Second Helping: Apple Pomegranate Salad with Tarragon Dressing

If you're unfamiliar with pomegranates, prepare to fall in love. They have a reputation for being hard to eat, but that's nonsense. Simply score the leathery outer skin, peel it open, and gently remove the gorgeous red arils from the bitter membrane. You can do this over a bowl or by immersing the fruit in water, which helps separate the membrane bits. (For a great pictorial of this method, check out this post at Wit & Whistle.)

Some people chew the arils and spit out the seeds, but I don't. I like the crunch, and spitting out those tiny seeds takes a lot of the fun out of the experience.

This fall salad came together at the farmer's market, where I find more affordable organic produce. Organic apples at $2 a pound, a head of organic red butter lettuce, a beautiful deal on pomegranates (three for $1!), tarragon from my garden -- and this salad was had for a song.

The dressing worked a miracle in my house. My older son, who has never eaten lettuce, happily ate three servings of greens. We used the dressing to season purple cauliflower for roasting the next day -- yum!

Tip: If the high price of organic food puts you off, check out the Environmental Working Group's Shopper's Guide to Pesticides. Available as a pdf or iPhone app, it identifies the "cleanest" produce and the "dirty dozen" to help you choose when to go organic.

Apple and Pomegranate Salad with Tarragon Dressing

Soaking the apple slices in acidulated water -- with lemon juice or vitamin C -- keeps them from browning. Leftover dressing will keep at least a week or two in the refrigerator.

2 to 3 apples, peeled, cored and sliced
2 vitamin C tablets, crushed, or 1 to 2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 head of butter lettuce or other greens
3 tablespoons pomegranate arils

Tarragon Dressing:
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
2/3 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon fresh tarragon, chopped
salt and pepper to taste

In a small bowl, stir together crushed vitamin C tablets or lemon juice with water. Peel, core, and slice apples, then immerse slices in water bath for a few minutes to reduce browning. Drain.

Combine the dressing ingredients in a jar and shake to blend. Combine greens and apples in a large bowl; drizzle dressing over and toss to combine. Top salad with pomegranate arils.