Mexican Christmas Salad
Jewels of color, textures crisp, soft and crunchy and flavors of so many fruits that we love create a perfect array for a beautiful Christmas Eve salad. So do it as the Mexicans do for Christmas Eve with this “Ensalada de Noche Buena”)
Mexican Christmas Eve Salad (Ensalada de Noche Buena)
In Mexico there is a nine day celebration from December 16 through December 24 called Las Posadas. It typically starts with a parade each night of children enacting the journey of Mary and Joseph that leads them to the stable where Jesus is born. The last house they visit each night is where the posada party is celebrated. The nine days represent the nine months of Mary’s pregnancy.
Mexican Christmas Eve Salad (Ensalada de Noche Buena)
2 cooked beets, peeled and sliced into 1/4-inch slices
2 navel oranges, peel removing as much pith as possible and break into segments
1 red apple, with skin on, core and slice into thin wedges
1 green apple, with skin on, core and slice into thin wedges
½ of a jicama, skinned and julienned, about 1 1/2 cups
¼ fresh pineapple, skinned, cored and chopped into 1” pieces, about 1 1/2 cups
½ cup minced red onion
1/2 cup of grated carrots
1/2 cup red seedless grapes (if large, cut in half)
10 cups of salad greens, lettuces and spinach
4 tablespoons olive oil
4 tablespoons red wine vinegar
4 tablespoons fresh orange juice
Salt & pepper to taste
1 large banana sliced at an angle
1 cup fresh pomegranate seeds
1/2 cup chopped dry-roasted peanuts
-To make the salad dressing, pour the olive oil, red wine vinegar, orange juice and salt & pepper to taste in a glass jar with a tight-fitting lid. Shake thoroughly until olive oil is emulsified.
-On a large open platter, arrange sliced beets, oranges, and apple slices in a large circle around the edge. Toss the salad greens, carrots, red onion, pineapple, jicama, grapes and salad dressing together and mound in the center of the ring of beets, oranges and apple slices. Top with banana slices, pomegranate seeds and chopped peanuts. Serve immediately or chilled.
Serves 12
Arrange the beets, orange segments and apple slices around the edges. Mix greens, pineapple, carrots, jicama, onion and grapes with the dressing and mound in the center.
So many delicious fruits and veggies on one platter!
Spread banana, pomegranate seeds and peanuts on top!
