Avocado Orange Salad with Citrus Dressing

This post has been sponsored by DOLE®. All thoughts and opinions are my own. This Avocado Orange Salad is the perfect lunch or dinner for busy days! Just a handful of simple ingredients and you can make this delicious, filling, sweet and spicy salad! Top it with a citrus dressing and it’s like sunshine on a plate!

There’s nothing like a good salad. Nothing. To me, a good salad is probably more satisfying than a piece of cake. Especially a refreshing salad like this avocado orange salad.

Avocado Salad

What I love the most about avocado salad is that it can take on as many flavors as you want. And furthermore, avocado makes any salad feel filling because of its good omega 3.

Since avocados are super neutral tasting, this basically means you can mix and match them with any ingredients. And you still get to enjoy their creamy, dreamy texture.

Orange Salad

Today, I’ve added DOLE® Fridge Packs Mandarin Oranges to my salad. I was ecstatic to discover this NEW addition to the DOLE family. You’ll find them near the canned fruit at your local grocery store.

What makes the DOLE Mandarin Oranges so amazing in my salad? They’re made with real fruit and always packed at perfect, ripeness so you can enjoy Mandarin Oranges all year long!

Plus, each container has 3.5 servings of fruit, so it’s easy to use for cooking, baking, and snacking!This is certainly the BEST way to get any picky eater to have their fruit servings! They’re non-GMO, gluten free and very versatile.

DOLE Fridge Packs come in four varieties:Peach Slices in Fruit Juice, Pineapple Chunks in 100% Pineapple Juice, Mandarin Oranges in Fruit Juice, and Mixed Fruit in Fruit Juice. You can blend them in your smoothies or add them to your muffins, desserts, salads, and more!

With my avocado salad, these Mandarin Oranges took the humble salad to another level! They added sweetness, texture, a fruity fresh feeling, and lots of vitamin C! If you’ve got any leftover DOLE fruit (which I doubt), you can put them back in their container and in your fridge.

Making Avocado Orange Salad Recipe

This avocado orange salad starts with your favorite greens. So, first of all, you need to choose that. I picked arugula today. I absolutely love the peppery taste of arugula with the sweetness of Mandarin Oranges. However, you can go for spinach, spring mix, kale, or your favorite.

Then, you’ll layer the DOLE Mandarin Oranges on top. Don’t worry about draining the fruit. I’ve noticed the fruit juice actually is super flavorful and adds an extra coating of flavor to the Mandarin Oranges.

At that point, I have to say the remaining ingredients are completely up to your personal taste. However, I strongly recommend shallots, toasted nuts (I’ve used cashews), and chili flakes. If you feel like scallions instead, that’s certainly just as good.

Other things you can add are: apples, tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots, or your favorite salad ingredients. I personally prefer fewer, simpler ingredients that offer great contrast in taste and texture.

And finally, finish off with an awesome citrus salad dressing, which, likewise, has Mandarin Orange juice!!

Citrus Salad Dressing

There are so many ways to make a citrus salad dressing. And likewise, there are many levels of tangy-ness to a citrus dressing. So, feel free to play around with that.

I’ll be giving you a basic equation for the perfect citrus salad dressing. You’ll start with 1/3 cup of citrus juice.

So you can decide to have this split equally between tangy lemon juice and sweet Mandarin Orange juice from your DOLE Fridge Pack. This will be, however, a very tangy dressing.

Since the greens need some sweetness and the avocados are neutral, the shallots can take on some sweetness. I’ve picked a sweeter dressing.

My favorite equation was 2 tablespoons lemon juice and 1/4 cup of Mandarin Orange juice. It was the perfect balance of sweet and tangy.

Another thing you’ll need is mustard. Use a spicy mustard, honey mustard, grainy, Dijon, etc. Again, to complement the shallots and arugula in my avocado orange salad, I picked a grainy honey mustard.

When it comes to seasoning, salt is good enough. However, I added a bit of dried oregano and extra chili flakes. It added an extra boost to this simple citrus dressing.

Olive oil is what emulsifies the dressing and finishes it off. Use the same amount as the citrus. So in this case, I’ve used 1/3 cup of olive oil to finish it off.

Finally, you’ll whisk these ingredients together, and you’ve got a zesty, sweet citrus salad dressing that you’ll be using over and over!

ORANGE AVOCADO SALAD TIPS

1. Avocados have a neutral flavor, so you need to add a variety of flavors and contrasts to make it interesting.
2. Adding Mandarin Oranges from DOLE Fridge Packs is a perfect complement to avocados when combined with a bitter type of green. Plus, it makes the salad nutrient dense with at least 1 serving of fruit.
3. Nuts are another great texture and nutrient-dense factor to add to your salads. Toasted, roasted, salted, or not is all optional. Likewise, the type of nut is optional.
4. Make citrus dressing that makes the fruit sweetness shine, yet adds a slight tangy balance.
5. Adding fruit juice to the salad dressing is a great way to enforce the sweetness and fruity flavor in your salad.
6. Never dress your salads in advance. Always dress right before serving.
7. The extra salad dressing can be used as a marinade, a dipping sauce, or sandwich spread if mixed with mayo.
8. Dress your greens first with a tablespoon of dressing before layering the rest of the ingredients.

This Avocado Orange Salad is a MUST try when you’re busy; looking for a quick dinner, lunch, or potluck recipe; entertaining; or just simply feel like a delicious salad plate!

Other salads on the blog where these DOLE Mandarin Oranges would be delicious: Smoked Salmon Salad With Blue Cheese Dressing, Kale Salad with Spicy Lentils, Quinoa Autumn Harvest Salad, Mexican Style Lentil Detox Salad (Vegan) .

Look for the new DOLE Fridge Packs in your grocery stores and get more recipe ideas at dolesunshine.com.

I love finding great products when I’m grocery shopping because in the end, we’re looking to elevate our meals. Simple things like DOLE Fridge Packs can really take your ordinary into extraordinary in a snap! Let me know when you make this salad by tagging me, and let me know what else you’ll be making using DOLE Fridge Packs 🙂 ENJOY!!

5 from 16 votes

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Avocado Orange Salad with Citrus Dressing

This Avocado Orange Salad is the perfect lunch or dinner for busy days! Just a handful of simple ingredients and you can make this delicious, filling, sweet and spicy salad! Top it with a citrus dressing and it’s like sunshine on a plate!

Course Salad, Side Dish, vegetarian

Cuisine American, Italian

Keyword Avocado Salad, Citrus Dressing, Orange Salad

Prep Time 10 minutes

Servings 4 servings

Calories 523 kcal

Author Mahy

Ingredients

For the Salad

• 3 cups Arugula or your favorite greens
• 3 avocados
• 1 DOLE Fridge Pack Mandarin Oranges segments without the juice
• 2 shallots sliced
• 1/2 cup cashews toasted or roasted
• 1/8 teaspoon chili flakes

For the Citrus Salad Dressing

• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1/4 cup Mandarin Orange juice from the DOLE Fridge Pack
• 1 Tablespoon honey mustard
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon oregano
• pinch chili flakes
• 1/3 cup olive oil

Instructions

1. Prepare the salad dressing by mixing all ingredients in a small bowl. Use a whisk to blend all ingredients together until the dressing is thick and emulsified. Adjust the chili flakes to your taste. Also, read notes for adjusting the sweet : tangy balance of the dressing and work accordingly.
2. To make the salad, start by adding your greens to a large salad plate. Drizzle 2 Tablespoons of the salad dressing over the greens and toss them well to coat.
3. Peel the avocado and remove the seeds. Use a small spoon to remove each avocado half from its shell, and then use a small paring knife to slice the avocados into slices.
4. Arrange the avocado slices over the greens in clumps of 3-5 slices. Add the Mandarin Oranges over the greens, followed by the shallots and nuts, and sprinkle some chili flakes on top. Chili flakes are optional, but even a tiny pinch adds a great contrast of spice to the sweetness of the Mandarin Oranges.
5. Drizzle about 3 tablespoons of the dressing (more or less to your tastover the finished salad and serve right away. Enjoy!

Recipe Notes

-Avocados have a neutral flavor, so you need to add a variety of flavors and contrasts to make it interesting.
-Adding Mandarin Oranges from DOLE Fridge Packs is a perfect complement to avocados when combined with a bitter type of green. Plus, it makes the salad nutrient dense with at least 1 serving of fruit.
-Nuts are another great texture and nutrient-dense factor to add to your salads. Toasted, roasted, salted, or not is all optional. Likewise, the type of nut is optional.
-Make citrus dressing that makes the fruit sweetness shine, yet adds a slight tangy balance.
-Adding fruit juice to the salad dressing is a great way to enforce the sweetness and fruity flavor in your salad.
-Never dress your salads in advance. Always dress right before serving.
-The extra salad dressing can be used as a marinade, a dipping sauce, or sandwich spread if mixed with mayo.
-Dress your greens first with a tablespoon of dressing before layering the rest of the ingredients.

Nutrition Facts

Avocado Orange Salad with Citrus Dressing

Amount Per Serving

Calories 523 Calories from Fat 423

% Daily Value*

Fat 47g72%

Saturated Fat 7g44%

Sodium 93mg4%

Potassium 1002mg29%

Carbohydrates 26g9%

Fiber 12g50%

Sugar 7g8%

Protein 7g14%

Vitamin A 775IU16%

Vitamin C 35mg42%

Calcium 61mg6%

Iron 2mg11%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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