I'm sorry, I know I posted Maple Glazed Scones last week to welcome fall, but I take it back. I'm not ready to dive into Fall foods just yet because, um, it's still 90 degrees outside. Send help.
Today I'm sharing a salad "recipe", and I'm doing you a favor. Because the season is upon us. The season of Pumpkin Spice Lattes {if that's your sort of thing}, pie, hearty stews, holiday eating and cookie-baking. The season of preparing for the winter. {Florida doesn't have a winter, but whatever.}
There will be plenty of those things very soon, so let's keep things lightened up so that we can still zip up our collective pants come November.
I don't know what it is, but I have had some killer salads lately. I know. "It's a bowl of leaves, Dianna." I see your eye roll. But salads are really just a blank canvas for great, fresh flavors and they're only as exciting {or boring} as you make them.
This salad is a copycat of one of the courses I enjoyed over at Bistro Ten Zero One last week. Though it's not part of the official "Flavor Palm Beach" menu they're offering during the month of September, it went great with the dishes Chef Christian Quiñones whipped up. I have since then made it twice at home, and now, I'm sharing it so you can make it, too.
I never think to add oranges to my salads, probably because the thought of doing so brings to mind visions of opening a can of those little mandarin orange slices that come in syrup. {Which I have equal parts love and hate for.} Somehow, I always file citrus under summery fruits in my mental filing cabinet, but their peak season is actually in the wintertime, so this salad makes a great addition to a winter holiday spread, too.
The tart, citrusy flavor of fresh, juicy oranges brings a pop of brightness and contrast to the briny Kalamata olives that also make an appearance here. Crunchy roasted pine nuts give the salad a pleasant textural surprise. And avocado? Well, avocado is always invited to the party in my book.
Top this salad off with a simple homemade Honey Vinaigrette, and your feelings about salad will go from apathy to sweet satisfaction. Don't worry -- the baked goods are on their way.
Orange-Avocado Salad with Honey Vinaigrette
Ingredients
- 1 bag spring mix salad blend
- 1 small ripe avocado, pitted, peeled and sliced thin
- 1 orange skin and pith removed, sliced
- ¼ cup kalamata olives pitted and chopped
- {Optional} Half of an English cucumber thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons toasted pine nuts
For Vinaigrette
- 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoons honey
- Pinch of fresh cracked black pepper
Instructions
- Arrange greens in a large serving bowl.
- Top with a row of avocado, orange, kalamata olives and cucumber if using. Sprinkle pine nuts over salad.
- Drizzle with vinaigrette before serving.
For Vinaigrette:
- Place all ingredients in a jar with a tight-fitting lid. Shake vigorously until well-combined. Refrigerate until ready to use.
