Holiday Salad - A Healthy Christmas Side Dish

A lot of the time when we sit down to Christmas dinner we’re subjected to a sort of repeat of Thanksgiving a month ago: a table full of heavy foods. I like heavy dishes sometimes, and they’re great for the winter. (If you agree, feel free to make my decadent mashed potatoes for your Christmas dinner!)

Here I have a little bit of lighter fare for you. I created this beautiful healthy Holiday Salad especially for your Holiday celebration. This tasty mix of greens, roasted cherry tomatoes, eggs, and Parmesan cheese will be a delightful foil for the heavier side dishes traditionally served at Christmas dinner.

I chose the beautiful natural colors of red leaf lettuce, baby spinach, and slow roasted cherry tomatoes to celebrate the season. The eggs I hard boiled just short of well done for a bright orange yolk for contrast. These bright natural colors arranged on a plate will surely stand out at dinner time.

Ingredients:

One head of red leaf lettuce
Baby spinach
1/2 sweet onion, sliced into slivers
One package of cherry tomatoes, slow roasted*
Hard boiled eggs
Shaved Parmesan cheese

* I slow roasted the cherry tomatoes with olive oil and herbs de provence at 225 degrees for 90 minutes to bring out their sweetness.

Directions:

Gather your ingredients and arrange thoughtfully in individual portions. Top with balsamic vinaigrette, Italian dressing, or oil and vinegar. (The hard core ranch lovers will probably like my homemade buttermilk dressing.)