Summer Citrus Salad Recipe

5 from 9 votes

Dive into a citrus salad loaded with juicy oranges, roasted beets, pickled onions, and an array of goodies. Dressed in a fresh, oil-free citrus salad dressing, this salad combines sweet and savory flavors in every bite.

Prep Time10

Cook Time50

Course: Salad

Cuisine: American

Diet: Diabetic, Gluten Free, Vegan, Vegetarian

Servings: servings

Calories: 186kcal

Author: Kathy Carmichael

Ingredients

Citrus Salad

5 ounces organic arugula
2 large Valencia oranges peeled and sliced
1 cup pickled onions or raw red onions slivered thin
3 yellow beets roasted and sliced thin
3 red beets roasted and sliced thin
½ cup tofu vegan feta cheese
¼ cup pistachios chopped

Citrus Salad Dressing

½ cup citrus salad dressing

Instructions

Roasting Beets

Heat the oven to 400°F.
Arrange a rack in the middle of the oven and heat the oven to 400°F.
If the beets still have their leafy tops, cut off the tops close to the tops of the beet, leaving yourself enough to grip.
Scrub the beets thoroughly, then wrap them loosely in aluminum foil.
The beets don't need to be dried before wrapping.
Small beets can be wrapped together, but it's easiest to roast large beets individually.
Do, however, separate the two colors (yellow and red). If they are cooked together, their colors will bleed into each other.
Place the wrapped beets on a baking sheet to catch drips if the beet juices leak.
Roast for 50 to 60 minutes.
Beets are done when a fork or skewer slides easily to the center of the beet. Therefore, small beets will cook more quickly than large beets.
Remove the beets from the oven and set the beets aside until cool enough to handle.
I recommend using gloves so your hands don't turn red with the beet juice.
Hold one of the beets in a paper towel and use the edges of the paper to rub the skin away.
The skin should peel away easily; if it doesn't, the beets likely need to cook for a little longer.
Peel the remaining beets and slice them thin into bite-sized pieces.

Citrus Dressing

Juice the oranges and lemon
Add all the ingredients into a bowl or measuring cup.
Whisk together; cover and place in the refrigerator until chilled.
Whisk again, and dress right before serving.

Assembling the Citrus Salad

Place the arugula in the base of the bowl.
Arrange the orange slices.
Add the cooled, sliced, roasted beets.
Add the tofu feta cheese and chopped pistachios.
Drizzle with citrus salad dressing.

Notes

Roast beets separately to preserve their colors and prevent the colors from bleeding together.
It isn't necessary to use oil when roasting beets.
Allow the beets to cool completely before removing their outer skins.
Make beets in advance and refrigerate while preparing the other salad ingredients and dressing.
Prepare the dressing in advance to allow it to chill before servings.
Do not add the pistachios or the dressing until you are ready to serve the salad.
Keep dressing and salad separate until serving.

Nutrition