Avocado & Orange, Radicchio & Arugula Salad

Photo by David Bishop

http://dbishop.net/

Avocados and oranges make a great pairing in a salad. The avocado is rich and creamy, while the juicy, sweet and tart orange tantalizes the taste buds. Lay them on a bed of the slightly bitter, yet velvety textured, tender magenta colored radicchio lettuce and the wild peppery baby arugula greens, add a squeeze of fresh zesty lime, and a drizzle of fruity olive oil for a melodious experience of sight & savoring. Complete the ensemble with sprigs of aromatic cilantro, freshly ground floral scented pink peppercorns and crunchy flake sea salt crystals and voila…a dreamy luncheon or dinner time side meal.

In this recipe I used Cara Cara Oranges (http://www.sunkist.com/products/cara-cara-oranges.aspx ), because of their uniquely fragrant sweet exotic flavor with undertones of cranberry and a pink orange hue. They augment the avocado in color, flavor and texture. The fruit blend coordinates perfectly with the multicolored and textured mix of lettuces.

Ingredients: Makes 4-6 individual salads

• 1 head of radicchio
• 2 cups of baby arugula
• 1 avocado, sliced and peeled and dipped into lime juice to prevent browning
• 1 Cara Cara Orange, or any orange you choose, peeled with a knife, sliced into rounds then halved
• 1 lime, half of it juiced, the other half sectioned into wedges.
• ½ cup of freshly washed and dried cilantro leaves
• ¼ cup of high quality fruity olive oil
• Freshly ground pink peppercorns
• Liberal sprinklings of flaked sea salt

Directions:

1. Wash and dry the lettuces
2. Portion the lettuces into 4 to 6 parts
3. Slice and peel the avocado, dipping them into the lime juice to prevent browning
4. With a knife, peel and slice the oranges into cross sections than cut them into half moons
5. Arrange the lettuces onto each individual plate
6. Artfully arrange the avocado and orange slices onto the lettuces
7. Liberally add the cilantro leaves as garnish to the salads
8. Grind pink peppercorns onto each salad
9. Generously sprinkle each with flake sea salt, or other salt of your choice
10. Add a slice of lime to each plate

Enjoy your amazingly beautiful and delicious salad by yourself or with your friends and loved ones.

Also visit my professional web site at marilinda.com and my Food News column at the Huffington Post

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