Salad

Blood Orange Salad with Blue Cheese

A citrus style fresh green salad with chunks of creamy blue cheese and toasty pecans. Perfect for a summer's day with a glass of white wine.

To recipe
Blood orange salad and creamy blue cheese
A white, fluffy chef's hat with an orange band, logo of Foodness Gracious.

Recipe

A fresh and healthy summer salad with blue cheese and pecans.

Course:
Salad
COOKing TIME:
20 minutes
Total TIME:
40 minutes
CUISINE:
American
PREP TIME:
20 minutes
SERVINGS:
4

Ingredients

FOR THE VINAIGRETTE

  • 1/2 cup olive oil
  • 1/4 cup blood orange juice
  • 2 1/2 tbsp white wine vinegar
  • 2 tbsp honey
  • 1 tbsp spicy mustard or Creole mustard
  • Salt and black pepper to taste

FOR THE SALAD

  • 8 small-medium sized blood oranges
  • 4 ounces Cashel Blue Irish cheese crumbled roughly
  • 1/4 cup chopped pecans. Candied are best but not required
  • 16 ounce pack of spring mixed greens
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Ingredient Swaps

Instructions

  1. Combine all of the dressing ingredients in a plastic container with the lid securely sealed. Shake until everything is mixed together. Set aside.
  2. Peel and segment the oranges by taking the peel off with a sharp knife. Then slice in between the membrane of each slice and the segment will fall out.
  3. Transfer the oranges to a small bowl.
  4. Place the mixed greens into a large bowl and add the orange slices and about 2 tbsp of the dressing.
  5. Toss gently and add more dressing if you prefer. Transfer the greens to plates and top each pile with some crumbled blue cheese, pecans and season with salt and pepper.

Recipe insights & TIPS

Three day weekends are the best, are they not? Being a stay-at-home dad, it doesn’t affect me like a day off work kind of deal, but it does mean that the rest of the family are home and we get to do stuff like this…

Skateboarding on the beach path. Miranda’s been practicing her boarding and getting really good at it. We had to cut it short today, though; yesterday she stepped on a bee and her foot hurts. Personally I think it might be because of her new silver, blingtastic hi-tops that she purchased on her own with her birthday gift card, but she assures me I’m just a crazy dad with no style. Crazy I can agree with but no style? Pshht, I was an eighties kid!

Cruising on her skateboard

We also went to a birthday party. When the hosts point out their giant, fruit-laden blood orange tree and tell me to help myself, well, yes, don’t mind if I do! I’m seeing less of this fruit available in the store, so it was cool to get a whole bunch more for free! I stuck Miranda on my shoulders to be my picker, but after being slapped on the head by branches and falling fruit, she became my fruit picker-upper.

What to do with a giant bag of blood oranges? Make blood orange salad (among other things)  Some simple spring green mix, orange segments, candied pecans, Cashel Blue cheese from Kerrygold and a blood orange vinaigrette. Mix all of these fridge buddies together and you have another party of sorts taking place, but this time it’s in your mouth.

Hope your long weekend was awesome!

Blood orange salad with blue cheese
Fresh tasting blood orange salad with blue cheese and toasted pecans
Blood orange salad and creamy blue cheese
A white, fluffy chef's hat with an orange band, logo of Foodness Gracious.

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @foodnessgracious on Instagram and hashtag it #foodnessgracious so we can see all the deliciousness!