Marzetti's Pomegranate Dressing Makes a Sweet Superfood Salad

It was a hot Sacramento afternoon, a perfect day for frying eggs on the sidewalk. But with concerns about concrete poisoning, I thought it wiser to stay indoors and make a cool, crispy salad instead. I had just received a free sample of Marzetti's Simply Dressed Pomegranate Salad Dressing in the mail and decided to test it on my favorite summertime salad fixings. Not only was the resulting salad especially healthy, it tasted so sweet and refreshing, I didn't even crave dessert afterward.

MARZETTI'S SUPERFOOD SALAD

Ingredients:

Salad greens (I used romaine)

Marzetti's Simply Dressed Pomegranate Salad Dressing

Salt

Dried cranberries

Walnuts

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Directions:

Toss greens with dressing. Sprinkle lightly with salt. Top with dried cranberries and walnuts.

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Because the cranberries provide sweetness, I usually make this salad with a creamy, savory dressing, such as ranch or blue cheese. This gives it a just-right balance of sweet and savory. But since the salad is loaded with cranberries and walnuts -- two well-known superfoods -- I thought it might be fun to add a dressing made from pomegranates, another superfood, to the mix.

What surprised me was how the natural sweetness of the pomegranate dressing transformed my go-to starter salad into a light and healthy dessert. Even by itself, the dressing was so pure and fruity, I could have almost sipped it with a straw.

Another thing that really pleased me about the Marzetti's Simply Dressed Pomegranate Salad Dressing is the purity of its ingredients. Like most nutritionistas, I avoid processed foods with ingredients I can't pronounce, and the Marzetti's Simply Dressed line of dressings aced this test. The ingredients for the pomegranate dressing are as follows: water, sugar, canola oil, distilled vinegar, pomegranate juice concentrate, orange juice concentrate, extra virgin olive oil, sea salt, xanthan gum, natural flavor, fruit and vegetable juice and spice.

I read on the Marzetti's label that the pomegranate dressing is also gluten free, a plus for people who are sensitive to this protein. And at only 60 calories for two tablespoons, I didn't even have to skimp on the dressing.

If I were to make my Marzetti's Superfood Salad again for a starter course, I would probably add feta cheese or another savory ingredient to cut the sweetness of the cranberries and dressing. As prepared, this was a perfect salad with which to end my meal. Who said salad can't be dessert?

I received this product for free and I was compensated for the article.