Did you miss me?? I’m back from the tropics. Burned/tan, my freckles are out in full force, my hair is red, and I’m totally ready for Christmas!!
Oh wait, not.
It’s extremely discombobulating coming back from 85+ degree weather, laying on the beach/by the pool all day, then coming home to FREEZING COLD temperatures and potentially snow, knowing christmas is 3 days away. My whole body is confused.
This must be what it’s like for people who live in warm climates and have never actually seen a white Christmas. How weird must all those old claymation holiday specials be for them? It can’t always be Rudolph and Frosty’s Christmas in July. (Sidenote, I recently attempted to watched that one for the first time this year. WEIRD. Stick to the classics, people. The abominable snowman and the island of misfit toys are where it’s at.) I was in Florida in November and seeing people’s holiday decorations out with palm trees just looked extremely odd. WHAT ABOUT THE SNOW?!!? Sledding? Snowball fights? Shoving snow in your younger siblings faces and making them eat it??
Anyway. I’m bridging the gap here between tropical and coming back to cold December/Christmastime with a perfect, light, tropical-ish dessert (or snack) that’s light and pretty enough for any Christmas spread: Pomegranate Orange and Mint Salad. Did I mention it literally has three ingredients, one or two more if you want to add my coconut whipped cream on top? Yeah. Talk about dessert on the fly. Plus, it’s stunningly pretty to boot if I do say so myself. You could even add some chopped pistachios on top if you’re feeling suuper fancy, but it’s not necessary.
Prepare to impress your guests! Or, you know, eat the whole thing yourself before anyone even has a chance to see it because it’s so good. Not that it’s happened before or anything…
Here’s the coconut whipped cream recipe. If you’re going to use it, make sure you refrigerate a can of full-fat coconut milk for about 8 hours or overnight before making it. Then whip it up while your dessert here is chilling!
- 2 oranges, peeled and sliced into bite-sized pieces
- ¼c pomegranate seeds
- a few mint leaves, chopped
- optional: coconut whipped cream (see link above)
- optional: chopped pistachios
- Toss together the orange slices and pomegranate seeds in a small bowl. Refrigerate for about 30 minutes to let the flavors come together.
- When ready to serve, divide into individual serving dishes (I used martini glasses for extra fancy effect!) and top with coconut whipped cream, if using, and a pinch of chopped mint.
- Serve 'em up!
