Since today is the first day of National Nutrition Month, I thought it was only appropriate to share this pretty little cara cara orange and arugula salad with you all! For those of you who may not be familiar with National Nutrition Month, it was started by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics as a way to increase public awareness of good nutrition and the role that dietitians can play in promoting public health.
This salad definitely fits in with this year’s theme which is “savor the flavor of eating right”. Salads don’t have to be bland and boring! I made a salad similar to this one a couple of weeks ago and shared it on Instagram. I was still craving it this weekend so I decided to recreate it again for the blog. It’s just that good!
Of course, any orange will work in this salad, but I highly recommend looking for cara cara oranges We picked some up at Trader Joe’s and I just fell in love with their gorgeous pink color. Batch cook your quinoa ahead of time and this salad can be tossed together even faster. This recipe makes enough for 2 large lunch salads or 4 small side salads. If you aren’t planning on eating this right away, I would wait to add the dressing until you are ready to serve.
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Cara Cara Orange and Arugula Salad
Ingredients
Quinoa
- 1/2 cup uncooked dry quinoa
- 1 1/4 cup vegetable broth
Salad
- 2 cara cara oranges
- 4.5 ounce package arugula
- 1/2 avocado chopped
- 1/3 cup almonds chopped
Dressing
- 1/2 cara cara orange juiced (~ 1 tablespoon)
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- Dash of salt and ground black pepper
Instructions
Make the Quinoa
- Rinse quinoa in a fine mesh strainer with cold water. Transfer to small saucepan with vegetable broth.
- Bring to a simmer and cover with lid. Cook for 15 minutes or until broth has been absorbed and quinoa is tender. Fluff with a fork and set aside about 10-15 minutes to cool.
Prep the Salad
- Peel and chop oranges into small (~1″) sections. Chop almonds and avocado and set aside.
- In a large bowl, add the arugula and top with the cooled quinoa. Stir to mix well. Top with orange sections, almonds, and avocado.
Make the Dressing
- To make the dressing, combine the orange juice, vinegar, olive oil, mustard, salt and pepper in a small mason jar. Screw on the lid and shake vigorously until well mixed.
- Drizzle dressing over salad and toss to coat. Serve immediately.
Notes
Nutrition
Make this recipe?
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Comments & Reviews
This is one of my favorite types of salad. We’ve been enjoying arugula topped with Cara Cara oranges and fennel, sometimes avocado too, as an easy side to our dinner meals. Love the addition of quinoa and almonds!
Love Love Love this! Cant wait to try it. I think our blog will resinate with you 🙂
This salad is gorgeous! Exactly what I want to be enjoying as warmer weather rolls around!
step 4-?? Add arugula and top with arugula?
Oops! I meant that to say quinoa. It’s been corrected. Thanks Anna!