Here’s a cheerful little Moroccan-inspired Citrus Salad with dates, pistachios, arugula, mint, and toasted coconut, dressed in a flavorful Citrus Shallot Vinaigrette. Full of immunity-boosting vitamin C, it is like sunshine on a plate. Vegan and delicious!
It is in moments when we open wholeheartedly to our actual experience, rather than trying to deny it, judge it or reject it, that grace seems most available. ~Dorothy Hunt
Every few days or so, our next-door neighbor here in Santa Barbara leaves us the most beautiful citrus fruit by our front door. It grows from an older tree in his yard that was graphed with several different types of varieties of oranges and mandarins all coming out of the same stock. Anyways, the fruit is amazing and this is what inspired this Citrus Salad.
Not only does this salad provide a huge burst of immune-boosting vitamin C, but it’s also such a joyful happy salad to make. Seriously, the smell alone will cheer ya up.
Peel and slice your citrus. You’ll need 4-5 oranges, mandarins, tangerines, etc. A mix is nice! I prefer to slice the peel off, but do as you like. Using a mix of sizes, flavors and colors is nice too.
Then just start layering and have fun with it!
Place a couple of handfuls of baby arugula or spinach on a platter to create the base. Start layering the the sliced citrus, scatter the soaked red onion, toasted coconut, dates, pistachios and scatter with mint. Add crumbled goat cheese if you like or keep it totally vegan- up to you.
Here in Santa Barbara, we can get the oranges, onion, dates, mint, and pistachios all at the farmers market this time of year, making the salad especially easy to make. Yes, I feel spoiled. 😉
Soft, large Medjool dates are easy to prep, so always look for those. If onions irritate your tummy, try soaking them first to remove the “bite”.
Mix the Citrus Vinaigrette dressing ingredients together in a bowl or bottle and spoon some over the salad. You probably won’t need all.
Feel free to assemble the citrus salad ahead, storing it in the fridge (leaving the mint and coconut off until serving) and dress it right before serving.
On the homefront: We are doing well. Still loving being by the ocean. It has been 5 months since we arrived in Santa Barbara. I don’t want to leave this lovely oasis. There is something about walking on the beach each day that feels like the most nurturing thing I can do for myself. But I miss my friends in Spokane. Feeling a little torn.
Anyways…
I hope you enjoy the Citrus salad – it is light and refreshing salad will be a lovely addition to what you are already cooking. Show me your creations on Instagram (tag #feastingathome) so I can see and repost.
Happy week,
Sylvia
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Citrus Salad with Dates
- Prep Time: 25
- Total Time: 25
- Yield: 4-6 1x
- Category: salad, vegan
- Method: assembled
- Cuisine: moroccan
- Diet: Vegan
Description
This Moroccan-inspired Citrus Salad with dates, arugula, mint, pistachios, and toasted coconut is dressed in the most flavorful Citrus Shallot Vinaigrette. It’s deliciously juicy and vegan!
Ingredients
Citrus Vinaigrette:
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons vinegar (champagne vinegar, sherry vinegar, red wine vinegar, apple cider vinegar)
- 2 tablespoons orange juice
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice (or lime)
- 1 tablespoon shallot (finely chopped) or sub 1 garlic clove, finely minced
- 1/4 teaspoon salt (more to taste)
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
Orange Salad:
- 1/4 cup coconut flakes, toasted
- 1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion
- 3–5 oranges, peeled with a knife and sliced (use a mix of oranges, blood oranges, mandarins or other ripe citrus)
- 2–3 large handfuls of baby arugula (or baby spinach)
- 1/4 cup chopped or sliced Medjool dates
- 1/4 cup pistachios, pecan pieces or sliced almonds
- fresh mint or Italian parsley
- optional- crumbled goat cheese
Instructions
Make the dressing – stir everything together in a small bowl.
Toast the coconut (in a dry skillet over low heat) and soak red onions in a bowl of salted water (this optional, to remove the bite and bitterness- some people prefer the bite and bitterness.;)
Cut the rinds off the oranges using a very sharp chef’s knife ( you can also peel by hand). Slice into 1/4 inch thick rounds.
Place the arugula ( or baby spinach) on a platter to form the base of the salad. Layer the orange slices over top. Sprinkle with the chopped dates, nuts and toastedcoconut.
Drain and scatter the red onions. If using goat cheese, crumble it over top. Add some mint leaves and spoon the dressing over top. You will probably not need all the dressing.
Add more cracked pepper if you like.
Serve immediately.
Notes
If making ahead, you could assemble this a few hours before, cover, refrigerate, then spoon the dressing over top right before serving.
Keywords: citrus salad, vegan citrus salad, orange salad, moroccan orange salad, citrus dressing, citrus vinaigrette
So fresh and delicious. A big hit in my house and definitely being added to the salad rotation!
★★★★★
Oh cool!
This was wonderful. I’m always amazed at how mint elevates a dish. The dates, coconut, and pistachios made the whole texture profile perfect. We loved it.
★★★★★
Made this last night with slight variations; I had some orange olive oil, and some coconut mango balsamic; also some orange goat cheese. It was amazing! My husband raved about how good this was! What bright flavors, and a cheerful salad for stay at home time!
★★★★★
My friends and I loved it,
It is so fresh tasting
★★★★★
Great to hear! Thanks so much!