Do you get excited when you think about eating salad? It’s okay if you don’t, because to be honest I don’t either! But that is about to change for those of us in a salad slump. And if you are one of the lucky few whom never tires of salad, this Winter Citrus Salad will just be another to add to your arsenal. It’s funny to me that I associate salads with plain and boring, because a salad is such a broad term. It is so easy for me to get stuck in a rut when it comes to salad, same greens, same vinaigrette, but there are so many different kinds! Fruit salad! Egg salad! Tuna salad! Caesar! Greek! Chinese chicken! Beet salad! So why do I make the same salad every time? BEETS me. #sorrynotsorry.
Luckily, I have an easy solution for keeping our salads fun. Base your ingredients around the seasons! Eating in season is a great way to ensure that our diet is varied. You can’t reach for the same avocado that you always put in your salad greens, because you can’t find them at the farmer’s market this time of year. Plus, I believe that eating in season is best for our bodies. Citrus and leafy greens in the Winter? So the Vitamin C Kings and disease fighting, detoxing, iron and calcium packed greens in the Winter? Mother Earth, you’re a genius.
On top of that, this Winter citrus salad is soooo easy to put together and healthy! Salads are usually full of vegetables and love. Love and vegetables. Mmmm, healthy AND satisfying?
Let’s get a chant going here, “Vege-ta-bles. Vege-ta-bles! VEGETABLES!!!” No… okay, maybe that’s for the better; I’m probably getting too excited about vegetables.
OH WAIT, that’s impossible.
So anyway, as our fruits and vegetables change with the seasons, so do our salads. It’s almost like they are a pillar for what’s in season. Right now deep leafy greens, pomegranate, and citrus are killing it so I was sure they made an appearance in this Winter citrus salad, but really you can throw anything that’s in season. I’ve found that things that are in season just happen to compliment each other as well. Good on ya Earth. Yet another win for eating seasonally!
Plus there are a lot of other consequences of eating out of season. Did you know that when you eat out of season the fruit and vegetables are usually picked green and artificially ripened with gas or shipped from across the world where those fruits and vegetables can be grown this time of year? Either way no bueno.
If you aren’t sure what is in season in your area, just shop at your local farmers’ market. It takes the guess work out for you and supports your local economy. You can also look up your regions plant hardiness zone number and find out what is in season in your region that way. The number just identifies what kind of climate you have in your area and therefore what plant life thrives and when. Or maybe a simple search of, “What is in season in *insert where you live*” will do. You’ve got options. But I really encourage you to shop at your farmers’ market because when you shop at a chain super market only a small percentage of the revenue goes back into the community. Shop locally, shop seasonally. I rest my case.
I also want to throw in there real quick that I tried using chia seeds in the dressing to thicken it up and add an additional nutritional boost, and it worked out fabulously! They got all gelatinous and fun, and gave the dressing the perfect consistency! I got the idea when I was reading a beautiful vegan blog, Rainbow Nourishments, that used a vegan egg, 1 tbsp of chia seeds to 3 tbsp of water, in her Gingerbread Lamington Donut recipe. I recently made a lemon aioli for my Roasted Brussel Sprouts with Leftover Holiday Ham recipe which used egg yolk to emulsify the oil. I thought I would try something similar with chia seeds in the dressing, but rather than emulsifying it, I just dumped in the chia seeds and let them puff up.
Quicker and easier equals more likely to do which equals success! And let me tell you, it was a success on all fronts! You could literally prepare the Winter citrus salad in like 10 minutes and your family or your guests would be none the wiser. My brain is full of faux fancilious ideas. I regret saying fancilious a little bit… but there is also another part of me that loves it, so it will stay.
Quick shout out to my friend Michael, who, although he denies it, has a very bright future in hand modeling! Thank you for letting me borrow your lenses and helping me set up the shoot. You’re amazing!Anyway here is the recipe!
Kelsey
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Mother nature is a genius, providing us with antioxidant rich pomegranate, Vitamin C rich citrus, and leafy greens all throughout the winter. Try this easy, healthy, satisfying salad to keep you cold free all winter long!
10 minPrep Time
10 minTotal Time
Save RecipeIngredients
- 1 8oz bag mixed greens
- 1 pomegranate
- 1 oranges
- Crumbled blue cheese or gorgonzola
- 1/2 cup walunts
- 1 fennel bulb
- 1 Meyer's lemon
- 1 orange
- 2 tbsp chia seeds
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1 tbsp dijon mustard
- 1/4 cup olive oil
Instructions
- Zest one orange and the Meyer's lemon.
- Juice half the orange and the whole lemon.
- Reserve the other half orange for the salad
- Whisk in honey, dijon, zest and olive oil
- Stir in the chia seeds and let puff up while assembling the salad.
- Peel 1 orange
- Remove seeds from pomegranate*
- Slice fennel bulb
- Roughly chop walunts
- Add orange sections, fennel, pomegranate, nuts and salad greens to a large salad bowl
- Crumble a small dish full of blue cheese and keep on the side if you have pick eaters.
Notes
To remove the seeds from a pomegranate for eating, cut the pomegranate in half, cover the seed side with your hand and spank the back of it with a wooden spoon or a spatula. The seeds should start to fall out into your hand.
