Festive Fruit and Green Salad for a Crowd

With all it's colours this salad is just so pretty!

It makes enough for about 25 people but you can divide it down if you don't need that much. Have all your fruit and veggies chopped and stored in ziplock baggies until you need them. You can toss the dressing in right before serving.  I did that with one big bowl of salad, but left the second bowl undressed in case it didn't get used right away.

4 - 8 oz bags mixed greens and spinach
2-3 cups chopped celery
2  1/2 cups dried cranberries
4 cans mandarin orange segments, drained
3 Granny Smith apples, thinly sliced
2 tsps salt
1  1/2 cups pecan halves
1 pomegranate

Dressing:
16 oz vegetable oil
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup white wine vinegar
2/3 cup sugar
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp onion powder


Mix the dressing ingredients together and refrigerate. It is a little sweet on account of the sugar, but if you want more sweetness just add a little of the juice from the drained mandarins. I stored my dressing in mason jars because it was easy to transport to the dinner I was taking my salad to.

To prepare the apple slices dissolve 2 tsp of salt in a bowl of water enough to cover the sliced apples. Let them sit in it for 10 minutes, then rinse with cold water and pat dry. Place in a ziplock bag and remove as much air as possible (use a straw). Granny Smiths don't brown as easily as other apples do, but doing this will keep them white even longer.

Cut the pomegranate in half then submerge in a bowl of water. As you start peeling the membrane away it will float to the top leaving the pomegranate seeds on the bottom of the bowl.  So easy!

So when you are ready to serve this beauty simply empty all your baggies into a large salad bowl along with the greens, toss with the dressing, then sit back and wait for the compliments : )