Dandelion Greens and Blood Orange Salad

Isn’t it amazing when you come across a combination of foods that just work together so well? You can’t help but to give yourself a pat on the back. That is the way this Dandelion Greens and Blood Orange salad made me feel. It was so good and so unexpected.

I saw organic dandelion greens at the farmers market and instantly picked them up. Phil said to me, “What are you going to do with those?” and I said, “I don’t know maybe a salad or saute them.” I had no plans for these greens when I grabbed them. I just knew I had to have them and I was determined to make something tasty with them. While we were there, we also picked up some blood oranges. Little did I know that these two ingredients would make an incredible salad.

Dandelion greens are somewhat bitter, not as harsh as endive, but along the same lines as arugula. Blood oranges are sweet and not too tart, which make them a perfect (and a beautiful) compliment to the dandelion greens. I threw in a handful of spiced pumpkin seeds because the salad needed some crunch and some spice. Goat cheese adds a creaminess to help round out all these bold flavors. If you can’t find dandelion greens, use arugula.

Dandelion Greens and Blood Orange Salad

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Prep time

15 mins

Cook time

5 mins

Total time

20 mins

Author: Dominique Cook

Recipe type: Salad

Cuisine: American

Serves: 4

Ingredients

2 blood oranges, peeled and segmented or peeled and sliced into thin rounds (whatever your knife skills can handle)
1 tsp honey
4 cups of dandelion greens, chopped (rinsed very well and drained)
¼ red onion, sliced thin
half of a lemon
1 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
2 ounces soft goat cheese

Spiced Pumpkin Seeds

¼ cup raw pumpkin seeds
½ tsp hot Hungarian paprika (use a mixture of cayenne and regular paprika if you don't have hot)
¼ tsp salt
1 tsp olive oil

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 350
In a small bowl, add the blood oranges (segments or round) and honey. Stir to combine. Let macerate while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.
In another small bowl, toss together all the ingredients for the spiced pumpkin seeds (seeds, paprika, salt and olive oil). Spread evenly on a foil lined baking sheet and bake for 5-7 minutes or until toasted and fragrant. Set aside to cool.
In a large bowl toss together the greens, onion, juice of the lemon, olive oil, and blood oranges (with juice). Season with salt and pepper. Arrange the salad on to 4 plates and top with goat cheese and sprinkle of pumpkin seeds.

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