Winter Citrus Salad with Rosemary Candied Walnuts & Red Endive
This Winter Citrus Salad with Rosemary Candied Walnuts & Red Endive was inspired by going RED for Heart month with Diamond of California. The bitter endive mixes with juicy blood oranges and sweet candied walnuts to create a balanced and bright winter salad.
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It’s hard to get excited about a cool leafy salad in the dead of winter but eating salads shouldn’t be limited to only the hot months so I’ve created this citrus salad that is so irresistible, you’ll crave it any time of year. Plus, blood oranges are only in season for a small time in the early parts of the year so why not savor those deep red gems while you can? Tossing them with bitter red endive and sweet candied walnuts helps create a balanced plate filled with interesting texture, flavor, and color!
I used Diamond of California’s walnuts to create the quick candied walnuts you’ll be creating for a sweet crunch. According to the California Walnut Board, Diamond of California Walnuts decrease the risk of heart disease by helping to maintain healthy cholesterol levels and decreasing blood sugar. Now if that isn’t an excuse to eat more walnuts, I don’t know what is!
When picking out blood oranges, look for ones with the skin red (instead of yellow) as that will be an indication of how red the oranges end up being. I also like to mix a few Cara Cara and navel oranges into this salad to create a salad full of varied color. I also recommend slicing some of the oranges into circles and cutting others into segments to create different shapes within the salad.
Make the dressing first so the cranberries and olives can absorb it’s flavor while you are assembling everything else. This will help the cranberries soften a bit to give an even better texture to the finished salad.
I love using green Castelvetrano olives for their color but black olives will do too if that is what you have on hand.
This Winter Citrus Salad with Rosemary Candied Walnuts & Red Endive is inspired by going RED for Heart Health month with Diamond of California!
- 3 Tbsp red wine vinegar
- 2 Tbsp blood orange juice
- 3 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp thyme leaves + more for garnish
- 1/4 cup chopped and pitted green olives
- 1 shallot trimmed and thinly sliced
- 1/4 cup dried cranberries
- 1/2 cup Diamon of California walnuts
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 Tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tsp rosemary chopped
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 head red endive or radicchio washed
- 3 oranges (preferably blood orange or a mix of blood orange, navel, and cara cara) peeled and cut into bite size pieces
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In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the red wine vinegar and blood orange juice until combined. While whisking, slowly pour in the olive oil until emulsified. Add thyme leaves, green olives, shallot, and cranberries. Set aside.
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Heat a small skillet over medium-low heat and add in the walnuts. Let toast for 2-3 minutes, stirring often, until fragnant and starting to darken. Add 1 Tbsp olive oil, brown sugar, and rosemary and cook, stirring often, for another 3 minutes or until the brown sugar has melted and attached to the walnuts. Remove from heat and toss in the salt. Set aside.
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Trim the end of the endive and pull it apart into individual leaves. Add to the mixing bowl with the dressing and toss to coat.
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Place a layer of leaves onto the bottom of your serving platter. Top with slices of oranges and more endive. Repeat until all of the endive and oranges are used. Top with cranberries, olives, any remaining dressing from the bowl, and candied walnuts. Garnish with more thyme. Serve right away.
1 Comment
martutz
That’s a great immunity booster, thanks for posting! I’m also struggling for a healthier me, I’ve even start running with SportMe marathon training app and I can say I’m on the right track now. Nutrition is an important part of my losing weight plan, and your blog posts are a true inspiration!