Mandarin Orange Salad

5 from 1 vote

A fresh, colorful mandarin orange salad with juicy mandarins, pomegranate, creamy avocado and goat cheese, and crunchy nuts, tossed in a bright mandarin vinaigrette.

Prep Time10

Total Time10

Course: Salad

Cuisine: American

Diet: Gluten Free, Vegetarian

Servings (change as needed): or 4 large servingss

Author: Cheryl Avrich

US Measures - Metric

Ingredients

5 -6 fresh mandarins (~ 1 ½ cups mandarin sections) (or one 11-ounce can mandarins, packed in juice, drained well and patted dry)
6 ounces salad greens, Note 1 (~ 6 cups)
⅓ cup pomegranate seeds (arils), Note 1
⅓ cup walnut pieces, Note 1 See Note 2 to make quick candied nuts
¼ cup goat cheese, crumbled, Note 1 (or more to taste)
1 avocado, peeled, pitted and thinly sliced, Note 3 to prevent browning.

Mandarin Vinaigrette (makes ~ ½ cup/118 ml)

1 teaspoon mandarin zest - from 1- 1½ mandarins (sub orange zest if needed)
3 tablespoons mandarin juice, fresh or canned (from 1 mandarin)
1½ teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar (or rice vinegar)
2 teaspoons maple syrup
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
pinch black pepper
¼ cup neutral oil canola, peanut oil, non-extra virgin olive oil

US Measures - Metric

Instructions

Optional: If you are making your own candied nuts, do that now, Note 2. This will add an extra 5 minutes to the recipe time.
MAKE MANDARIN VINAIGRETTE: First, zest mandarin(s), the squeeze out juice to get 3 tablespoons. Add to a small jar or container with a lid. along with all other vinaigrette dressing ingredients, place lid on container, and shake until well combined. Taste and adjust if needed, adding more vinegar if too sweet and more maple syrup if too tart. Set aside.
ASSEMBLE SALAD: Lay greens in a large shallow bowl. Arrange mandarins, nuts, goat cheese, avocado slices and pomegranate seeds over the top. Just before serving, drizzle on mandarin dressing. You may not need it all.

Notes

Substitutions
- Mandarins: Use oranges instead, peeled and sectioned.
- Walnuts: Swap in pecans, pistachios, macadamia, or sliced almonds. Toasted are best.
- Goat cheese: Use feta (tangier and saltier) or ricotta (milder).
- Pomegranate seeds: Use dried cranberries or other chopped dried fruit.
How to make quick candied nuts (5 min): Cook ½ cup nuts with 2 tbsp sugar (or 1 ½ for less sweet), 1 tbsp water, an optional pinch of ground cinnamon, and a pinch of salt in a skillet over medium heat, stirring constantly, until coated and glossy (3 - 4 minutes). Transfer to a plate to cool before using.
Prevent avocado from browning: Brush all exposed surfaces with lemon, orange or lime juice. Without this, avocado will turn brown within 15-20 minutes.
Dressing upgrade
- For a more savory twist, make a mandarin miso-ginger dressing by adding 1-2 teaspoons of white miso paste and 1 teaspoon grated ginger to the vinaigrette in the recipe above.
Variations
- Other add-ins: strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, chopped green onions or thinly sliced red onions
- Dressing options: poppyseed dressing, honey-lemon dressing, Italian dressing (add a touch of maple syrup), or raspberry vinaigrette. Tip: Avoid creamy dressings - they dull the colors.
Make ahead: The dressing can be made 3 days ahead and the toppings can be prepped up to 1 day ahead. Tips: Assemble the salad up to 30 minutes before serving and add dressing just before serving to prevent the salad from wilting. This salad does not keep well once dressed as it becomes soggy (but it still tastes good!).

Nutrition values include all ingredients in the recipe for one (of 6) servings. Substitutes, candied nuts and variations will alter the values.