Looking for a healthy appetizer recipe for the holidays? Then you will want to make the Holiday Pomegranate Salsa with Grinch Grahams. Chopped red gala apples, kiwi, and pomegranate seeds mixed together with coconut white balsamic vinegar and honey drizzle. If you can’t find coconut white balsamic vinegar, try orange juice and honey mixture.  The Grinch Grahams are graham cracker sections coated with praline and chopped pistachios with tiny bit of green food coloring gel. They are sweet and crunchy a great combination for the salsa.

This festive red and green salsa recipe is semi sweet and very colorful especially served with green praline graham crackers and spinach tree shaped tortillas.  Served on a round platter, with salsa in the middle surrounded by the Grinch crackers and tree tortillas.

How to make the salsa

In a medium bowl, combine honey and coconut balsamic vinegar, bit of orange or lime  zest whisk with a fork until well combined. Add diced apples, pomegranate seeds and kiwi to the dressing.  Toss gently to coat fruit evenly.  Cover and chill until serving time.

However you will want to make a lemon bath for the apples so they will not turn brown as well as make this salsa last minute before serving.  To make the lemon bath, before adding apples to the salsa mix, squeeze a fresh lemon over the diced apples and toss to coat. Then add to the kiwi and pomegranate seeds.

Making the grinch grahams and tree tortillas as dippers for salsa

Grinch Grahams

To make the grinch grahams you will need to make a praline coating. Super simple to make, you will need 3/4 cup melted butter and 1/2 cup sugar. Melt the butter in a saucepan, stir in sugar and chopped pistachios. Bring to a boil and cook 3 minutes, stirring frequently as not to burn the praline.  Remove from cooktop and add a drop of green food coloring gel, stir to mix.

Next separate into 4 fingers/sections the graham crackers. Place the grahams on a parchment lined baking sheet, spread each section with green praline nut mixture. The mixture is thick and will harden fast. I made 36 individual graham sections for my tray. Bake in the oven at 300 for 10-12 minutes. Remove and allow to cool.  They will be crunchy and delicious to snack on.  You might make a double batch.  Just say’n.

Making spinach tortilla’s as dippers

Some people like options so serving sweet and savory dippers with the fruit salsa offers something for everyone.  To make these dippers you will need a package of spinach tortillas, and a metal tree shaped cookie cutter. Cutting out the tortillas, because of their consistency requires metal edged cookie cutter to cut out shapes. I started with a tree cutter, but found I was loosing a lot of tortillas.  To solve this challenge, I made my own pattern from cardboard.  Making your own you can create any size or shape you want.

Once the trees are cut out, place them on a parchment lined baking sheet. Spray with cooking spray on both sides and sprinkle with sea salt. Bake at 325 for 5 minutes then turn over to bake the other side another 5 minutes.

Serve these crisp dippers with the salsa and grinch grahams.  You can make the tree tortillas a day ahead and store in zip lock bag.  For the grahams, you can make ahead but store them uncovered on the counter.  These will go soft if in you place in covered container.

I think your guests will enjoy this recipe.  Let me know if you make it. Its great for taking to Christmas open houses.  It’s a keeper.

Holiday Pomegranate Salsa with Grinch Grahams

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Diced gala apples, kiwi, and pomegranate seeds, orange or lime zest are drizzled with coconut white balsamic vinegar and honey mixture.  Served with grinch grahams and tree spinach tortillas.

You will need to make this salsa right before serving for best results.

• Author: Liz Bushong
• Prep Time: 60 minutes
• Cook Time: 10-12 minutes
• Total Time: 10-12 minutes
• Yield: 2 cups salsa- 36 dippers-24-30 trees 1x
• Category: appetizer
• Method: mix & bake
• Cuisine: American

Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

2 Gala apples or sweet apple of choice, diced, unpeeled

2 kiwi, peeled and diced

1/4 cup prepared Pomegranate seeds or seeds from 1 large pomegranate

2 tablespoons honey

2 tablespoons coconut white balsamic vinegar or orange juice

1 orange/or 1 lime for zest or both

1 lemon for apple bath

Grinch Grahams

1 package graham crackers, ( 1/3 of 16 ounce box) or 36 sections

3/4 cup butter, melted

1/2 cup sugar

1 cup chopped pistachios

1 drop green food coloring gel

Spinach Tree Tortillas

1 package 10″ round or larger spinach tortillas

cooking spray and sea salt

Tools: Sharp metal tree shaped cookie cutter or make cardboard pattern to cut out shapes

Cook Mode Prevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

Salsa

1. In medium mixing bowl, add honey and balsamic vinegar. If you don’t have coconut bv, use orange juice. Add zest of orange or lime, which ever you prefer.  Whisk until slightly thickened.
2. Chop unpeeled and cored apples into bite size pieces. Place in  medium bowl with dressing. Squeeze fresh lemon juice over the apples. Toss to coat. (You will use 1/2 lemon for juice.)
3. Peel and dice kiwi, add to apples. Add pomegranate seeds. Toss to combine.
4. Serve at room temperature with grinch grahams and tree tortillas.

Grinch Grahams

1. Separate each graham cracker into four sections. Arrange on a parchment lined baking sheet with edges of cracker touching each other.
2. In a medium saucepan, melt butter and add sugar. Stir to combine. Bring to a boil., cook 3 minutes stirring constantly. Remove from heat and add one drop of green food coloring gel and chopped pistachios.
3. Spread mixture over each graham section with an off set spatula or knife, coating edge to edge, end to end the cracker.
4. Bake at 300 for 10-12 minutes. Remove from oven and cool before removing from tray. Serve with salsa.

Spinach tortilla trees

15 ounce package spinach tortillas

metal cookie cutter- tree shape

cooking spray and sea salt

Notes

Salsa best made an hour before serving for best results.

grinch grahams original idea by lizbushong.com

Let me know if you tried this recipe.  Great for entertaining during the holidays.

Thanks for reading and subscribe to lizbushong.com to have each post delivered straight to your e-mail box.   

Liz XO

Other Ideas you might like to try:

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