Are you looking for fresh and easy lunch recipes to take with you to the office? This Oriental Salad with Mandarin Oranges & Spicy Walnuts is so tasty that I could eat it 5 days in a row ☺ The cooked quinoa makes it super filling and high in protein, while the greens will nourish your body with minerals and antioxidants – great for more energy, softer skin and better digestion!
Oriental Salad with Mandarin Oranges & Spicy Walnuts
SERVES: 1 person
EQUIPMENT: mixing bowl, blender, dehydrator (optional)
INGREDIENTS:
Spicy Walnuts (makes 2 cups = several servings)
2 cups of walnuts, soaked overnight
¼ cup of tamari (gluten free soy sauce)
2 tablespoons of date paste
¼ to ½ teaspoon of chili powder (depending on how spicy you like it)
Creamy Avocado Orange Dressing (makes 8 generous servings)
½ medium avocado, pitted
½ cup of zucchini, peeled and roughly chopped
¼ cup + 2 tablespoons of orange juice
1 tablespoon of maple syrup (or date paste – leave this out if your oranges are very sweet)
1 ½ tablespoon of Dijon mustard
½ tablespoon of sesame oil
½ tablespoon of sweet Shiro miso
½ teaspoon of orange zest
¼ teaspoon of Himalayan crystal salt or sea salt
Chili powder, to taste
Salad
1 cup of cooked quinoa
2 baby heads of romaine lettuce
1 cup of baby spinach
½ to 1 cup of radicchio (depending on how bitter you like your salads)
½ small red onion, thin strips 2 small mandarin oranges
DIRECTIONS:
Spicy Walnuts
- Soak your walnuts 8 to 12 hours (or overnight) in warm water.
- Rinse your walnuts well and pour away the soaking water.
- Combine walnuts, tamari, date paste and chili powder in a mixing bowl. Mix well and set aside to marinate for at least 30 minutes.
- Put the marinated walnuts on a dehydrator tray lined with a Teflex sheet, and dehydrate at 115°F for 18 hours or longer until they are crunchy.
- Let the dehydrated nuts cool down. Store them in an airtight glass jar.
Creamy Avocado Orange Dressing
- Combine avocado, zucchini, orange juice, maple syrup, Dijon mustard, sesame oil, miso, orange zest, salt and chili powder in a blender. Blend until smooth.
Salad
- Combine quinoa, romaine lettuce, baby spinach, radicchio and red onion in a nice serving bowl.
- Top with mandarin oranges, roughly chopped spicy walnuts and creamy avocado orange dressing to taste. Enjoy!
JULIE’S TIPS & TRICKS:
- For instructions on how to cook quinoa, check out this Mexican Fiesta Quinoa Salad.
- This Creamy Avocado Orange Dressing will stay fresh for at least 5 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator. After a few days, it can turn a little brown though because the avocado will start to oxidize.
- The Spicy Walnuts will stay fresh for at least 3 months in an airtight glass jar in a cool, dark place.
- If you don’t have a dehydrator at home you can make these spicy walnuts with a regular oven. Bake the marinated walnuts for 10 minutes or longer at 300°F. Just make sure they don’t burn!
- A tip to save time during the week: make a large batch of cooked quinoa and creamy avocado orange dressing on Sunday. This way you’ll be able to enjoy tasty salads all week long without spending too much time in the kitchen.
Now I would love to hear from you! What are your 3 favorite fruits to add to salads? Please let me know by leaving a comment down below. Mine are mango, orange and pear ☺
