Christmas in Australia is HOT! Which is why a cold Christmas Wreath Salad is the perfect accompaniment to your Christmas mains. Plus, the Avocado Yoghurt Dressing has the perfect amount of tang from the herbs that make it perfect to drizzle on top of the salad packed with Christmassy ingredients like cranberries, brie and candied walnuts.
I grew up in Brisbane so a 35 degree Christmas Day with 70%+ humidity was not out of the ordinary. It often meant we didn't have heavy meats for Christmas lunch and leant more toward the seafood like a Whole Baked Barramundi or Salmon with Mango Salsa Verde which helped us keep our cool.
Although, when you pair it with this Christmas Wreath Salad with Avocado Yoghurt Dressing, the "heavier" meals like a Roast Turkey and Pineapple Baked Ham would still make a perfect addition to a Christmas Lunch Menu.
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Festive holiday salad recipe
The ultimate Christmas salad has got to be one with lots of red and green and bursting with flavour and Christmassy ingredients. Not only is it delicious, but making it into a wreath makes a fantastic centrepiece on your Christmas table.
You could make a Christmas wreath from any salad recipe you have on hand, and mix-and-match the ingredients. I may be bias, but I do think mine is the best!
Christmas wreath salad ingredients and substitutions
Greens. Leafy greens are the base to this salad recipe. I use rocket because I love the peppery notes it gives, but you can substitute with any combination of leafy greens (e.g. spinach, lettuce, silver beet etc.)
Capsicum. Or peppers as my North American friends call them. Which actually makes a lot more sense because they are part of the "pepper" family (but I guess in Australia, we call them chillis). Anyway, grab a red and green one to ensure the Christmas colours are prominent.
Walnuts. I make delicious candied walnuts using brown sugar and maple syrup, but you can use plain walnuts or any other nuts (or you can omit if you need to make this recipe nut-free). BUT, I would recommend incorporating some crunch so perhaps some croutons would be the next best option.
Dried cranberries. Another sweet element, plus it's Christmassy.
Brie cheese. I mean, speaking about Christmas, is there anything better than the combination of cranberry and brie cheese?
Cherry tomatoes. Yet another red element to contrast with the green background from the rocket.
Avocado yoghurt dressing ingredients and substitutes
Greek yoghurt. You want to make sure you get the plain Greek yoghurt for the salad dressing. Anything that has additional flavouring to it might contrast with the additional ingredients. You can substitute this for normal yoghurt if you're not a fan of the Greek yoghurt tang, or for a vegan yoghurt (coconut would work well).
Avocado. I mean, how good is avocado?
Lime. You want both the juice AND the zest. Don't just throw out the zest once you've juiced it.
Parsley. The herb element of the dish which adds a fantastic flavour profile. If you're not a fan, you can substitute this with another herb of your choosing.
Olive oil. Olive oil helps with the texture of the dressing.
Garlic clove. Now I've only stated 1 garlic clove in the recipe, but you can measure this with your heart.
How to make a Christmas wreath salad
- Plate and bowl
First, you want to get yourself a large, flat circular plate, stone or lazy-susan (I have a marble lazy Susan and it is my favourite thing ever). You also want to get a small circular ramekin to place in the middle (this will be for your sauce and makes the 'hole' of the wreath).
- Candied walnuts
If you're choosing to candy the walnuts. Heat some brown sugar and maple syrup in a small frying pan, then add the walnuts in. Heat over low heat until the walnuts are covered in the mixture. Remove from heat and let cool.
- Prepare vegetables
Wash and slice your vegetables. I cut my capsicum (peppers) into small slithers and my cherry tomatoes in half.
You also want to cut your brie cheese into small slices. - Salad dressing
Add all your salad dressing ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth. I use a small hand blender for this as it's less to clean up, but you can also use a regular sized blender or just mash it up with a fork if you don't have the appliance.
You can adjust the texture with the oil. - Plate it up
Start with about half of the leafy greens and arrange them around the ramekin. Slowly build up by adding the rest of the ingredients (including the rest of the leafy greens), ensuring you're getting a mix of colours all the way around.
Pour the salad dressing into the ramekin in the middle and top with some herbs.
Salad meal prep
Salads are a fantastic meal prep option for a busy week. Especially because they don't need to be heated up!
The concern with a cold salad meal prep though is the sogginess on day 2-5. But, I have some tips that will help you combat this!
- Make the salad ingredients and dressing separately.
- Store the salad dressing in a separate container and add JUST before you're about to eat it. This will stop the salad ingredients from becoming soggy.
- Add a paper towel to the bottom of the container. This will help soak up the excess moisture from the leafy greens, helping to keep them crisp (you could also do this on the top as well).
- Store the salad in a glass container. I've found that it holds the integrity of the ingredients better than in silicone or plastic.
Frequently Asked Questions
You can substitute the Greek yoghurt for a vegan yoghurt, such as coconut or oat in this avocado yoghurt with lime dressing. Alternatively, you could make it a vegan-mayo base (however, if your goal is weight-loss, I wouldn't recommend this as there may be extra calories in the mayo due to the oils).
Yes. The avocado yoghurt dressing keeps in the fridge for up to 3-4 days if stored in an airtight container. It may be a less bright green as the avocado in it could discolour when exposed to air. But, I guarantee it will still taste just as delicious.
Make sure you hold off adding the dressing to the salad until right before (or a few hours before) to avoid serving up a soggy salad!
This salad can be served on a tray or in a large salad bowl if you're not wanting to make it into a Christmas-themed salad. It's a delicious recipe anytime of the year.
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Recipe
Australian Christmas Wreath Salad with Avocado Yoghurt Dressing
Ingredients
Salad
- 4 cups Rocket See Note 1
- 1 Red capsicum thinly sliced
- 1 Green capsicum thinly sliced
- 2 cups Cherry tomatoes halved
- Walnuts see candied walnuts
- ½ cup Dried cranberries
- 200 g wheel Brie cheese sliced
Dressing
- 1 cup Plain Greek yoghurt See Note 2
- 1 Avocado remove skin and seed
- 1 Lime juice & zest
- ½ cup Parsley
- 1 tablespoon Olive oil
- 1 Garlic clove crushed
Candied Walnuts
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- 1 cup Walnuts
Instructions
- Add brown sugar and maple syrup to a small pan over low heat. Mix until combined then add walnuts. Stir until walnuts are covered in the mixture. Remove from the heat.
- Add dressing ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth. Add more olive oil if needed for a runnier texture.
- Add a ramekin to the middle of a circular dish.
- Start with about half of the leafy greens and arrange them around the ramekin. Slowly build up by adding the rest of the ingredients (including the rest of the leafy greens), ensuring you're getting a mix of colours all the way around.
- Pour the salad dressing into the ramekin in the middle and top with some herbs.
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