Citrus Salad

Give me citrus. I love it to the max. When oranges are in season, I always pack them in the lunch. I love to peel oranges so that my hands smell like oranges. I purposely avoid washing my hands after I peel an orange. I mean, I am not dirty, I wash them when it is necessary. But you know what I mean. I don't even care if all that white stuff is on my hands. Recently, I have been letting more and more people know about my love for peeling citrus fruits. And they have been asking me to peel one for them. And that is a dream come true.

This salad, does not involve peeling oranges. But, it is REAL good. So refreshing. We started off our V-day meal with this salad. I used a navel orange, a grapefruit, a tangelo, a blood orange, and something else. I don't remember what it was. My grocery store had all these! King Soopers is the best! I mean, I secretly like a lot of more expensive places better, but King Soops is keeping me happy in the meantime.

Try this salad. It is easy and a really nice alternative.

Mixed Citrus Salad with Feta, Onion and Mint

by smitten kitchen

3 to 4 tablespoons red onion, cut into tiny bits

4 pieces of citrus, preferably a mix of grapefruits and oranges but use what you

can get, and what you like to eat

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar or lemon juice

1 teaspoon smooth Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon olive oil

Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

3 to 4 tablespoons (1.5 ounces) feta cheese, chopped or crumbled

1 tablespoon fresh mint, chopped or cut into tiny slivers

Place your red onion in the bottom of a medium bowl. Nest a strainer over the bowl.

Prepare your citrus fruits by beveling the stem end of one, cutting enough off that you reveal the pith-free flesh of the fruit. Repeat on the other end. Rest your fruit on one of its now-flat surface and begin cutting the peel and pith off in large, vertical pieces. You want the fruit’s exterior to be “white”-free.

Turn the fruit back on its side and cut it into 1/4-inch thick wheels, removing any seeds and thick white stem as you do. Place the wheels and any collected juices from the cutting board in the strainer over the bowl with onion. Repeat with remaining citrus fruits. (As the extra juices drip over the bowl, it will soften the raw onion bite.)

Spread the fruit slices out on a platter. Scoop out the onion bits (a slotted spoon or fork does the trick) and sprinkle them over, leaving the juice in the bowl. Whisk one tablespoon of juice (this is all I had accumulated) with red wine vinegar or lemon juice, Dijon and olive oil. Season with salt and freshly cracked black pepper. Drizzle the dressing over the citrus, sprinkle with feta and mint, adjust salt and pepper to taste, serve immediately and daydream of warmer places.

(Servings: 2, Prep time: 30 min., Difficulty: Easy)

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