Winter Blood Orange Salad | Vegan

This Winter Blood Orange Salad is paired with fennel, avocado, and chopped walnuts over a bed of greens. An oil-free blood orange vinaigrette pulls the flavors together for a bright and vibrant salad.

It’s the season for blood oranges! When you’re in the dark days of winter this beautifully tart citrus fruit brings a hint of sunshine and color to these dreary days.

We’re in the depths of winter here in Michigan. We’re approaching the end of January which means our days are cold, dark, and cloudy. I’m already itching for spring, but I’ve been through enough Michigan winters to know I have a long road ahead before the seasons shift.

Luckily for me it’s blood orange season! The other night my boys and I went to one of my favorite local grocery stores. I love it because their produce area booming with colorful organic fruits and veggies that I can’t find in most other grocery stores.

We passed by the blood oranges and I HAD to pick them up! They were gorgeous with their purple/red rind. Then we rolled past the greens and I saw some fennel and a spring mix, and just like that this salad was born!

Paired with some avocado slices for natural creaminess, and a few chopped walnuts for crunch and this salad will make you feel like your sunning yourself in Florida, even if you’re stuck inside watching the snow fall.

The kids enjoyed this vegan salad recipe too! They weren’t sure what to think of the fennel, but they gave it a try. I love the licorice flavor of fennel, but the kids not so much! Oh well, more for me! I even had a little leftover I plan to sauté with a little salt and pepper and eat as a snack!

Why You’ll Love this Winter Blood Orange Salad…

• It’s quick and easy
• Vegan and Gluten-Free
• Under 10 minutes to pull together start to finish
• A beautiful oil-free citrus vinaigrette
• Avocado and walnuts provide healthy fats
• Sweet and tart blood oranges
• Full of color
• Bright flavors
• A great way to serve the kids some greens!

Ingredients You’ll Need

For the Salad:

• 8 cups of spring greens
• 3 blood oranges
• 1 fennel bulb
• 1 avocado sliced thin
• ¼ cup of chopped walnuts

For the Blood Orange Vinaigrette:

• 1 blood orange
• 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 1 clove of garlic
• 1 tsp dijon mustard
• 1 tsp maple syrup
• salt and pepper to taste

Tools and Equipment You’ll Need

• Cutting Board
• Chopping knife
• Measuring cups and spoons

This super simple salad doesn’t require any fancy tools. Be sure your knife is sharp, your cutting board is clean, and you have a nice platter to assemble your salad on.

How to Make this Winter Blood Orange Salad – Step by Step

Step 1: Wash greens. Pat dry.

Step 2: Cut three blood oranges into rounds. (Note: I left the rind on some of my oranges because I liked the look of it. You can remove the rind on all the oranges to make it easier to eat.)

Step 3: Chop fennel bulb into thin slices. Chop walnuts. Cut avocado into thin slices.

Step 4: Lay out the greens on a large platter. Top with fennel, orange slices, avocado, and walnuts. Set aside.

Prepare Blood Orange Vinaigrette

Step 1: Squeeze the juice of one blood orange into a bowl. I used my measuring cup so I could see how much juice I was getting. You’ll want about ¼ cup of juice. If you have a little more or less from your orange, that’s fine.

Step 2: Squeeze 2 tbsp of fresh lemon juice into the container with orange juice.

Step 3: Add minced garlic clove, dijon mustard, maple syrup, and salt and pepper. Whisk to combine.

Prepping the Salad:

When you’re ready to serve the salad drizzle the vinaigrette over the top. Makes 4 servings.

What makes this Winter Blood Orange Salad healthy?

• Health Benefits of Blood Oranges-They are particularly rich in vitamin A, C, and folic acid. Vitamin A helps with healthy skin. Vitamin C is known to help boost the immune system, and folic acid helps reduce risk of some cancers and heart disease.
• Health Benefits of Fennel-High in vitamin C, and antioxidants, it’s beneficial to heart health, and has cancer fighting properties. It’s also known to reduce inflammation.
• Omega-3s-The fats in avocados and walnuts are monounsaturated healthy fats or Omega-3 fatty acids. These fats are know to help regulate blood sugar, blood pressure, and reduce risk of heart disease.

Tips for Making this Winter Blood Orange Salad

• You can use any lettuce or leafy green you choose in this salad. I recommend using spring greens, spinach, romaine, or bib lettuce.
• When preparing your blood oranges, you can cut them into rounds, removing the peel, I think this shows off their beautiful color the best, but you can also cut the oranges into sections or bite sized pieces.
• Remove nuts if you prefer, or sub another nut. Pine nuts would work well too. I had walnuts on hand, so that’s what I used.
• When preparing your fennel, you’ll remove the long stems, then cut the bottom of the bulb and remove the core. Then cut thin slices lengthwise.

What do you serve with this Winter Blood Orange Salad?

This beautifully bright citrus salad pairs well with a light vegan pesto pasta, or this Sweet Potato and Red Pepper Soup. It would also pair well with toasted whole grain bread.

Check-out these other healthy and refreshing salads!

• Kale Salad with Cranberries and Butternut Squash
• Summer Berry Salad
• Black Bean and Quinoa Salad
• Mediterranean Farro Salad
• Mediterranean Cucumber Salad

If you’ve tried my recipe for Winter Blood Orange Salad with Fennel, please rate it and let me know how it turned out. You can also follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest for more plant-based family recipes your whole family will enjoy!