Balsamic Persimmon Salad

I’ve been really curious about persimmons this season. They’ve caught my eye in the store a few times, so I finally picked up a few and decided to give them a try.

This salad recipe I saw on Shutterbean came to mind and seemed like the perfect healthy vehicle for this cute little fruit. I tweaked it a little, based on the ingredients I had on hand, and loved the end result! I had some Boston lettuce, but you could easily use butter lettuce, spinach, or whatever you’d like.

I toasted up some walnuts and used my old hand-me-down pans for the last time…because I got this lovely new set for Christmas! *swoon*

Foodies are so easy to shop for, am I right? I got things like a donut pan, cake decorating tools, cookbooks, (plus something else I’ll mention soon) and was so stoked! Did any of you get cool kitchen presents this year? Regardless, I hope yall had a very Merry Christmas!

Balsamic Persimmon Salad

Ingredients:
6 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp honey
Kosher salt & freshly ground pepper
1 head Boston lettuce, torn (or whatever kind of lettuce you have!)
2 Fuyu persimmons, peeled & thinly sliced
1/3 cup toasted walnuts, chopped

Yield: 2-4 servings

Directions:
In a small jar, mix oil with balsamic vinegar and honey. Season with salt & pepper to taste. Put lid on the jar and shake dressing to combine.

In a large bowl, place the lettuce, persimmons, and walnuts. Drizzle most of the dressing over the salad and toss to combine. Top with any other things you want, like some crumbled cheese. Enjoy!

Source: Adapted from Shutterbean

Cucumber Salad with Lemon and Dill

Have you ever thrown something together on a whim, trying to clean out some items in your fridge, and it turns out a lot better than expected? This is one of those dishes – what a nice surprise it was!

I had a cucumber, some radishes,onion, carrot, and lemon that needed to be used so I grabbed a few sprigs of fresh dill from the garden and tossed it all together with a little oil and white wine vinegar and poof – a tasty cucumber salad was born. It is light, healthy, and tastes a bit like pickles and is an easy side dish to pair with a sandwich or simply eat on it’s own!

Cucumber Salad with Lemon and Dill

Ingredients:
1 cucumber, sliced
4 radishes, sliced
1/4 red onion, diced
1 carrot, shredded
1/2 lemon, juiced
1 1/2 tsp olive oil
1/2 tsp white wine vinegar
Fresh dill, minced
Dash of salt and pepper

Directions:
Combine all of the ingredients in a bowl and mix to combine. Refrigerate until ready to eat.

Source: A Beckster Original

Blood Orange Vinaigrette

When thinking of tasty things to make with my blood oranges, one of the first things that came to mind was a citrusy salad dressing. This simple vinaigrette was the result – I used it with a delicious spinach salad topped with grilled chicken a variety of toppings. The bright color was beautiful and the taste was a little sweet from the oranges and honey but had the perfect balance of acid from the white wine vinegar. So if you’re looking for a quick and healthy way to use some blood oranges, this is an amazing option!

PS: I’ll be MIA for a few days – am heading to DC for the March for Life – please pray for safe travels and for a greater respect for life in our world.

Blood Orange Vinaigrette

Ingredients:
2 blood oranges, juiced (about 1/3 cup)
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
2 Tbsp honey
Dash of salt and pepper

Yield: 1 cup

Directions:
Add all the ingredients together in a jar and shake until combined. Adjust the flavor if needed and drizzle the dressing on your salad immediately. Refrigerate any leftover dressing – enjoy!

Source: A Beckster Original