This is a delicious, light salad that accompanies many kinds of meals well. The mild earthiness of the mushrooms contrasts well with the bright acidity of the orange, and the hint of cumin really sets everything off. Sometimes I use sliced avocado instead of mushrooms, depending on my mood and ingredients on hand. Enjoy!
Mushroom & Orange Salad with Cumin Vinaigrette
- White mushrooms, sliced
- Orange, peeled and sectioned
- Romaine lettuce, chopped
- Red onion, sliced
Salad Dressing
- 3 Tbsp red wine vinegar
- 1/2 clove garlic, minced
- 1 tsp sugar, (or substitute Stevia)
- 1/8 tsp cumin
- 5 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, (to taste)
- Chop romaine lettuce, section the orange, slice red onion and mushrooms. (Need help sectioning an orange? Here you go: Sectioning an Orange)
- Combine the vinegar, garlic, sugar, cumin, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Gradually whisk in the olive oil. Refrigerate the dressing for 30 minutes or more if you make it ahead, then whisk again before tossing the salad. The cold helps prevent the dressing from separating. If I don’t have time for this, I pop it into the freezer for 5 to 10 minutes.
Makes about 1/2 a cup of salad dressing.
I generally make the dressing about an hour ahead of use, so that the garlic has a chance to permeate the oil and vinegar.
Note: when the dressing is refrigerated for more than a couple of hours, the extra virgin olive oil will solidify in the cold, so you’ll need to let it sit out a bit before using.
How to Section an Orange: Sectioning an Orange
Quantities — for the salad? For a side salad, I use one orange and one large mushroom for every two people that I’m serving. One trimmed head of romaine per two people is more than ample.
Ann Fisher
