It’s still snowing, but let’s talk about grilled foods anyway. There is a bistro in town that makes one of my very favorite salads. It’s one of those meals that I find myself craving every now and again, so much so that I now make it at home quite a bit when oranges are in season like they are right now. Although its fancy champagne name may suggest otherwise, it’s a fairly simple salad, and a healthy one to boot! You can make this as a simple, wholesome weekday meal or as a wonderful indoor date night supper for you and your love. This dressing also pairs well with other grilled seafood and chicken. And if you don’t have a grill, a cast iron grill pan will do the job. That’s what I used!
Creamy Orange Champagne Vinaigrette Ingredients:
- Juice of one orange – I love using Cara Cara Oranges when they are sin season because they are deliciously sweet and sort of remind me of a blend of grapefruit & Meyer lemon.
- 4 tablespoons champagne vinegar
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 tablespoon finely minced shallot
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1/4 cup avocado or walnut oil
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise
- large pinch sea salt and cracked pepper
To prepare, blend or whisk all vinaigrette ingredients together, adding the oil component last in a steady stream so the dressing emulsifies and does not separate. This recipe makes a little over one cup and you can store it in the refrigerator for up to a week. For a vegan dressing, you can leave out the mayonnaise or use Veganaise instead, it’s a staple in our kitchen.
Additional Salad Ingredients (Per Salad):
- A few cups of your favorite salad green will do – I use romain most frequently, but sometimes peppery frisee lettuce on occasion
- 1 ripe avocado sectioned and sliced
- 1 segmented orange sans pith – use whatever orange you made the vinaigrette with
- 6-8 grilled shrimp seasoned liberally with Old Bay seasoning and grilled on a cast iron pan or outdoor grill
- Shallots thinly cut into small rings
- Several cucumbers sliced
- Radishes
- Tomato wedges
- Goat cheese – if you’ve got it on hand!
Arrange your salad as you like and top with the orange champagne vinaigrette. Serve alongside warmed bread and a glass of chilled wine and you’re set!
Kaitlin - Goodness, this sounds wonderful! Thank you!
britt - Hi Amanda! I’ve been trying to figure out the best way to store recipes, as well as family rituals and memory-making ideas, into some kind of go-to seasonal book, that I can add to continually. It’d be a keepsake of sorts, a family how-to for us. Like there would be an entry for May Day, detailing recipes we use for that celebration, crafting instructions for flower crowns, etc. I’m just confused about the format I would use… do you do this, or is a digital format easier for your thought collecting? Your blog is an ultimate resource, of course!
Just wondered what ideas you may have, thanks!
admin - Britt, start a blog! It doesn’t have to be public or anything, but honestly this blog is just as much for my kids and our family as it is for all of you! It’s my collection of things I want to pass down for my babies and their babies. I have many private entries that are just for us too – things I do not publish like stories and tons of photos etc. I think blogging is a simple way to incorporate all you want to hold onto and share. What do you think? x Amanda
Peach - This sounds delightful! Going to give it a whirl!
sarah - all of these colors make me so happy! xoxo
Helen - Excellent recipe – made it tonight and was absolutely delicious.
admin - Helen, wonderful to hear! What did you serve alongside? x Amanda
Alejandra Garcia - That dressing looks amazing! Def going to try it.