Orange Walnut Dressing & My Favorite Winter Salad

January may be coming to an end and is your detox or cleanse too? I hope your new year’s resolutions are going strong, and if you did decide to take on the first month of 2017 with a juice cleanse or a diet like so many do, then you’re probably sick of salads by now. I use to do a three-week clean eating cleanse every January but over time my eating habits became naturally wholesome so there wasn’t a need to cut anything out. I don’t eat anything processed, and almost always prefer making food over take out. I know how can a baker not live on sweets. Don’t get me wrong I do love dessert, unless it has frosting, I’m just not a frosting gal, but I bake with high quality flour, organic cane sugar and good ingredients that when I indulge in a cookie or the cake scraps, I feel totally satisfied.

Since my body isn’t accustomed to it anymore, now when I do eat processed foods, including peanut M&M’s which I love, I can only eat a tiny bit before feeling sick. I know, the horror of being able to control and limit the amount of not so good for you foods you consume. So where you may be tired of salads and vegetables, I can’t get enough of them, especially when covered with the season’s freshest citrus like this or delicately seasoned with this orange walnut dressing, which is my favorite come winter.

Don’t let the title fool you, this is an easy dressing to make, yet it instantly transforms any typical salad into something so delicious you won’t want to stop eating it. I’ve made it for the last two Christmas’, my family absolutely loves it and actually looks forward to it. I’ve even converted a non-salad eater into eating their vegetables with this dressing.You can make this dressing with very good extra virgin olive oil and it would be as delicious, but the walnut oil is what totally makes it. Its subtle nuttiness is the perfect compliment to sweet and tangy fresh orange juice. I also use a bit of fresh zest too, because why not. A couple dashes of apple cider vinegar brings out that much needed acidic bite, and aged balsamic adds to the complex and delicious flavors.

Okay, now I’m getting all fancy on you with the aged balsamic vinegar, but this stuff is so good, it has an intense thick, sweet and smooth flavor, that is the perfect finish to any dressing. But of course feel free to use any balsamic you enjoy. 

This dressing is the best atop my go-to winter salad of a bed of massaged kale. I’ll stop to explain, since you’re probably wondering what the heck massaged kale is. Well it’s basically the technique of literally massaging tough kale with a bit of dressing which softens and allows it to absorb flavors better.

Not pictured is shaved fresh beet which is then topped with thinly sliced anjou pears and fresh cheese. If you’re lucky to find them when they’re good, I love using pomegranate seeds but if not, dried cranberries are the next best thing. To finish it off, some crunchy roasted pumpkin seeds or pine nuts, and an extra drizzle of this heavenly dressing. 

I highly recommend you make a big batch of this and keep it in a mason jar, because I know you’ll be using it very often.