Winter Salad with Blood Orange Vinaigrette

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Let’s talk about salads.   I love salads during the warm months because they don’t require much, if any, cooking and they are refreshing to eat.   However, I have a harder time with them in the winter.   Sometimes when it’s snowing outside I don’t want to eat something cold for dinner.

In the last few months I’ve been using different combinations of fruits, nuts, and cheeses to jazz up my salads and make them more palatable in the winter months.  That fits in well with Sunday Supper’s theme this week which is Winter Salads!  I didn’t have to look to far to find the inspiration for my winter salad.   As soon as I looked in the fruit bowl and saw the pile of blood oranges I knew my salad would work around them.

Since I had my fruit, I built my salad from there.  I chose a combination of greens and spinach for my base because spinach is a hearty base for a winter salad.   Then I peeled one of the blood oranges and put the sections on top of the greens.   This is where I got stuck.  I needed a nut, a cheese, and a few vegetables.  I went for the walnuts because for some reason they seem like a hearty and flavorful nut that shines with citrus.

Next I picked my vegetables which included carrots which I got fresh at the winter farmer’s market last week and thinly sliced red onion.  The cheese is where I got stuck.   I had swiss, cheddar, mozzarella, and pepper jack on hand.   I tasted each cheese with a slice of blood orange and determined that the mozzarella went best with it since it’s a little more on the mild side.

After I tossed everything together in a salad I bowl I started on the dressing.   I’ve been making some amazing vinaigrettes lately and this one was no exception.  The gorgeous pinkish orange color from the blood oranges really gave the dressing a beautiful hue.   The dressing was just slightly sweet and packed a lot of flavor.  It was delicious on top of the salad.

This is definitely a winter salad that I can get behind.  It feels so fancy but it takes just minutes to make the entire dish, including the dressing.  This is a salad I’d love to serve as an appetizer at a dinner party.

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Winter Salad with Blood Orange Vinaigrette

Yield: serves 4

Prep Time: 12 minutes

Total Time: 12 minutes

A delicious combination of greens, cheese, walnuts, blood oranges, and vegetables served with a tangy Blood Orange Vinaigrette.

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Ingredients

For the dressing:

• Juice of 2 blood oranges
• 1/4 c. olive oil
• 1/3 c. red wine vinegar
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 2 teaspoons honey
• salt and pepper

For the winter salad:

• 4 c. mixed greens
• 2 c. baby spinach
• 2 blood oranges, divided into segments then cut in half
• 1 carrot, cut into matchsticks
• 1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
• 1/4 c. walnuts, chopped
• 1/3 c. mozzarella cheese, shredded

Instructions

1. Combine all of the ingredients for the dressing in a container with an air tight lid. I like using a mason jar. Put the lid on a shake vigorously for 1-2 minutes or until combined. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
2. In a large serving bowl combine the mixed greens and baby spinach and toss to combine.
3. Place the orange segments on top of the greens. Add the carrots and onions then sprinkle with the walnuts.
4. Lightly sprinkle the mozzarella cheese on top.
5. Serve with the blood orange vinaigrette on the side.

Notes

A Hezzi-D Original Recipe

More Winter Salad Recipes:

• Arugula, Butternut & White Bean Salad with Maple Vinaigrette from Pook’s Pantry
• Arugula Salad with Maple Vinaigrette from Cooking Chat
• Blood Orange, Beet, and Apple Salad with Goat Cheese and Citrus Honey Vinaigrette from Renee’s Kitchen Adventures
• Blue Cheese and Pear Salad from That Skinny Chick Can Bake
• Cobb Salad from Palatable Pastime
• Colorful Veggie Filled Quinoa with a Ginger-Lemon Dressing from Positively Stacy
• Farro Salad with Roasted Squash, Radicchio and Lemon-Tahini Dressing from Caroline’s Cooking
• Mandarin Tossed Salad from Meal Planning Magic
• Radicchio Pear Walnut Salad from The Bitter Side of Sweets
• Warm Cabbage Salad with Bacon and Goat Cheese from Nik Snacks