Pecan Crusted Goat Cheese Citrus Salad

With navel oranges,  blood oranges, cara cara oranges, and grapefruit, this pecan crusted goat cheese citrus salad is a fun and healthy recipe to brighten up your winter! (gluten-free, vegetarian)

Is there anything more gorgeous than winter citrus? It’s bright and juicy, just the sweet pick-me-up we need on gloomy winter days. Citrus fruits are the true gems of winter produce in my opinion.

Sometimes you can’t pick just one favorite citrus fruit, so you use them all! That’s what I did in this bright pecan crusted goat cheese citrus salad. I went a little overboard at the market, buying ALL the oranges and grapefruit.  I couldn’t decide which to use first, so I didn’t. I cut them all up into beautiful slices and made a salad. Yum.

All of those gorgeous oranges provide tons of vitamin C, too. Vitamin C is not only important for keeping your immune system strong, it’s also an antioxidant, and serves as a precursor to collagen, amino acids, and neurotransmitters.  Just one serving of this salad provides over 100% of your daily vitamin C needs!

Pecan crusted goat cheese is the perfect compliment to all of the juicy citrus in this salad. It’s tangy and creamy with a nutty crunch from the toasted pecans. All of the flavors blend so well for a salad that is truly amazing.

If you’re looking for a healthy winter dish to brighten up a cold and overcast day, fill your plate with some gorgeous blood oranges, cara cara oranges, navel oranges and grapefruit, and I promise you’ll feel at least a little happier!

Pecan Crusted Goat Cheese Citrus Salad

With navel oranges, blood oranges, cara cara oranges, and grapefruit, this pecan crusted goat cheese citrus salad is a fun and healthy recipe to brighten up your winter! (gluten-free, vegetarian)

• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 5 minutes
• Total Time: 15 minutes
• Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

Salad:

• 1 blood orange
• 1 cara cara orange
• 1 navel orange
• 1 medium grapefruit
• 1 box (5 oz) spring mix lettuce
• 1/4 red onion, thinly sliced
• 4 oz goat cheese
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans

Blood Orange Vinaigrette:

• 2 tbsp blood orange juice
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 1 tsp honey
• Pinch salt
• Pinch fresh cracked black pepper

Instructions

1. Peel citrus and cut into segments. In a large bowl, place spring mix and layer with citrus fruit and sliced onion. Set aside.
2. Heat a non-stick skillet over medium-low heat. Cut goat cheese into 4 rounds. Coat each round in pecan pieces, pressing pecans all around to cover as much white space as possible. Place coated goat cheese in the skillet and toast until pecans are fragrant, about 2 minutes per side.
3. Meanwhile, whisk together dressing ingredients. Pour over salad and gently toss to coat. Divide among 4 plates. Top each with a piece of toasted pecan goat cheese and serve.

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