Flowers and fireworks and sunshine all rolled into a colorful salad. I keep making these bright dishes to give spring a little push to get going. And I think it’s working. The snow has already melted, the birds are chirping louder every morning, and I even saw the first rainbow of the year on St. Patrick’s Day of all days.
If you’re ready for spring as much as I am, it’s time your kitchen starts to reflect the colors of the season. Try this easy Sweet Orange & Pineapple Salad.
With so many citrus fruits in season, choose your favorite. Honey tangerines are great, or try mandarin, cars cara, or blood oranges.
Throw in some pineapple chunks for a tropical touch, and some veggies like carrot, cucumber, and red bell pepper for color and crunch. The contrasting texture and flavors make this Sweet Orange & Pineapple Salad a delicious side for dishes like Teriyaki Salmon, Miso Cod, Chinese-style Steamed Fish, or Roast Chicken.
For the vinaigrette, I keep it simple by using the leftover citrus juice after cutting the tangerine, and add in a little lemon juice, olive oil, rice wine vinegar, and honey.
Then to ramp up the flavor with some sweet, nutty, salty, and spicy notes, I season this Sweet Orange & Pineapple Salad with our Japanese Seven Spice (Shichimi Togarashi).
Sweet Orange & Pineapple Salad
Serves 3-4 as a side salad
Ingredients:
2 sweet oranges such as honey tangerines, mandarin oranges or cars-care oranges – cut into chunks (keep the leftover juice)
1/4 cup pineapple chunks
1 English cucumber – sliced into ribbons
1 small red bell pepper – thinly sliced
1 carrot – sliced into ribbons
Dressing:
Citrus juice (the leftover from cutting the tangerine/orange)
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp olive oil (or sunflower oil or grape seed oil)
1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
2 tsp honey (optional)
1/2 tsp of Season with Spice’s Spicy Japanese Seven Spice
Method:
1. In a bowl, mix together all the ingredients for the dressing.
2. In a large bowl, combine the fruits and veggies. Toss to mix. When ready to serve, pour the dressing over, and give the salad a quick toss. Then arrange it on your serving platter and enjoy!
Serves 3-4 as a side salad
Ingredients:
2 sweet oranges such as honey tangerines, mandarin oranges or cars-care oranges – cut into chunks (keep the leftover juice)
1/4 cup pineapple chunks
1 English cucumber – sliced into ribbons
1 small red bell pepper – thinly sliced
1 carrot – sliced into ribbons
Dressing:
Citrus juice (the leftover from cutting the tangerine/orange)
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp olive oil (or sunflower oil or grape seed oil)
1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
2 tsp honey (optional)
1/2 tsp of Season with Spice’s Spicy Japanese Seven Spice
Method:
1. In a bowl, mix together all the ingredients for the dressing.
2. In a large bowl, combine the fruits and veggies. Toss to mix. When ready to serve, pour the dressing over, and give the salad a quick toss. Then arrange it on your serving platter and enjoy!
