Wednesday, January 03, 2007

Spring Sunshine Salad

6 to 8 handfuls mixed salad greens or butter lettuce, washed and dried well (I used baby romaine this morning)
1 or 2 medium oranges, torn into pieces, pith removed (I used cara cara oranges this morning)
1 avocado, thinly sliced
1/2 cup or so toasted nuts (sliced almonds, pine nuts, etc)
1/2 cup sliced spring onions

About 1/3 cup Citrus Parmesan Dressing (below)

Wash and dry your salad greens well and place them in a large bowl. Add the oranges, nuts, and onion. Toss well with the Citrus Parmesan Dressing (below). Add the avocado and give the salad one last light toss, be gentle � you don�t want the avocado to disintegrate.

Sprinkle with a few shavings of Parmesan - you can make nice thick curls using a vegetable peeler.

Serves 4 to 6.
Citrus Parmesan Dressing

1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Zest and juice of 2 oranges
2 tablespoons chopped shallots
2T white wine vinegar
1 cup extra-virgin olive oil (or half reg. + half lemon oil)
2 pinches of both salt + pepper

In a medium bowl (or Mason jar) combine the grated Parmesan, orange zest and juice, and the shallots. Whisk in the white wine vinegar. Whisk in the olive oil and finish by seasoning with salt and pepper.

Other ideas:

-Gently heat the dressing and toss with spinach, for a warm, slightly wilted dinner salad.
-Use the vinaigrette as a marinade.
-Use it to toss with pasta (stuffed cheese filled pasta is an especially good choice).

Makes about 1 1/2 cups.