Sometimes, we feel silly posting recipes like this one. I never know how to write instructions for a salad: Put ingredients on plate? Pour dressing over lettuce? It seems self-explanatory. But as I was looking at the picture of this salad deciding whether we should post it, I thought about how rarely we remember to make such simple and beautiful dishes. Salads like this one are so easy to make, but too often we think of them as too fancy for a weeknight, or too much effort for something not very substantial (case in point: Alex made this as part of my birthday meal). Usually, we make salad as a main dish, or not at all, opting instead to quickly steam a side vegetable or to throw one in with whatever else we are making. After this salad, though, I'd like to change that.
When we make salad as a main course, we feel pressure to weight it down with nuts, cheese and other proteins to make sure it is filling enough. While I love dinner salads, I think there is still something to be said for just lettuce, avocado and blood oranges. Add a simple citrus dressing, and just enjoy the combination of those three ingredients. I found myself surprised at the combination of textures, something I hardly notice when other ingredients bog the salad down. If you haven't done a salad like this in a while, consider it, and I bet you'll be surprised too.
Ingredients (makes 2 small salads):
(salad)
2 cups mixed greens
1 avocado, sliced
1 blood orange, sectioned
(dressing)
1/2 c olive oil
1/3 c lemon juice
1 tbs sugar
1 small shallot, diced
salt and pepper to taste
Directions
Mix dressing ingredients in a small bowl and whisk until combined. Assemble lettuce, avocado and blood oranges on a plate and dress.
