Citrus Salad

I LOVE salad but sometimes I get a little bored of the green stuff. For that matter, sometimes a side of potatoes or rice or other vegetable just doesn’t do it for me. There are times when I want something light, refreshing and cool to compliment my dinner. This citrus salad is a perfect blend of acidity & creaminess and is so delicious when the temperatures outside begin to climb.

For this recipe, which should serve about 6 people, you will need the following:

– 2/3 cup balsamic vinegar

– 1/3 cup brown sugar

– 6 small ruby grapefruit

– 4 medium oranges

– 1/2 cup pecans

– 3 oz. feta

– 1 cup loosely packed basil leaves

First cook the balsamic vinegar and half the brown sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir until the brown sugar dissolves. Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce heat and simmer uncovered for about 15 minutes or until bubbles begin to form and the mixture is reduced by half. Cool.

While the vinegar mixture is slowly bubbling away, peel your grapefruit and oranges and thinly slice into segments. Remove any seeds. Then, back to the stove! Stir pecans in a small pan over medium heat until toasted lightly. Cool and chop into pieces.

To assemble, arrange alternating grapefruit and orange slices on your serving platter, top with crumbled feta, pecans and thinly sliced basil slivers. The recipe says you can top the citrus with the remaining brown sugar but I usually skip this step, especially if the citrus are in season and super sweet. Drizzle the balsamic dressing over everything just before serving and enjoy!

The last time I made this I served it with a side of jasmine rice with a pineapple tomato salsa, and vegetarian corn and black bean quesadillas. Perfect summertime meal!