Spinach Salad with Pomegranate Vinaigrette

I have to start off by apologizing to my fellow Sweet Melissa Sunday bakers, particularly our host for this week’s recipe, Jennifer of Keep Passing the Open Windows. She chose the lemon icebox cake with strawberry sauce and it sounded so fabulous!! Unfortunately, the cake needs to be stored in the freezer and we are at capacity in our freezer. I simply couldn’t clear the space to store a cake. I do intend to make this cake as soon as possible so stay tuned! For now, pop over to Jennifer’s site to see how she made out with the lemon icebox cake and also check out the rest of the bakers at Sweet Melissa Sundays.

Happy Mother’s Day everyone! I hope you all enjoyed a nice day with family and friends. We’re having a beautiful (though very windy) Sunday. This morning we hosted a brunch at our house for the moms. I’ll be posting all of the dishes I served over the next few days but here’s the first one – spinach salad with pomegranate vinaigrette. I wanted something light and colorful to serve and this salad definitely fit the bill. I didn’t actually have any salad at brunch but I tasted the vinaigrette as I made it and really, really liked it! Everyone who did try the salad enjoyed it. I’ve been looking for a use for some leftover pomegranate juice in my fridge and this is a great one.

Spinach Salad with Pomegranate Vinaigrette
adapted from FoodNetwork.com

1/2 cup pomegranate juice
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar (I used cider vinegar)
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
Salt and ground black pepper
6 cups baby spinach leaves
1/3 cup dried cranberries
1/3 cup toasted walnut pieces
1/3 cup strawberries
1/3 cup blue cheese

In a small container with lid, combine pomegranate juice, vinegar, oil, and Dijon mustard. Seal and shake to combine. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper.

Place spinach in a salad bowl and top with cranberries, walnuts, strawberries and blue cheese. Pour vinaigrette over spinach and serve.