Pomegranate & Pear Green Salad with Ginger Dressing

I can’t take my eyes off this salad! The concept came to me as I was improvising a big green salad for Friendsgiving this year. Salads are often overlooked at the holidays, so I set out to make a festive red-and-green showstopper.

I knew I wanted to incorporate ruby-red pomegranate arils and fresh pear, since they’re both so delicious this time of year. I added Honeycrisp apple, goat cheese and pecans for good measure.

Ingredients:

• ½ cup raw pecans (halves or pieces)
• 5 ounces baby arugula
• 2 ounces (about ½ cup) goat cheese or feta, crumbled
• 1 large ripe Bartlett pear, thinly sliced
• 1 Honeycrisp or Gala apple, thinly sliced
• Arils from 1 pomegranate

Ginger dressing

• ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar, to taste
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup or honey
• 1 teaspoon finely grated fresh ginger
• ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
• About 10 twists of freshly ground black pepper