Green Salad With Dried Cranberries and Fig Balsamic Dressing

By
John Mitzewich
John Mitzewich
John Mitzewich is a food writer, recipe video producer, and culinary school instructor with more than 20 years of experience in the food industry.
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Updated on 04/25/22
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Prep: 15 mins
Cook: 0 mins
Total: 15 mins
Servings: 4 servings
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
331 Calories
28g Fat
15g Carbs
7g Protein
Show Full Nutrition Label Hide Full Nutrition Label
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4
Amount per serving
Calories 331
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 28g 36%
Saturated Fat 7g 35%
Cholesterol 25mg 8%
Sodium 453mg 20%
Total Carbohydrate 15g 5%
Dietary Fiber 4g 15%
Total Sugars 7g
Protein 7g
Vitamin C 20mg 101%
Calcium 192mg 15%
Iron 2mg 9%
Potassium 334mg 7%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

This unusual and seasonally appropriate holiday salad recipe features a dressing made with fig balsamic vinegar. Flavored vinegar is enjoying a moment—balsamic being the most popular—and makes otherwise simple salads unique and interesting. This recipe comes courtesy of the website JD Gourmet.

Flavored vinegar is plain vinegar infused with herbs, fruits, or spices to give it a characteristic and offbeat flavor that changes the entire vibe of the salad you dress with it. Dressings made with flavored vinegar come with health benefits as a bonus—they are low in calories and sodium—and preservative free.

Balsamic is dark brown in color, and the genuine article is made in Italy from unfermented grape juice. Because it comes from grapes, it is pressed and then aged like wine. Its price varies depending on age—the older it is, the more expensive it is. Red wine and white wine vinegar, the red being sharper and the white having a milder taste, are essential in vinaigrette dressings. Tarragon vinegar is made of malt and distilled white vinegar and infused with tarragon, which imparts a bittersweet flavor. Apple cider vinegar has long been a kitchen staple and is made from fermented apples. 

Figs for Cranberries

If desired, substitute dried figs for the cranberries to enhance the dressing. Fresh figs from California are seasonal from June through September. Dried figs are available all year-round but are often used during the winter holidays. Dried figs are deliciously sweet, soft, and sticky, but all that comes with a price: They contain 371 calories in a cup and 95 grams of carbohydrate. No wonder they are thought of as a holiday treat. The good news: 15 of those grams count as fiber.

Uses for Balsamic Vinegar

  • In tomato-based soups and sauces
  • With braised meats to add a rich and deep flavor note
  • As a marinade
  • As part of a shrub for a cocktail—a fruit syrup that is made with fresh fruit, vinegar, and sugar and mixed with your alcoholic beverage of choice.

Ingredients

  • 3 tablespoons Mission fig balsamic vinegar

  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

  • 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard

  • Salt, to taste

  • 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

  • 1 (10-ounce) package mixed salad greens

  • 2 cups dried sweetened cranberries

  • 4 ounces crumbled feta cheese

  • 1/2 cup coarsely chopped toasted walnuts

Steps to Make It

  1. Mix the vinegar, pepper, mustard, salt and olive oil in a small bowl with a whisk.

  2. In a large salad bowl, toss the greens, cranberries, feta cheese and walnuts together.

  3. Drizzle the dressing over the salad and serve.

Article Sources
The Spruce Eats uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

  1. USDA FoodData Central. Vinegar, Balsamic. Updated April 1. 2019.

  2. USDA. FoodData Central. Figs, dried, uncooked. Updated December 16, 2019.