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Simple Citrus Salad

This refreshingly simple citrus salad features grapefruit and oranges topped with a tangy vinaigrette and fresh mint. A light and healthy side dish!

Here’s a refreshingly simple recipe that’s just begging to jump on your table: citrus salad! It stars all the beautiful, vibrant citrus: tangy grapefruit, navel oranges, and sweet blood oranges. They’re drizzled with a zingy dressing, then topped crushed pistachios and fresh mint. It’s so gorgeous that you can’t help but eat it! This healthy side dish is perfect with salmon or to offset the richness of pasta.

How to make a citrus salad?

This citrus salad is a little different than what you might expect from the title: it’s got no salad greens! Green salads are what Alex and I most often use to accessorize our meals. But there are so many salads without greens: think potato salad, pasta salad, and bean salad. Here, citrus salad is a variety of citrus fruits arranged on a plate. You can use any mix of citrus fruits that you like! Here’s what we used:

Navel oranges
Blood oranges if you can find them! The mix of colors and flavors is stunning.
Grapefruit
Vinaigrette: White wine vinegar, olive oil, Dijon, and maple (optional if you’re limiting sugar)

The garnish steps it up!

This citrus salad is more of a concept than a recipe. As we mentioned, you can use any citrus you like! Once you’ve drizzled the vinaigrette over the top, adding the garnishes really takes it up a notch. Again, it’s highly customizable. Here’s what we used:

Fresh mint. Mint is perfect with citrus! Not only does it look beautiful, it’s a nice color contrast. Other good herbs to pair: fresh thyme or basil.
Thinly sliced shallots. Shallots are like a baby red onion: they’re much milder in flavor. They look lovely thinly sliced into rings, with a light purple color.
Finely crushed pistachios. If you have them on hand, crushed pistachios look like bright green confetti. It’s not required, but it adds a nice touch.

How to cut off a citrus peel

The only piece of technique in this citrus salad is cutting off the orange peel. Cutting off the peel (instead of removing it by hand) removes all the tough pith and makes for a clean-looking salad. It’s actually the first step in our How to Cut an Orange method, which is also a French method called cutting it into supremes. You’ll use the same method for oranges and grapefruits here. Here’s how to cut off a citrus peel for this salad:

Step 1: Slice off the ends. Use a large chef’s knife to slice off both ends of the orange. Make sure you’ve cut through all of the pith and can see some of the orange flesh.
Step 2: Cut off the peel. Angle your knife and follow the round shape of the orange to remove the peel. Be careful not to cut too much of the orange flesh away.

What to serve with this citrus salad!

This citrus salad is so simple and refreshing, the vibe goes with almost anything you could imagine (really)! It’s got a bit of a Mediterranean-style or Italian vibe, so it pairs nicely with meals in that style. It’s a lovely side for lasagna or salmon. Here are some of our favorite ideas for pairing:

Lemon Dill Salmon or Shrimp Marinara This tangy salad is a great side dish for salmon or shrimp.
Vegan Pasta Alfredo This rich and creamy pasta sauce works well with citrus.
Favorite Vegan Lasagna or Spicy Kale Lasagna This salad is perfect side to offset the richness of lasagna. (PS this vegan lasagna will become your new favorite lasagna: guaranteed.)

Change it up: go Latin-style!

If you want to change the vibe of this citrus salad to work with Mexican or Latin-style flavors like as a side for enchiladas or tacos, here’s what to do:

Use chopped cilantro instead of mint.
Use 1 tablespoon finely chopped red onion instead of shallot.
Use lime juice instead of white wine vinegar.

This citrus salad recipe is…

Vegetarian, vegan, plant-based, dairy-free, and gluten-free.

Simple Citrus Salad

(5 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)

5 from 5 reviews

Author: Sonja Overhiser
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 0 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes
Yield: 4 to 6 servings

Print Recipe

Description

This refreshingly simple citrus salad features grapefruit and oranges topped with a tangy vinaigrette and fresh mint. A light and healthy side dish!

Ingredients

2 small grapefruit
1 navel orange
2 small blood oranges
1 small shallot
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon maple syrup
Pinch kosher salt
3 tablespoons olive oil
Fresh mint, for garnish
Fresh ground pepper, for garnish
Finely crushed pistachios (optional), for garnish

Instructions

Cut off the peel of the grapefruit and oranges: slice off the ends, then angle your knife and follow the curve to remove the peels (follow Steps 1 & 2 of How to Cut an Orange). Slice the citrus into rings.
Thinly slice the shallot into thin rings.
In a medium bowl, stir together the white wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, maple syrup, and 1 pinch kosher salt. Then gradually whisk in the olive oil 1 tablespoon at a time until creamy.
Arrange the citrus and shallots on a platter or serving plates. Drizzle with vinaigrette. Top with torn mint leaves and fresh ground pepper. If desired, top with finely crushed pistachios.

Category: Salad
Method: Raw
Cuisine: Vegan

Keywords: Citrus Salad

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Vegan Sloppy Joes

This vegan Sloppy Joes recipe has a tangy lentil filling that’s full of flavor and nutrients! It’s a plant based dinner everyone will love.

Looking for plant based recipes to please everyone at the table? These days, Alex and I getting lots of requests for veggie-centric recipes to feed a crowd. In fact, per the New York Times, 40% of Americans are now looking to eat more plant based recipes. And what better to please a crowd than Sloppy Joes? These vegan Sloppy Joes have a zingy lentil filling that tastes just as good as the meaty version. Put it on a toasted bun with some bread and butter pickles, and WOW! You’re going to love this one (promise). Ready to get cooking?

What’s in these vegan Sloppy Joes?

These vegan Sloppy Joes are full of whole food plant based (WFPB) ingredients. Lentils form the base, and they’re covered in a gooey sauce with savory spices! Here’s what they’ve got:

Onion, garlic, and green pepper bring big flavor
Brown or green lentils are the base: they provide texture and lots of plant based protein
Olive oil & vegetable broth for sauteing and simmering
Organic ketchup: look for organic and read the label to find a ketchup with as few ingredients as possible!
Vegan Worcestershire sauce: It can be found at your local grocery store or online! If you don’t eat 100% vegan, you can use regular (it has a small amount of anchovies).
Spices: mustard powder, onion powder and chili powder round it out!

The basic method: how to make vegan Sloppy Joes

These vegan Sloppy Joes are very easy to make! They do take about 50 minutes total, but most of that is hands off. So, you’ll have to plan ahead on this one. Leftovers save well, so if you don’t have time on a weeknight, meal prep a batch and have it in the fridge. It tastes just as good days later! Here are the basic steps for this recipe:

Prep the veggies: Dice the onion, garlic and green pepper. Because what good Sloppy Joes recipe doesn’t have green pepper?
Saute: Saute the veggies for 5 minutes.
Simmer: Add the rest of the ingredients and simmer for 30 to 35 minutes until a thick sauce forms and the lentils are tender.
Stir in ketchup and serve. You’ll stir in one last hit of ketchup to intensify the flavor.

Why lentils? A note on plant based meats

Many vegan Sloppy Joes recipes use plant based meat versions of ground beef. Here’s the thing: Alex and I aren’t so into plant based meat substitutes (like veggie crumbles or Impossible Burger). They’re all the rage these days, but guess what? They’re also processed food.

According to Dr. David Katz in Heated, plant based meats are a step up from eating processed meats, but a step down from whole foods. So if you’re looking to eat lots of plants for your health: start with actual veggies! That’s why we’ve used lentils as the filling in these Sloppy Joes.

Make it in advance, or use our quicker version!

If you want to make it on a weeknight but don’t have 50 minutes, we get it! We usually don’t either. Here’s what we would do:

Meal prep in advance. Make it the night before or on the weekend. Leftovers save well! Just refrigerate them until serving, and reheat in a saucepan. Add an extra squeeze of ketchup if it seems dry.
Use our quicker version. Try our Two-Bean Sloppy Joes: they take just 20 minutes! We like the flavor and texture of these a little better, but the bean version is nice for a quick fix.

Everyone loves them…including kids!

These vegan Sloppy Joes are a nice plant-based meal for people who are on the fence about veggies. They’re crowd pleasing and have a cozy, comforting vibe. They’re also a great vegan recipe for kids! Our son Larson loved them. Of course, they do get a little sloppy: so beware!

More healthy plant based dinner recipes

Looking for more healthy plant based dinner recipes? That’s our forte around here. Here are some you might enjoy:

Minestrone Soup Minestrone soup is a colorful Italian soup full of hearty vegetables and pasta! This recipe is an easy plant based dinner or lunch recipe.
Easy Sheet Pan Dinner This easy sheet pan dinner is filled with healthy vegetables and fresh flavor! Throw it all in the oven while you cook rice or quinoa. Dinnertime win!
Easy Chickpea Curry The ultimate healthy and easy weeknight dinner! It’s done in 20 minutes, totally plant based, and full of flavor.

This vegan Sloppy Joes recipe is…

Vegetarian, vegan, plant-based, and dairy-free. For gluten-free, use gluten-free buns.