Where are those honey sesame cashews from? What would be a good substitute?

They are a Trader Joe's product. Candied walnuts or pecans, roasted almonds, pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds would be good alternatives.

What could I use instead of pomegranate arils?

Chopped apple, dried cranberries, tangerine slices or dried cherries.

How long do the mason jar salads last?

Store in the fridge for up to 4 days.

Some of my dressing sticks to the bottom of the jar, any tips?

I like to add the teensiest splash of water and swirl it around so I get every last drop of dressing!

Is this good for meal prep?

Yes! I think the easiest way is following the mason jar method shown or you can prep all of the components and store them separately until ready to serve.

What's the best way to 'de-aril' a pomegranate?

I score the outside of the pomegranate into quarters. Then I fill a large bowl with cold water and submerge the pomegranate under the water while I work the arils out. The pith bits will float to the top while the arils sink to the bottom. The water method prevents the pomegranate from splashing juice everywhere.

Chicken and Pomegranate Salad with Citrus Tahini Dressing

Description

Easy dinner or satisfying lunch, this chicken and pomegranate salad is crunchy, juicy, tangy, nutty and wrapped up in a citrusy dressing hug.

Ingredients

Units Scale

Salads

4 cups fresh spinach, roughly chopped
2 cups arugula
2 1/2 cups cubed or shredded chicken breast, about 12oz cooked chicken breast
2/3 cup quinoa, uncooked
1 cucumber, diced
1 cup sesame cashews or candied walnuts
1 cup pomegranate arils
4oz feta cheese, crumbled

Dressing

2 tablespoons tahini
3 tablespoons orange juice
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 1/2 tablespoons honey
1/3 cup olive oil
3/4 teaspoon each salt and black pepper
2-3 tablespoons warm water

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Instructions

Quinoa: bring a small saucepan of salted water to a boil. In a fine mesh sieve, rinse the quinoa well. Add the quinoa to the boiling water and simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes, until the quinoa is tender. Drain the quinoa and return it to the hot pot. The heat from the pan helps evaporate any leftover moisture, resulting in perfectly fluffy quinoa.
Dressing: in a small blender or food processor combine the 2 tablespoons tahini, 3 tablespoons orange juice, 3 tablespoons lemon juice, 1 teaspoon lemon zest, 1 ½ tablespoons honey, ⅓ cup olive oil, ¾ teaspoon each salt and pepper and 2 tablespoons warm water. Blend until smooth and creamy. Add another splash of warm water, if desired, until your desired consistency is reached. Alternatively, you can whisk or shake the dressing together.
Salad: assemble salads by tossing together the spinach and arugula and topping with cubed (or shredded) chicken, quinoa, cucumber, cashews, pomegranate arils and feta cheese. Drizzle with dressing, toss to combine and DIG IN!

Notes

Mason jars: If you meal prep these salads in mason jars layer in the ingredients as follows: dressing, chicken, quinoa, pomegranate arils, cucumber, cashews, feta, greens. Each jar should have 3oz cooked chicken, 1/2 cup cooked quinoa, 1/4 cup cashews, 1/4 cup pomegranate arils, 1oz feta and 2 tablespoons dressing. If you put the quinoa right on top of the dressing it will soak it all up, so beware of that, especially if you are omiting the chicken. To serve, simply dump the jar contents into a bowl, give a little toss and enjoy! I like to add the tiniest splash of water to the bottom of the jar just to get every last morsel of dressing.

Refer to the above blog post for process photos, expert tips and answers to frequently asked questions.

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Nutrition

Serving Size: 1/4 recipe
Calories: 717
Sugar: 17.7 g
Sodium: 335.2 mg
Fat: 43.7 g
Carbohydrates: 50.5 g
Fiber: 6.3 g
Protein: 36.9 g
Cholesterol: 87.3 mg