I tried this salad reluctantly at one of my favorite restaurants, Duke’s Chowderhouse, and was unsure how I would feel about the unique combination of toppings. I have never been a fruit-in-salad kind of person…until I had this.

It may sound like a strange recipe to those of you who, like me, are wary of mixing strong flavors, but trust me it is amazing! This is one of the most nourishing salads that I have ever had, and I love bringing it for lunch at work because it is full of vitamins and nutrients that give me the energy I need to push through the second half of the day. Plus it tastes like summer, and I like to pretend it’s warm and sunny outside even when it’s December and I live in Seattle. A girl can dream.

Ingredients

• Spring mix salad (2 handfuls is usually enough for me)
• 1/2 of a red grapefruit
• 1/2 of an orange
• 1/2 of an avocado
• 1/4 cup of candied pecans
• 2 tablespoons of blue cheese crumbles
• Light drizzle of olive oil and lemon juice, or your favorite light salad dressing
• Salt and pepper

Instructions

1. Remove the “meat” from the grapefruit and orange (I just cut around the edges and scoop the little slices out with a spoon) and slice the avocado
2. Mix the greens, avocado, grapefruit, orange, and olive oil together.
3. Top the salad off with the blue cheese crumbles and candied pecans.
4. Drizzle your desired amount of dressing (you shouldn’t need much since there are so many other strong flavors)
5. Add salt and pepper to taste

One of the best parts about this salad is that it only uses half of the grapefruit and orange, so I like to juice the unused halves and have a fresh citrus juice with my citrus salad!

I am always searching for yummy new ways to eat vegetables, so if you have a favorite salad recipe, please go to my Contact page and share it with me!