Melon and shrimp salad and spinach- pomegranate salad with pears and walnuts

OK  so I know its not really the weather to be talking salad....nothing inspires me less than  a piece of limp lettuce on a cold rainy day.....but I've been  eying these two recipies for a while, thinking they sounded so different and fun ,that even I -on a winters day- would enjoy them!!    Movie night and pot luck  with the girls last night presented a perfect opportunity to try them out....so amongst all the other delicious offerings -such fab things !- there they were, my lettuce -loud and proud on a cold winters night!

 Lets start with the Spinach salad..


3/4 cup unsweetened pomegranate juice
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 teasp walnut oil
1/2 teasp salt
 1/4 teasp minced thyme leaves
1/8 teasp black pepper
5 oz baby spinach leaves
1/2 cup pomegranate seeds
1/2 cup coarsely chopped toasted walnuts
3/4 cup finely shredded radicchio
2 large Bartlett pears

In a small saucepan, boil the pomegranate juice until reduced to 1/4 cup, 5-6 minutes. Let it cool and whisk in the lemon juice,oil,salt and peeper, and thyme. In a large salad bowl, gently mix the spinach leaves and radicchio, pomegranate seeds ,and walnuts with the dressing. Quarter the pears and core, thinly slice crosswise ,then stack slices, and cut into matchsticks. Arrange pears on the salad.
  A few notes in this recipe.....I added a dash of red wine vinegar to the salad dressing as I found it too sweet...and to seed the pomegranate, a useful tip is to cut the fruit into chunks and release the seeds with your hands underwater, the seeds fall to the bottom of the sink, and pith will float to the top . That way it won't look like a scene form the Texas Chainsaw Massacre in your kitchen......

Aren't they beautiful!

That the hard work  DONE!

 So ,onto the melon and shrimp, this has hints Thai in it which is my all time fav food, so I knew I'd like this one.......

 1 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp minced ginger
1 kaffir lime leaf - can be substituted with 1/4 teasp shredded lime zest
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
2 tbsp  thai fish sauce
1 cantaloupe melon
1 honeydew melon
1/2 shelled cooked  small shrimp
1 jalapeno chile ,seeds and ribs removed,and minced
1 tbsp EACH  slivered basil leaves and finely chopped cilantro
 2 tbsps finely chopped ,salted roasted peanuts

 In a microwave -safe bowl, mix the sugar, ginger and 1 tbsp water. Cut the lime leaf into thin slivers,and add the bowl. Microwave until hot, 20 - 30 seconds. Add the lime juice and fish sauce, stir and let dressing stand (If you are substituting lime zest, combine as above,but don't heat the mixture)  Cut off and discard peel from both melons, ,then cut in half and scoop out seeds. Cut each melon into 1 inch thick slices and arrange on a platter.  Put the shrimp in a colander and rinse....dry well,and scatter over the melon slices. Stir the diced jalapeno into the dressing and spoon the dressing over the melon and shrimp . Sprinkle the chopped basil and cilantro over the salad and top with peanuts.