Ensalada Nochebuena (Mexican Christmas Eve Salad)
Ensalada Nochebuena is a bright and colorful Mexican Christmas Eve Salad full of seasonal vegetables and fruits.
Servings: 8 people
Ingredients
For The Salad
- ½ head romaine lettuce, chopped
- 2 medium beets, boiled, peeled and sliced*
- 1 very ripe plantain (yellow with black spots), sliced (optional) or a banana
- 1 c jicama, peeled and diced (optional) or water chestnuts
- 1 large sweet apple, sliced into wedges
- 1 large orange, peeled and sectioned
- ½ c peanuts, unsalted
- 1 c pomegranate arils (seeds)
For The Dressing
- ¼ c orange juice
- 2 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon fresh mint or 1 teaspoon dry mint
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- Honey or sugar (to taste)
Instructions
- On a large serving platter (or in a clear salad bowl), place the chopped lettuce.
- Layer the sliced beets over the lettuce.
- Layer the remaining fruit and vegetables over the lettuce as desired, using a combination of sliced and diced ingredients (for visual interest).
- Top the salad off with a sprinkling of peanuts and pomegranate arils.
- In a small bowl, combine dressing ingredients.
- Drizzle the dressing over the salad just before serving.*
Notes
*To Boil The Beets. Place whole, unpeeled beets in a saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil and simmer for 20 minutes, until tender when tested with a fork. Remove the beets from the water and let cool to touch. Peel the beets by rubbing the skins vigorously with a paper towel. Slice the cooked and peeled beets to use in the salad. (Careful, the beet juice will stain!)
Because of the staining nature of beet juice, it is best to keep this salad nicely layered until serving. Once the salad is tossed, everything takes on a festive pink hue from the beets!