A salad mix tossed with toasted almonds, slices of blood orange, dried cranberries, and tomatoes then drizzled with blood orange balsamic vinaigrette. Simple and delicious, this seasonal citrus salad with blood orange balsamic vinaigrette will become an instant favorite.
Okay. It’s official. I’m at a loss for words.
I don’t even know how to begin to describe the deliciousness and oh so amazing flavor in this salad. And that blood orange balsamic vinaigrette. Oh. My. God. You have to try it for yourself.
Why, oh why, are blood oranges sooo good? And why are they so darn expensive?
I’ve been searching for blood oranges for weeks now. You would think that since I live in San Francisco, blood oranges are readily available, but nuooo, they’re not. At least, not in the places I’ve searched. And trust me, I’ve looked in every market I walked by. High and low. Inside and out. Well, guess what? I finally found them!
They cost me what felt like a fortune. And like, half of what I bought (the peel) went to the compost. So were they worth it?
Yes! Because I just discovered my favoritest salad plus a to-die-for salad dressing.
If I could have this salad every day and not become poor, I totally would.
That blood orange balsamic vinaigrette, I really can’t get over it. The sweetness of the blood orange and the tartness of the balsamic vinegar, what’s not to love? Drizzled (more like poured) over my salad, and I’ll happily munch on my salad all day long.
Not that I mind. Because the salad also has blood orange slices.
Um… Can you tell my latest obsession?
The fork says it all.
This salad is absolutely perfect. The vibrant spring mix, the crunch of toasted almonds, the sweetness of the dried cranberries, and the juiciness of the tomatoes, and how can I forget the blood oranges?
I can’t. I really really can’t.
Will you try it? Please tell me you will so I can gush about it with someone.
I’m definitely sharing this at Fiesta Friday.
For the salad, all you have to do is mix together your favorite salad mix (I almost always go with spring mix because I love the vibrant colors), dried cranberries, toasted almonds (or your favorite nuts), sliced tomatoes, and sliced blood oranges. That’s it. Easy, right?
To get the blood oranges to look like that, cut the peel from the fruit and cut them in round slices.
For the blood orange balsamic vinaigrette, you’ll need to squeeze the juice from the blood oranges. This is the hardest part of the recipe! I couldn’t resist eating them. Once you have the freshly squeezed blood orange juice, pour it into a bowl. Add balsamic vinegar, olive oil, and a little bit of salt to the bowl. Whisk the ingredients together. And you’re done! You can also add basil for extra flavor.
Drizzle (or pour) the blood orange balsamic vinaigrette over your salad, and enjoy!
If you make this recipe, or any of my other recipes, post a photo on your social media and tag it with #cookingwithawallflower. I’d love to see what you make!
- 4 cups spring salad mix
- ⅓ cup dried cranberries
- ⅓ cup almonds, toasted and roughly chopped
- 1 small to medium sized tomato, sliced
- 1 blood orange, peel removed and sliced
- 6 tablespoons blood orange juice (1-2 small to medium sized blood oranges)
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- ¼ teaspoon salt, more to taste
- 1 tablespoon basil leaves, shredded (optional)
- Toss together the salad mix with the dried cranberries, toasted almonds, sliced tomatoes, and blood orange slices. Set aside for now.
- In a small bowl, add the blood orange juice, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, and salt. Add shredded basil leaves if desired. Whisk the ingredients together until they become well combined.
- Drizzle the blood orange balsamic vinaigrette over the salad, and serve cold.
That’s my cup of tea…
That looks amazing! I wish we could get oranges like that here.
Since we live in the midwest (rural Missouri, USA) we seldom see blood oranges in the market – not very local of course. But, when they do show up, i try to nab some. Thanks for a great post!
After reading your post, I MUST experience your beloved blood oranges! Can’t imagine where I’ll find them, though, here in my small, southeast Georgia town. Maybe I’ll try Atlanta…
Thanks for your wonderful post (and the trip idea)!
We love blood oranges, so I started looking online. You are having a problem finding them because this hasn’t been a great season. They are normally around from December to May, depending on which kind. But, you can order them online from pearsonranch.com. They are located in California and are supposed to be among the best. I’m not sure what you paid, but they sell them at ten pounds for $30.
This really looks amazing, Andrea! I love salad so much, and this one, wow! So colorful! I have never even eaten a blood orange, and I can’t wait to try them. The dressing sounds perfect, too!
Love this!
The vinaigrette looks especially good. Next time I come across some blood oranges I’ll try it.
If you want a slightly less fruity salad with blood oranges, try making a blood orange, red onion salad with a peppery olive-oil balsamic vinaigrette. You will not regret it!
Sounds divine!
I’m going to try this at a dinner party in a couple of weeks. It looks delicious and would go well with my Italian pork main dish. Thanks for sharing.