Winter Citrus Salad with Avocado-Basil Dressing

When it comes to eating healthy while still enjoying food that is intensely flavorful, citrus fruits are your best friend. This is especially true right now, where here in the U.S., citrus like grapefruit and blood oranges are at the peak of their season. Hello, grapefruit mules!

This salad can be created with a combination of any citrus you like best. For this salad, I started with a base of peppery arugula, and topped it with the two aforementioned citrus fruits, along with a Cara Cara orange. Cara Caras are a type of seedless naval orange that are available December through April. They have a bright orange exterior and a distinctive pinkish red flesh, and an exceptionally sweet flavor that is reminiscent of cranberries.

To finish my salad, I sprinkled it with sliced almonds and drizzled it with homemade Avocado-Basil Dressing. This dressing comes together quickly by buzzing up avocado, basil, olive oil, white wine vinegar, water, salt and pepper in a mini food processor or blender until smooth. Serve this salad as a side dish or light lunch, or top it with a heart-healthy protein such as shrimp, chicken breast or chickpeas for a more substantial meal.

Psst – another great homemade salad dressing option for this salad would be my Citrus Salad Dressing.

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Winter Citrus Salad with Avocado-Basil Dressing

Yield: 4 servings

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes

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Ingredients

For the Avocado-Basil Dressing:

• 1 avocado, peeled and pitted
• 2 tablespoons roughly chopped fresh basil leaves
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
• Pinch of kosher salt and ground black pepper
• 4 to 6 tablespoons water

For the Salad:

• 4 cups packed arugula
• 2 blood oranges, peeled and segmented
• 1 Cara Cara orange, peeled and segmented
• 1 grapefruit, peeled and segmented
• 1/4 cup sliced almonds

Instructions

1. Make the Avocado-Basil Dressing: In mini food processor or blender, blend avocado, basil, oil, vinegar, salt and pepper until smooth. Add water 1 tablespoon at a time, blending after each addition, until dressing reaches a pourable consistency. Depending on the size of your avocado, you may need more or less water to achieve a salad dressing consistency.
2. Make the Salad: Divide arugula between 4 salad plates. Divide citrus segments over arugula and sprinkle with almonds. Serve with Avocado-Basil dressing.

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