This salad thoughhh. You need to make it. The key, in my opinion, is loading it up with avocado. The creaminess of the avocado pairs so well with the crunchy fennel and bright flavour of the orange.
I made this salad on a Sunday and packed the leftovers for workweek lunches. I’m not exaggerating when I say I had a lunchtime countdown in anticipation of this deliciousness! If packing for leftovers, slice the avocado as close to serving as possible. When I packed this in my lunch, I added a half avocado in the skin right into my container and scooped it onto the salad when it was time to dig in!
This salad features high fibre protein (white beans), healthy fats (avocado and olive oil), vitamin C-packed orange and a whole lot more! Healthy eating never tasted so good!
Ingredients:
3 cups fennel, thinly sliced (bulb only, though save fennel fronds for garnish if desired)
2 cups tightly packed arugula
2 oranges, segmented*
1 can white kidney beans (also called cannellini), drained and rinsed
2 avocados, sliced
Optional garnishes: orange zest, fennel fronds, extra black pepper, Maldon (flakey) salt
For the dressing:
3 tbsp. olive oil
1 tbsp. fresh orange juice*
1.5-2 tbsp. white wine vinegar (depending on how tart you like your dressing)
1 tsp Dijon mustard
Salt and pepper, to taste
Directions:
1) Add all salad ingredients to a bowl and toss gently to combine (I like to use clean hands to do this).
*To segment the orange, remove the peel with a knife. Carefully slice out each orange segment by cutting along the membrane surrounding each segment. I do this over a bowl to catch the juice, as some is required for the dressing. Zest the orange first if you plan to use some for garnish.
2) Add all dressing ingredients to a small mason jar and shake it up to emulsify.
3) Drizzle the dressing atop the salad and toss gently.
4) Garnish as desired and enjoy!
