranate: Warm and Cold

Recipe by: Everyday Cooking Adventures, 2015

Serves: 2

Ingredients:

• 2 large kale leaves, shredded or chopped (about 1 cup)
• 1/4 head savoy or curly cabbage, shredded or chopped (about 1 cup)
• 1/2 small fennel bulb, sliced into strips
• 1/2 pomegranate, seeded – – you use the seeds only
• Salt and fresh ground black pepper

For COLD Version:

• 1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese
• 1/4 cup Asian ginger dressing (bottled or homemade: see recipe below)

For WARM Version: 

• 2 Tbsp. butter
• 1/4 cup vegetable broth

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, combine the shredded cabbage and kale, fennel, and pomegranate seeds. Season with salt and black pepper.
2. For the cold salad version: Add the cheese and ginger dressing and toss to combine. Serve with additional dressing on the side.
3. For the warm version: Heat the butter in a medium-large skillet over medium-low heat. Add the veggies/seeds and saute, stirring occasionally for 5 minutes. Add the broth, cover with a lid and let simmer for another 5 minutes. Remove lid, let any remaining liquid burn off for a couple more minutes and serve immediately.

HOMEMADE ASIAN GINGER DRESSING RECIPE

Ingredients:

• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger root
• 3/4 cup olive oil
• 1/3 cup rice vinegar
• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 3 Tbsp.  honey
• 1/4 cup water

Directions:

1. Whisk all the ingredients together in a small, microwaveable bowl. Place in the microwave for 30 seconds to dissolve the honey and stir again to again. Allow to cool or place in refrigerator for minimum 15 minutes before serving.