Greens. They're what's for dinner.
Seriously, like every day. Ever since my household joined a local CSA last month, our weekly box has been overflowing with tender baby lettuces, kale, turnip and beet greens, darling baby onions and green garlic, and a whole bunch of other little spring treasures. While I don't think of salad as the only way to use up extra foliage in the kitchen (I have been known to cram greens into just about anything, including chopped fresh herbs in everything from bread to soup, kale in meatballs, and anything leafy into imaginative and highly-subjective 'pesto'), it's certainly a good one. This recipe is particularly great, showcasing not only the tender salad greens that are so prevalent right now, but also another standout of the late winter/early spring season......citrus. Paired with perfectly ripe avocado slices and a handful of crumbly, satisfactorily salty cotija cheese, this humble salad can easily be elevated to entree status.
Citrus Salad with Baby Lettuce, Cotija & AvocadoMakes two servings
3 loosely packed cups of baby greens (or your lettuce of choice)
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon honey
1/4 teaspoon of fresh orange zest (grate from whole blood oranges before slicing)
salt & pepper
1/4 cup chopped scallions
1/2 cup sliced radishes
1/2 ripe avocado, sliced
blood orange slices, peel & pith sliced away
cotija cheese, crumbled
Wash and dry your greens, tear them into bite sized pieces and set aside.
In a medium sized mixing bowl, whisk together olive oil, lemon juice, honey and orange zest. Add salt & pepper to taste. Place greens in bowl with vinaigrette and toss to cover. Add scallions and radishes to salad and toss gently to combine.
Divide salad onto two plates, top with sliced avocados and blood oranges. Garnish with crumbled cotija cheese to taste. Enjoy!
