In Season Orange & Spinach Salad
The produce section in my grocery store is my third home. My actual home being number one and my office being number two. I spend a lot of time picking through the produce, handling all the vegetables, and getting sprayed on by the evil mist near the leafy greens. There must be a sensor on there just for me. “Laura is approaching!! She is about to reach for the kale…3,2,1 SPRAAAAY!”
Despite the cold weather, there is plenty of delicious produce in season in the winter months. I added cara-cara oranges and pomegranate seeds to spinach salad to utilize the seasonal fruits.
THE ORANGE: A cara-cara orange is a sweet yet tart naval orange. It has no seeds and the color is pretty sexy if you ask me. It is also lower in acid than regular oranges. So those of you who are sensitive to such things might want to try this.
THE POMEGRANATE: Pomegranate seeds are a pain to get out, I will admit that. Here’s a tip: Cut the pom in quarters. Then peel/pick all the seeds out while it is submerged in a bowl of warm water. All you need to do it drain the water and collect the seeds. This way is less messy and much easier. In December, the pomegranates can be huge! And cheap! So it’s worth the time to pick out the seeds. Then you can sprinkle them on anything – like this salad.
Ingredients:
- 3 cups fresh spinach leaves
- 1/2 cara-cara orange
- 3 tbsp. pomegranate seeds
- 1/2 tbsp. olive oil
- 1/2 apple cider vinegar or lemon juice
Directions:
Place spinach leaves in a medium size bowl. In a separate container shake oil and vinegar. You may add pepper for an extra bite. Then pour the dressing on the sides of the inside of the bowl, not directly on the spinach. Toss the spinach in the bowl making sure to pick up the dressing on the side. This is a tip I learned from Bobby Flay and it coats my greens lightly and evenly!
After peeling and slicing the orange, add the sliced to your plated spinach. Then sprinkle on pomegranate seeds.
A great protein addition to this salad is sliced chicken breast.
MANGIA!
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I’m looking at that gorgeous plate and thinking “how I envy that person’s restraint when it comes to pomegranate”. I was lucky enough to spend most of my childhood in a country where pomegranates grow very large and I always eat the entire thing. Way too much.
Kate, You’re so lucky to grow up with an abundance of pomegranates. That sounds like heaven!
It was. I would spend mornings pick wild blackberries for breakfast with my grandfather. 🙂