Healthy Holiday Eating with Nicola’s Tasty Kitchen!

Is it just us or is all this holiday decorating working up your appetite? Luckily, we’re taking a short break from Christmas greenery and festive bookshelves for our 5th Day of LUX!

Nicola from Nicola’s Tasty Kitchen and her daughter Holly took over for us on this one to show you how to create their favourite holiday salad. It’ll help you save room for all those rich holiday treats!

Ingredients:

• Mixed greens
• Quinoa
• 1 butternut squash
• Pomegranate seeds
• Honey roasted nuts
• 1 cup of olive oil
• Cinnamon
• 1/2 Cup of white balsamic vinegar
• 1/3 cup of honey
• 1 tsp Salt

Instructions:

1. Cut and peel a butternut squash. Roast it in the oven with a little bit of cinnamon and olive oil for 30-40 minutes.
2. Cook up some quinoa on the stove.
3. Place the mixed greens in a salad bowl.
4. Add in the cooked quinoa, roasted butternut squash, pomegranate seeds, and honey roasted nuts.
5. In a mason jar, combine 1 cup of olive oil, 1/2 cup of white balsamic vinegar, 1/3 cup of honey, and a teaspoon of salt. Place the lid on the jar and shake until fully mixed together. Add the vinaigrette to your salad.

This holiday salad is full of flavour and texture. The hint of cinnamon and pop of colour from the pomegranate seeds make this salad extra festive, and adding honey roasted nuts gives the dish a delicious crunch. Most importantly, the vinaigrette keeps it simple—nothing too overpowering like garlic or onions. This side is super easy to whip up and is sure to be a win with your dinner guests this season!

As always, thank you for reading!