Winter Fruit Salad with Lemon Poppyseed Dressing

A handful of winter fruits turn in to an outrageously good fruit salad.  Top it with a sweet/tart lemon poppyseed dressing and you'll be craving this dish all winter long!

Winter Fruit Salad with Lemon Poppyseed Dressing 

Fruit is essential in our house, and we eat a ton of it.  We are in heaven during the spring and summer months due to the abundance of fresh fruit, but come wintertime we feel a little cheated.  That is until I came across this recipe for a winter fruit salad.  The salad has a combination of pears, apples, tangerines, bananas, kiwis, and dried cranberries.  If that isn't good enough it is topped with this amazing dressing that includes lemon juice, honey, oil, and poppyseeds.  This salad is sooooo good that I've made it three times in that last 2 weeks!

This salad is perfect for breakfast, brunch, lunch, and snacks.  Because of the lemon in the dressing the apples and pears don't turn brown so this would be great for a picnic in the park. 

However you decide to serve it make sure to do it quickly.  If you love fruit, this is going to be a new favorite in your household too!

When do I serve fruit salad?

• Brunch or breakfast
• Snack time
• After school snack
• Dessert
• Lunch as a side dish
• Use this to top waffles for breakfast or dessert
• Top Greek Yogurt with a big scoop
• Top ice cream for dessert
• Perfect over pound cake or angel food cake

What Ingredients do I need?

• apples
• pears - we love D'Anjou
• kiwis
• bananas
• tangerines or mandarin oranges
• dried cranberries
• lemon
• poppyseeds
• honey
• canola oil

Substitutions and Variations

• add dried cherries instead of cranberries
• add pomegranate arils
• use fresh orange juice in the dressing instead of lemon
• any of the fruit may be left out
• substitute you favorite pear
• use a tart apple instead of a sweet one
• add grapefruit segments instead of tangerines
• add orange segments instead of tangerines
• add blood orange segments instead of tangerines
• swap out pineapple for any of the fruit

Kitchen Tips and Notes

• Double the recipe to serve a larger group
• This best eaten the same day however, the fruit salad will keep an extra day in the refrigerator but the bananas may tend to get a little mushy.
• The lemon juice in the dressing will keep the apples and pears from browning
• To make ahead prep the tangerines and kiwi, but I would cut the apple, pears, and banana pretty close to serving.

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Winter Fruit Salad with Lemon Poppyseed Dressing 

serves 4

Dressing

1 1/2 Tablespoons lemon juice

1 1/2 Tablespoons honey

1 teaspoon poppyseeds

3 Tablespoons canola oil

Pinch of sugar

Salad

1 Envy apple, cored and diced

1 D'Anjou pear, cored and diced

1 banana, sliced

2 kiwis, peeled and diced

2 tangerines, peeled and segmented

1/3 cup dried cranberries

To make the dressing: In a small bowl or jar whisk together lemon juice, honey, poppyseeds, sugar, and oil until well combined.

For the fruit salad: In a salad bowl toss together all of the fruit then pour just enough dressing over top to coat.  Start out with about 1/2 and add more if needed.  Toss to coat gently.  

Serve immediately for best results.

adapted from:  Cooking Classy

Summer Fresh Recipe Series: Tangerine Salad

A light, crisp, and fresh Tangerine Salad that's perfect to enjoy during the end of summer days.

Well it's been quite a summer and I made it to my 20th installment of my Summer Fresh Recipe Series where we talk about quick and easy meals that use summer's fresh produce.  Today I'm bringing you a wonderful fresh salad and it goes perfect with my last post of the Italian Layered Picnic Sandwich, as well as about anything else as a main dish.

Today's recipe is all about using fresh greens along with citrus to make a light summer salad.  Green leaf lettuce, green onions, and tangerines are mixed and topped with almonds for crunch, then doused with a light cider vinaigrette for a salad that is perfection!

I have a thing about tangerines in salads.  They remind me of my favorite salad growing up, which was a Chinese Chicken Salad.  There is something about little juicy tangerines that just make the salad special to me.  The sweetness of the tangerines lend a light and bright feeling to the salad and provide a wonderful pop of flavor.  No wonder I keep a can of mandarin oranges or tangerines in my pantry at all times!

You really will enjoy this salad.  It's light, crisp, and fresh and perfect to enjoy in the warm summer months.  A few more post to come with some end of summer favorites so stayed tuned.

Enjoy!

Summer Fresh Recipe Series

• Italian Layered Picnic Sandwich
• Spicy Grilled Eggplant
• Carrot and Almond Bulgur Salad
• Tomato Avocado & Grilled Corn Salad
• Spinach Orzo Salad with Chickpeas 
• Cherry Almond Muffins
• Watermelon Salad Mediterranean Style
• Chicken Fajita Kabobs
• Refreshing Melon Salad
• Peach Blueberry & Ginger Crisp
• Grilled Sirloin Steak with Garlic Herb Vinaigrette
• Grilled Vegetable Platter
• Sirloin Steak topped with Herb Salsa with Roasted Potatoes & Carrots
• Lemon Blueberry Scones
• Grilled Honey Ginger Glazed Pork Tenderloin with Apricots & Brocollini
• Lemon Raspberry Dutch Baby
• Simple Mediterranean Salad
• Grilled Chicken Kofta
• Greek Cobb Salad

Tangerine Salad

serves 6

1 11 oz. can of mandarin oranges or tangerines, drained
6 cups of green leaf lettuce
3 green onions, sliced, dark and light green parts only
1/2 cup almonds, rough chopped
2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
2 Tbsp olive oil
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

On a large platter place lettuce and top with green onions, and tangerines.  Sprinkle with almonds.  In a small bowl whisk together the vinegar, olive oil, salt & pepper.  Pour over salad and toss to coat.

Golden Nugget Muffins (Small Batch)

Yum

Spring has sprung and I'm lovin' it!

The temperature is moderate, the birds are singing, and there are butterflies everywhere!  Springtime has definitely come to Southern California!  We had such a raining winter season that it caused a superbloom here.  The flowers are popping, and all the trees are budded out.  We even found hidden bulbs in our backyard this year that produced daffodils we didn't even know we had!  And let me tell you about the butterflies!  Oh my gosh....we have soooooooooooo many butterflies it is amazing.  They claim that all the rain caused a super crop of monarch butterflies and they are just flying everywhere on their migration north.  Amazing and beautiful!

Golden Nugget Muffins (Small Batch)

All this great revival of life has made me so happy!  I'm also happy because of the produce that has popped up in the grocery store.  Yes! to springtime fruits!  Berries are in season as well as these beautiful golden nugget tangerines.  I found these gems a few years ago at out local farmer's market and have been eating them every year since.  I think they are the sweetest tangerines around.  They are in their peak season from March through May so grab them while you can.  

Since I bought a ton of these tangerines on my last trip to the grocery store I thought I would make some wonderful muffins featuring these beauties this weekend.  What's better for a Spring breakfast than some hot muffins bursting with the sweet bits of juicy tangerines.  Nothing!  At least for today!!!

What if I can't find Golden Nuggets?  If you can't find Golden Nuggets you can use any sweet tangerine that you like.  I highly suggest you look for these thought because they are shockingly delicious and you need them in your life!

What items do I need?  

• Mixing bowl - you will need a good mixing bowl to make the muffins.  I like porcelain or glass bowls.  This is one that I use as a mixing bowl as well as a salad serving bowl.
• Wooden spoons - perfect for mixing all your ingredients together.
• Paring knife - You will need a good small knife to cut the tangerine bits. I love this one.
• Muffin Pan - This recipe make 6 muffins and I use these pans the most.
• Orange Extract - I use Nielsen Massey Pure Orange Extract.  The flavor is outstanding!  If you want to use vanilla instead that will work in a pinch however, the orange flavor will not be as prominent.

This recipe makes a small batch of 6 muffins which is perfect for a weekend treat.  If you want to make 12 muffins, so you can eat them during the week, just double the recipe.  These will easily keep covered at room temperature for 3-4 days, and freeze wonderfully.

I use my base muffin recipe here that can be made into a gazillion different muffins.  It's a slightly sweeter muffin and with tender bits of tangerine running through them.  It's heaven!

Take time to enjoy the spring bounty of fruits and vegetables available right now starting with these muffins.

Enjoy!

Other Springtime Treats using Oranges/Tangerines:

• Tangerine Beef and Bok Choy Stir Fry
• Orange Salad with Arugula and Spinach
• Simple Asian Salad
• Orange Iced Tea
• Blood Orange and Pear Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette

Golden Nugget Muffins (Small Batch)

serves 6

1 egg
1/2 cup 2% milk
1/4 cup Canola Oil
1 1/2 Cups all purpose flour
1/2 Cup sugar
2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. salt

1/2 t. Orange extract (such as Nielsen Massey)

1 t golden nugget zest

1 golden nugget, peeled and chopped into small bites

Place egg, milk and oil in a large mixing bowl and whisk together until light. Add flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Add the citrus zest and orange extract. Stir just until moistened. Don’t overmix…batter should be lumpy and a little thick. Fold in chopped golden nugget bits.

Spray a non-stick muffin pan with cooking spray. Divide batter among 6 muffin cups filling most of the way full.

Bake at 425 degrees for 20-25 min. Allow to cool 10 minutes.  Serve.


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Tangerine Beef and Bok Choy Stir Fry

I'm hungry and it's dinner time!

Yesterday I had a beef and orange salad that inspired me to take this wonderful combination of flavors and turn it into a delicious stir fry.

It just so happened that I had most of the ingredients already in the house.  Tangerines are slightly more sweet and will lend a great flavor mixed with ginger, creating a sauce to die for.  Baby bok choy is just a wonderful vegetable that lends crunch and veggie goodness to the dish.  I also put in some asparagus tips for good measure.  

All I needed was the beef.  So I used some very thinly sliced sirloin.  Something that can be cooked up quickly and stay tender.

This was a GREAT dish!  Again, there is no need for take-out when you can create a masterpiece such as this one.  It's way better than take-out!  This dish comes together fairly easy.  The most time spent is making the rice, and creating the sauce.  Segmenting tangerines takes a little while and since they are a key ingredient, it's best to make the sauce first and have everything ready when you start to cook.  

So this dish is a little more involved, but I was still able to get dinner on the table in about 45 minutes.  I'm sure that you can buy stir fry beef, and use mandarin oranges and some juice as a way to cut time, and everything will be equally splendid.

Oh, and the topper is that this dish is LIGHT...that is low in calories.  It contains no sugar, like many Asian stir frys do.  The veggies are healthy and a good source of vitamins and fiber.  The protein is lean, and the fruit is fresh!  Great combination all the way around, and fits so well into the EAT WELL 2013 motto....I just love that!

Enjoy!

Tangerine Beef and Bok Choy Stir Fry

Serves 4
Time:  45 minutes

2 cups water
1 cup long grain white or brown rice
2 T low sodium soy sauce
1 T cornstarch
1 lb of sirloin cut into very thin strips 
3 tangerines
zest of 2 tangerines
1/4 c sherry
1 T ginger, minced
1 t cornstarch
1 t toasted sesame oil
4 t canola oil, divided
2 heads of baby bok choy
1/4 lb of thin asparagus

Boil water in a medium sauce pan over high heat.  Add rice, reduce and cover.  Simmer rice for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile add soy sauce and cornstarch to a medium bowl.  Stir to combine.  Add beef strips and toss to coat.  Allow to marinade while you make the sauce.  No need to refrigerate.

Zest two tangerines and place zest in a medium bowl.  Slice off the top and bottom of two tangerines.  Running your knife from the top down the sides, remove all white pith.  Segment the tangerine sections and place in the bowl.  Squeeze juice into the bowl with any leftover flesh and pith.  Do this with two tangerines.  With the third tangerine, peel and squeeze out all the juice and place in the bowl.  Add sherry, ginger, cornstarch and sesame oil.  Whisk to combine.  

Chop bok choy into chunks.  Cut off asparagus stalks, using only the tips.

Heat 2 teaspoons of oil in a large skillet.  Remove beef from the marinade and place in hot skillet.  Stir fry, turning often, for about 3-4 minutes until just cooked through.  Remove from skillet to a bowl.  Add remaining 2 teaspoons of oil and heat.  Add bok choy and asparagus to the skillet and stir fry for about 3 minutes until tender.  Add tangerine sauce.  Add beef and stir to coat, and allow sauce to thicken.
Serve over rice.