This salad is full of bold bright flavours that can stand alone as a light meal or as an accompaniment to Yam Enchiladas or Tacos. In the summer I substitute fresh strawberries or sliced nectarines or peaches for the orange. Toasted pumpkin seeds are a great alternative to the pistachios! You will need to start your quick pickled onions 2 hours prior to assembling the salad. I always have a batch going in the fridge and keep adding left over bits of red onion so that I always have them on hand!
Ingredients:
- one head of organic romaine lettuce or mixed greens
- 2 segmented oranges
- 2 cups sliced or chopped beets, roasted (recipe follows)
- 1 avocado, pitted and sliced or cubed
- 1/2 cup of toasted pistachios or pumpkin seeds toasted in a 350 degree oven for 8-10 min.
- 1/2 cup of quick pickled red onions (recipe follows)
- one recipe of cilantro lime vinaigrette
To roast the beets, preheat your oven to 350 F. Peel and chop or slice the beets into bite sized pieces. Toss with a tbsp. of olive oil and 1/4 tsp. of sea salt (or tagine which is a Mexican chili lime salt) before tucking them into a sheet of foil. Wrap them snuggly in the foil and bake for about 40 min. or until tender when pierced with a fork. Unwrap the beets and allow to cool to room temperature.
To segment your oranges, cut a small slice of each orange off of the top and the bottom so you can lay it flat on your cutting board.
With a sharp knife, carefully cut off the rind.
Cupping the orange peeled orange in your palm, carefully cut each segment from the orange between the membranes. Set aside.
Toast the pistachios and chop the avocado.
Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette:
- 1 cup of loosely packed organic cilantro (stems included)
- 1 clove peeled garlic
- 1 Tbsp. of raw honey or maple syrup
- 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
- 1/2 tsp. pink Himalayan salt
- 1/2 of a seeded and chopped jalapeno pepper. (More if you like it spicy)
- 1/2 cup of avocado oil
Combine all but the avocado oil in your blender. With the motor running, drizzle in the avocado oil until smooth.
Quick Pickled Onions:
- one large red onion peeled and thinly sliced
- 11/2 cups of raw apple cider vinegar
- 1 tsp. sea salt
Combine all of the ingredients in a one litre mason jar. Press the onions firmly into the brine to make sure that they are submerged. Allow to marinate for at least two hours. They get better with age! Store in the fridge.
To assemble the salad, combine the romaine and the avocado in a large bowl. Toss with roughly half of the prepared dressing. Top with the roasted beets, toasted pistachios, orange segments and pickled red onion. Add more dressing if desired.
