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Holiday Salad

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  • Prep 30 min
  • Total 45 min
  • Ingredients 15
  • Servings 4
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Among my favorite Christmas recipes are salads that combine the freshness of mixed lettuce with the delicate sweetness of fruits. To this I add a bit of cheese, a bit of ham, and quinoa, which gives the dish a beautiful color, wonderful texture and a unique character. Each year I go through my collection of Christmas recipes, always giving preference to my salads. I never repeat them, since I like to experiment with variations and love adding a few creative twists to the original. How about you? Have you got any salads planned for your Christmas table?
by Morena Cuadra
Updated Sep 27, 2015
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Ingredients

  • 1 cup cream cheese, at room temperature
  • 2 tablespoons chives or parsley, finely chopped
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 cup red quinoa, cooked
  • 1 head lollo rosso lettuce, washed and cut into strips
  • 1 head romaine lettuce, washed and cut into strips
  • 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 1/2 cup golden berries, halved
  • 1/2 cup ham, cut into thin strips
  • 4 peaches in syrup, thinly sliced

For the vinaigrette:

  • 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
  • 2/3 cup olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

  •  
    1
    In a bowl, combine the cream cheese, chives or parsley, salt and pepper, and a half cup of quinoa. Stir until you have a homogeneous mixture, and form balls of about 1/2 inch in thickness. Roll these across the rest of quinoa (which should be on a plate), until they are completely covered by the quinoa. You can do this step ahead of time and keep your quinoa and cheese “truffles” in a sealed container in the refrigerator.
  •  
    2
    In a salad bowl or serving bowl, combine the lettuce, cherry tomatoes, golden berries, ham and peaches. Add the quinoa and cheese truffles, and just before serving add the vinaigrette. Stir gently and serve.
  •  
    3
    For the vinaigrette: Combine the balsamic vinegar and olive oil, mayonnaise, sugar, salt and pepper. Stir well. You can speed up this process if you make the vinaigrette in a blender.
  •  
    4
    Prepare the vinagraitte a couple of days in advance and keep refrigerated. Shake well before using.

Expert Tips

  • tip 1
    Use any type of lettuce you like.
  • tip 2
    Add watercress or arugula to give your salad a bitter touch.
  • tip 3
    You can substitute the peaches with thinly sliced pears or apples.
  • tip 4
    You can also use red or green grapes instead of golden berries.
  • tip 5
    You can also add pecans as a finishing touch your salad. Don’t have pecans? No worries! Almonds, walnuts or macadamia nuts work just as well.

Nutrition Information

No nutrition information available for this recipe

More About This Recipe

  • Among my favorite Christmas recipes are salads that combine the freshness of mixed lettuce with the delicate sweetness of fruits. To this I add a bit of cheese, a bit of ham, and quinoa, which gives the dish a beautiful color, wonderful texture and a unique character. Each year I go through my collection of Christmas recipes, always giving preference to my salads. I never repeat them, since I like to experiment with variations and love adding a few creative twists to the original. How about you? Have you got any salads planned for your Christmas table?
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