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Home » Lunch & Dinner » Winter Green Salad with Oranges and Candied Pistachios

January 30, 2019

Winter Green Salad with Oranges and Candied Pistachios

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Winter green salad! A mix of hardy flavorful winter greens, juicy oranges, candied pistachios, fresh thyme and an incredibly easy honey-Dijon vinaigrette. Winter at its finest.

Photograph of a big bowl of winter green salad with diced oranges, fresh thyme and candied pistachios

This salad truly is a dump, toss and serve kind of side dish. It’s also incredibly versatile—winner all around.

In the same vein as the classic summer salad made with almonds, strawberries and a poppy seed vinaigrette, this winter green salad turns to in-season citrus, herbs, spiced candied nuts, and a homemade vinaigrette to create the perfect winter salad.

Photograph of a big bowl of winter green salad with diced oranges, fresh thyme and candied pistachios

Here’s what we’ve got going on and how you can modify to make it work for you!

Mixed seasonal greens
  • Use whatever greens you have on hand; kale, romaine, red leaf, etc. 
Diced oranges
  • Grapefruit, clementines or kumquats would all be great options as well. 
Candied pistachios
  • Any candied or roasted and salted nut works just as well here.
Fresh thyme
  • Use whatever fresh herbs you have on hand! Rosemary, oregano, basil, etc., just about any herb will be delicious!

Photograph of a big bowl of winter green salad with diced oranges, fresh thyme and candied pistachios

Make the most of citrus season! Did you know you can freeze oranges?! That’s right, the oranges you see in this salad were previously frozen. I peeled, segmented and froze this orange at peak ripeness and you would’ve never known!

Check out my step-by-step tutorial (and video) on how to freeze oranges!

Photograph of a big bowl of winter green salad with diced oranges, fresh thyme and candied pistachios

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Winter Green Salad with Oranges and Candied Pistachios

  • Author: Lauren Grant of Zestful Kitchen
  • Prep Time: 15 minutes
  • Cook Time: 5 minutes
  • Total Time: 20 minutes
  • Yield: 5 cups (4 servings) + ⅓ cup vinaigrette 1x
  • Category: Salad
  • Method: Toss
  • Cuisine: American
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Description

Fresh and flavorful, this winter green salad is packed with flavors and textures from oranges, candied pistachios, fresh thyme and a simple vinaigrette.


Scale

Ingredients

Candied Pistachios

  • 2 tablespoons turbinado sugar or granulated
  • 1 tablespoon water
  • ⅛ teaspoon salt
  • ⅛ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ¼ cup raw shelled pistachios

Vinaigrette

  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon minced shallot
  • 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • ½ teaspoon honey
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Salad

  • 4 cups mixed seasonal salad greens (Swiss chard, baby kale, spinach)
  • 1 orange, peeled and diced
  • 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
  • flax seeds (optional)

Instructions

For the candied pistachios: 

Coat a small baking sheet with nonstick spray; set aside.

Combine sugar, water, salt, and cinnamon in a nonstick skillet over medium heat; cook until sugar dissolves and mixture is bubbling, 1–2 minutes.

Add pistachios and cook, stirring to coat the pistachios, until nuts are coated and syrup has thickened and reduced, about 3 minutes.

Immediately spread pistachios in an even layer on prepared baking sheet; let cool completely then break into bite sized pieces.

For the vinaigrette:
Whisk together oil, vinegar, shallot, Dijon, and honey; season with salt and pepper.

For the salad:
Toss salad greens, orange, and ¼ cup candied pistachios together in a serving bowl, drizzle with vinaigrette, sprinkle with flax seeds, if using, and serve.



Notes

Equipment you’ll need:

  • Nonstick skillet
  • Baking sheet
  • Whisk

Make ahead tips:

Make the candies pistachios up to 1 week ahead of time! Or, if you’d rather use roasted and salted, go right ahead!

Make the vinaigrette up to 3 days ahead of time and store in the refrigerator. Let vinaigrette sit out at room temperature 15 minutes prior to serving to allow oil to liquefy.


Nutrition

  • Calories: 150
  • Sugar: 9g
  • Sodium: 54mg
  • Fat: 8g
  • Saturated Fat: 1g
  • Carbohydrates: 19g
  • Fiber: 2g
  • Protein: 3g
  • Cholesterol: 0mg

Did you make this recipe?

Leave a comment below and tag @zestfulkitchen on Instagram and hashtag it #zestfulkitchen!

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Photograph of a big bowl of winter green salad with diced oranges, fresh thyme and candied pistachios

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Filed Under: Healthy Dinner Recipes, Holiday, Holiday & Christmas, Lunch & Dinner, Recipes, Salads, Sides, Winter Tagged With: Dairy-Free, Gluten-Free, Vegan, Vegetarian

About Lauren Grant

Lauren Grant is a professional culinary food scientist, food writer, recipe developer, and food photographer. Lauren is a previous magazine editor and test kitchen developer and has had work published in major national publications including Diabetic Living Magazine, Midwest Living Magazine, Cuisine at Home Magazine, EatingWell.com, AmericasTestKitchen.com, and more.

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Welcome to Zestful Kitchen!
I'm Lo, a professionally trained Culinary Food Scientist, Journalist, and former food magazine editor. I'm all
about cooking healthy-ish—aka healthy recipes that don't sacrifice on flavor. I'm here to help you find confidence in the kitchen and LOVE what you eat.

Click here to learn more about Lo and ZK

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