Happy New Year! Ring in 2020 with this healthy, delicious salad. It has everything you need to start out the day, and is filled with greens, quinoa, fennel, cara cara oranges, dried apricots, pistachios and avocados. I finished it with an apple cider vinaigrette. This salad is a meal. I took it to a New Year’s Eve party with neighbors and friends and it was a hit. Make it today, it will feed a crowd. Oh, and it’s vegan so if you have any plant-based friends from vegetarian to vegan, this has you covered as well.

Greens & Quinoa Salad with Fennel, oranges and Avocados

Serves 12-15

16 oz greens

2-3 romaine heads, chopped

1 cup cooked quinoa, cooled

1 fennel bulb, sliced thin on a mandolin

2 cara cara oranges, cut in segments

2 avocados, sliced or cut into cubes ( cut right before serving)

1/4 cup dries apricots, cut into pieces

14/ cup chopped pistachios

1/4 cup of apple cider vinaigrette

Method

Assemble greens on a platter, season with salt and pepper. Distribute quinoa among greens, top with sliced fennel, apricots, orange segments, avocodos, and pistachios. Drizzle vinaigrette over the salad and serve. I like to assemble most of this right before serving. I place the greens, quinoa and fennel first as a work-ahead and place covered in the refrigerator until it’s ready to serve. I have all the other ingredients ready in containers. I do not cut the avocados until the last minute so they are fresh. Dress with vinaigrette.

To make the vinaigrette: 1 tsp dijon mustard, 1 tsp honey, 1/8 cup apple cider vinegar, 1/4 cup olive oil, salt and pepper, blend and place in a jar until you are ready to use.