Winter Persimmon Salad with a Lemon Vinaigrette

January is a time for new beginnings especially this year since it’s the first month of the decade. Probably the most common New Year’s resolution is getting healthy and fit. That was my resolution last year, and I am proud to say that I kept it up all year. The key to sustaining this healthier lifestyle was making small adjustments throughout the year to make sure I wasn’t doing too much too fast. My biggest changes last year were reducing my meat consumption to once a day and incorporating more plant based dishes into my diet. This Winter Persimmon Salad is one dish I loved so much, I just had to share on the blog. It’s a completely vegetarian dish that has fresh veggies with sliced persimmons and heirloom tomatoes, topped with a simple lemon vinaigrette made with Filippo Berio Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil.

Why Filippo Berio olive oil is so good

Filippo Berio is a new olive oil brand to me, and I’ve been a huge fan since opening my first bottle last month. I use it for just about everything from making eggs to topping off my pasta. What I love about Filippo Berio is that they value quality above all else. All their products are sourced from the best olive oil producing countries. They then blend their olive oils, so they taste absolutely perfect. And they’ve been doing this for 150 years ever since their founder Filippo Berio started making his own olive oils in 1867!

The health benefits of olive oil

It is pretty common knowledge that olive oil is good for you, but I personally never understood how olive oil benefitted your health so I decided to do a bit of research to get a better understanding. Olive oils contain monounsaturated oleic acid and antioxidants, both of which reduce inflammation. Reducing inflammation is important because it can lead to serious diseases such as cancer, diabetes, and heart disease (yikes!). Olive oils also prevent weight gain and obesity. However, not all olive oils are created equal. The best kind of olive oil is extra virgin olive oil because it still retains some of the antioxidants and bioactive compounds from olives.

Ingredients for my winter persimmon salad

The beauty of this recipe is there are only a few ingredients, so it is simple to make!

Salad Ingredients

• Persimmons – Persimmons are in season right now, and I love the subtle sweetness they add to this salad. Make sure to slice them thinly. I used fuyu persimmons because they are sweeter and firmer than hachiya persimmons.
• Arugula – Arugula is probably my favorite vegetable to use in salads because it has a slightly peppery taste.
• Heirloom Tomatoes – You can use any type of tomatoes for this salad, but I personally liked using small heirloom tomatoes because they are colorful and tasty.
• Almonds – I used thinly sliced almonds that were pre-sliced to reduce the amount of cutting I needed to do. Feel free to use whole almonds for this recipe.
• Fried Shallots – This ingredient adds crunchy texture to the salad. I usually keep a jar of fried shallots handy in my kitchen. You can buy a jar from Asian grocery stores.

Salad Dressing Ingredients

• Filippo Berio Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil – This extra virgin olive oil has a fruity taste with notes of herbs.
• Lemon Juice – Lemon juice adds a brightness to the salad dressing. This recipe calls for a tablespoon of lemon juice which equals the juice of 1 lemon.
• Seasonings (salt & pepper) – Add a pinch of both to add a bit of flavor to the dressing.

Making this winter persimmon salad

The salad is seriously so easy to make, which is what I love most about it. When I make it, it only takes me about 10 minutes including cutting, mixing, and everything. First add all the ingredients for the salad dressing into a small bowl. Whisk it all together until well mixed and set aside. Next, add all the ingredients for the salad into a large bowl or large plate. Drizzle salad dressing over the top and serve!

Recipe Notes

1. Make sure to use extra virgin olive oil. As I mentioned above, to receive the full health benefits from olive oil, make sure to use extra virgin olive oil.
2. Customize the ingredients to your tastes. The best part of making a salad is customizing it to your tastes, so feel free to use more or less of the ingredients to make it taste the way you want.
3. Choose the correct persimmons for this recipe. There are 2 types of persimmons: fuyu and hachiya. Fuyu persimmons look short and squat while hachiya persimmons are taller. I chose to use fuyu persimmons because they are sweeter and firmer when ripe while hachiya persimmons look and feel like a balloon at peak ripeness. Because of the hachiya’s mushy texture, they are generally not used for salads. A great recipe with hachiya persimmons is persimmon bread.
4. Salads are best served right away. Ingredients in salads tend to lose their texture and flavor the longer it sits out, so eat this dish once it’s served!

Did you make this winter persimmon salad?

If you made this dish, I would love to see!

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Thank you to Filippo Berio for sponsoring this post.

Did you make this dish?

If you made this dish, I would love to see!

Follow Cooking Therapy on Instagram, snap a photo, and tag and hashtag it with @cooking__therapy and #beccascookingtherapy.

Stay connected and follow along on Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram for all my latest recipes.

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