Healthy Recipe, Citrus Salad

This recipe, lightly adapted from “A Couple Cooks: 100 Recipes to Cook Together” by Sonja and Alex Overhiser (Chronicle, $40) is a gorgeous, delicious, and ultra-healthy way to use oranges. They’re sliced in wheels, paired with licorice-scented fennel, nuts, and a light, tangy dressing, and served over a bed of the prettiest lettuces you can find. Impressive as it is to look at, it’s a cinch to assemble once you’ve prepped the produce.

Dressing:

• 3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon honey or maple syrup
• ½ teaspoon grated fresh garlic or ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
• ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
• Freshly ground black pepper

Just before serving, drizzle with about half the dressing. Pass the remainder of the dressing at the table or cover and refrigerate for up to a week for future use.

Make the dressing: In a medium bowl, whisk together the vinegar, mustard, honey or maple syrup, garlic, and salt. Gradually add the olive oil, whisking until emulsified—season with pepper.

Make the salad: Cut off both ends of each orange with a sharp knife, then cut around the fruit to remove the peel and the white pith. Then, slice widthwise into rounds.
Line a platter or large, shallow bowl with the greens. Then, artfully arrange the orange, fennel, and shallot rings on top. Sprinkle with the almonds and crumbled cheese (if using) and scatter the fronds over the top. 

Salad: 

• 4 to 6 small to medium oranges (a mix of navel and blood oranges or any combination of sweet oranges)
• 6 to 8 cups torn butter lettuce, frisee, or other tender salad greens
• 1 medium fennel bulb, thinly sliced in half-moons (fonds removed for garnish)
• 2 small or 1 medium shallot, thinly sliced in rings
• ¼ cup toasted almonds
• 2 ounces crumbled goat cheese or feta (optional)

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