The best part about the limited variety of produce found at my neighborhood Safeway is that it requires me to make the occasional trip to Whole Foods.  (I say occasional because no matter how narrow a mission I set out on, my grocery bill is anything but lean by the time I walk out the door).
On this particular visit, the first display that caught my attention was a stunning pyramid of blood oranges. California grown and still very much in season, their soft orange skin streaked with red blush appeared like little globes of sunlight beckoning me to take them home. Some neighboring golden beets, freshly pulled from the spring soil, decided to hitch a ride and jumped into my basket too.
I wanted to combine the goodness of these distinctive spring jewels with the earthy, nutty flavor of ancient grains and surround them in a bed of market fresh Brussels sprouts.
The combination of greens and grains is an idea that we’ve been coming across quite a bit lately in California cuisine. We had a memorable shredded kale and quinoa salad on new year’s eve at this establishment that incorporated sunflower seeds, grapes, manchego and parmesan tossed in a lip-smacking lemon vinaigrette.  I can still taste it!
Visually stunning, blood oranges derive their distinctive color from the presence of anthocyanins — a pigment that operates as an antioxidant in the body.  The flesh of the orange can vary anywhere from soft pink to brilliant red (crimson) to deep purple depending on the pigment permeation.
That means that the color of the vinaigrette will also vary depending on the pigment saturation of the oranges used. You could make this vinaigrette a hundred times and get a slightly different color each time.
The taste also varies but generally I find blood oranges slightly less sweet and mildly tarter than conventional oranges or mandarins.
If you can’t get your hands on blood oranges for the vinaigrette, simply use whatever orange variety is available to you.  It will be every bit as delicious and if you prefer something on the sour side, just add a little fresh lemon juice to the orange to achieve desired tartness.
Same idea with the vegetables. I’ve used Brussels sprouts and golden beets in this recipe, both local and seasonal, but you can source from anything available to you (even if you’re still digging out from under the snow!) — pick what appears freshest because that will also be what tastes best and carries the greatest nutrients.
Substitute different nuts and seeds and add cheese if you wish – goat, crumpled feta and harder varieties like grated pecorino and parmesan would all be delicious here. Play around with different combinations and see what works best for you.
You can plate this salad however you wish – in layers on a singular serving tray, segmented in a large bowl, or chopped up into smaller pieces and mixed together.
Full of texture and delicious flavor, this satisfying spring salad is bursting with color and nourishing properties.
Enjoy.
- For the Salad:
- 1 cup cooked whole grains of choice (I used a combination of millet, buckwheat and white & red quinoa sold together as a 'super grains' organic blend)
- 12 or so Brussels Sprouts (more if they are small), shaved with mandoline or knife (see Notes)
- 4 roasted golden beets, sliced or chopped
- 1 avocado, sliced or chopped
- 2 Tbsp pine nuts, toasted
- For the Blood Orange Vinaigrette:
- ½ cup blood orange juice (from 2 blood oranges) + more orange segments for the salad as desired
- 3 Tbsp olive oil
- 2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
- 1 Tbsp grainy Dijon mustard
- 2 tsp honey (or pure maple syrup for vegan version)
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- good pinch of salt
- See prepping Notes below.
- In a large bowl, combine cooked (and cooled) grains and shaved Brussels sprouts, add half the vinaigrette (giving it a final whisk beforehand) and mix gently but thoroughly to combine.
- If you are plating on a singular tray, add sliced beats and sliced avocado and drizzle with remaining vinaigrette. Top with pine nuts and garnish with orange segments.
- If you are combining all the chopped elements together, add roasted chopped beets and avocado, drizzle with remaining vinaigrette and mix gently to integrate with grains and Brussels sprouts, taking care not to mash. Add toasted pine nuts and serve in individual bowls or plates, garnished with orange segments, as desired.
- Enjoy!
Prepping the Beets: You can roast your beets in advance and store in fridge until you are ready to assemble salad. There are many different roasting methods, one of the simplest: trim stems off beets, brush beets with a little olive oil and wrap each beet in aluminum foil. Place beets on a cooking tray in 375 F oven for 45 - 60 minutes or until cooked through. The beets will be fragrant and hot. Be sure to allow them to cool before carefully unwrapping. Once unwrapped, the skin will slide off easily and you can then slice thin (with mandoline or knife) or chop into small pieces as desired.
Prepping the Grains: The grains can also be prepped in advance. Cook the grains according to package directions, generally 2:1 water to grain ratio. I use my rice cooker ~ works like a charm. If you are buying your grains unpackaged you can use this Guide to Cooking Grains.
Prepping the Pine Nuts: The pine nuts can be toasted ahead of time. I simply use a small dry skillet set to the lowest heat and toast the nuts -- be sure to keep a close eye on them to avoid burning. It only takes a minute or two.
Prepping the Brussels Sprouts: If you have a mandoline, you will make short work of the sprouts (I have a basic hand-held model that I bought a few years ago ~ very easy to use and works well). The biggest issue with mandolines is safety (very sharp blade). If you don't have a mandoline simply use a knife and slice the sprouts as thin as possible holding the end as you go. Discard ends.
Prepping the Blood Orange Vinaigrette: simply whisk all vinaigrette ingredients together in a small bowl or container with fitted lid. I recommend making the dressing at least two hours in advance (ideally overnight) to allow the flavors to permeate. Be sure to taste the dressing and make any adjustments before using.
I’m always delighted to discover someone who cherishes true beauty of vegetables. I enjoy your photography and informative articles on your blog. Look forward to many more posts, Kelly!
They really are beautiful, aren’t they – thank you for dropping by Emi, so happy to make the connection (loving your photography on IG too).
This salad looks scrumptious, can’t wait to try it.
Are the Brussels sprouts cooked or raw?
Thanks for sharing âşď¸
Hi Joanne, thank you so much for stopping by. The Brussels sprouts in this salad are raw but you could give them a little steam following the shaving if you wanted to soften them (it only takes a minute). My favorite method is to use a steaming basket with a little water – gentle boil for about 30 seconds (or until you achieve desired consistency) — with greens like BS, spinach and broccoli just a touch of steam will soften while preserving most of the nutrients and enlivening the color. (If you wanted to capture all of the water soluble vitamins, you could add the water from your steam bath into the vinaigrette :p). Hope that helps. Have a beautiful day.
Not only is this salad beautiful, but it’s so healthy and easy to throw together – what a great combination! I love anything that contains shaved brussels sprouts and bet it pairs so nicely with the blood orange vinaigrette. Thank you for the wonderful inspiration! This looks like the perfect spring bowl.
Julia, thank you kindly for visiting and for your generous words. This salad offers so many textures and a variety of different palate pleasing tastes :) — I hope you enjoy it if you give it a try.
We just opened a Sprouts (which I call a mini WF) and I cannot wait to make a trip and buy the ingredients for this salad!
Hi Debra, I’m not sure I’m familiar with Sprouts — is it a chain of sorts? thanks for stopping by. Have a great day.
What a beautifully creative salad Kelly! That super blend or organic grains sounds interesting. Need to see if I can find those at my market. I love everything about the salad…the greens, the grains, the veggies and that wonderful sweet orange vinaigrette! Thanks for sharing this Kelly!
thank you MJ! The salad is yummy — had to work in those beautiful blood oranges — and I was really happy to come across this blend of grains too; can you guess where I found it? heeheeh, yup WF :o)
You hit all the right notes for me Kelly, this is one delightful looking salad. Blood oranges are definitely a treat and making a vinaigrette of their juices sound out of this world! We call Whole Foods, Whole Paycheque over here! Fortunately, most of our little green grocers near my house have unique fruits and vegetables although they are not as appealingly merchandised but I’ll take that for a deal! I just finished my Easter menu and will be serving a delicious asparagus salad with orange sections and dressing…I know for sure I’ll substitute the blood oranges for the plain jane variety. I will make your dressing too, it just sounds so wonderful. We’re still experiencing the cold weather but at least we don’t have snow…yet.
I was just chatting with my mom earlier today who was telling me there is still a ton of snow in the Laurentians… not easy on the soul :( enough is enough. Let’s go Spring!!! (prayers, mantras, chants) â¤ď¸ Have a wonderful Easter Eva – I’m chilling this week & getting caught up on some home projects ~ back next week.
I love all the textures and flavors going on in this healthy salad Kelly – brilliant!
I’m blushing – thank you! â¤ď¸
i just wanted to stop by and tell you how i love the overall look and style of this photo. Those golden beets sure look appetizing, if only i knew where to buy them in the netherlands… Thanks for sharing’
Hello VĂŠronique, welcome to Inspired Edibles ~ I truly appreciate you stopping by and sharing your feedback (lucky for me, it also happens to be positive :) ~ yes, it can be a challenge finding specific ingredients depending on season and location – I always encourage the use of what’s available and looks the best in terms of heartiness and vitality – this generally ensures the best taste and nutrient content. Have a beautiful day and thank you again for the lovely surprise of your message waiting for me this morning.
Such a gorgeous salad! I found your blog via foodgawker and I’m delighted I did. Your photogprahy is breath-taking, your recipes inspired. Thus the blog name. :) I can’t wait to see more!
Hello Meggan, thank you for your kind words. The best part about being gifted that kind of real estate on Foodgawker is getting to meet so many new and talented bloggers such as yourself. Thank you for taking the time to stop by and lend your support ~ greatly appreciated.
I totally get you when you say that by the time you step out of whole foods, your bill is anything but lean because this happens with me all the time and that’s one reason I try to avoid going to whole foods as much as possible hehe! This salad is so stunning and perfect for this gorgeous weather!!
Hello Ami, thank you for visiting.
I’m of two minds when it comes to Whole Foods — on the one hand, I’m well aware like others of the higher cost issue but on the other hand, I do want to support organic growers and believe that we have to accept a certain increase in spending to get real food (versus the mass quantities of incredibly cheap processed food that is making us all sick :( — As Michael Pollan points out, we are spending so much less today on our food than we did back in the 60s but spending so much more on health care (unprecedented rates) – we need to balance things off again.
Pleasure meeting you Ami!
Hey Kelly,
This salad looks amazing. I think I am ready to dive in. Thanks for sharing.
thank you kindly for stopping by Joyce ~ it’s a pleasure to meet you. Welcome to Inspired Ediblesâ¤ď¸
Oh my goodness. This salad is such a stunning work of art. I love all the color and texture. And those golden beets…they look like gold discs bringing a ray of sunshine to this salad.
Lynn, your comment is a ray of sunshine in my week… greatly appreciate you taking the time to stop by with your generous words and encouragement. It’s like opening a gift â¤ď¸
Oooh yes, as much as I adore Whole Foods, I am quite glad that I have to drive a decent length to get to one. My poor little wallet cringes every time I walk through that door ;-)
You know I love this salad! It is stunning visually, and I know the combination of blood oranges and those golden beets is so magnificent. I love how you shredded the brussels sprouts with a mandolin. Your ‘super grains’ blend sounds delicious, as well!
I’ve got pizza dough rising to use for dinner tonight, but strangely, I think I’m craving salad instead ;-)
craving salad over pizza is big! :D thanks sister, xx
Blood orange vinaigrette! What a fantastic idea! I cannot imagine a more beautiful salad sauce. Instead of my open sandwiches I have just finished I might have made a healthy beautiful salad instead… This one looks really fantastic and I’m sure if you served it, I would never guess all the ingredients; except for buckwheat which was a staple of my childhood and still is a staple in Poland… I still remember my surprise to see that it was considered a super healthy product and sold in “exotic” parts of some shops in France… As a child I did know it was healthier than potatoes, but nothing more.
I have never seen such beautiful young beets! I wonder if orange beets exist here…
Hi Sissi, I hope you’re keeping well. You know, it would actually be a fun experiment to try and guess the ingredients here… 3 different grains and so many varying textures. I might get stumped myself :). Beets always surprise me… the exteriors can look no more remarkable than a sweet potato but once inside… brilliant hues reveal themselves.
Kelly, this is just so beautiful and the burst of sunshine many of us need right now! I’m attracted to the warmth, texture and brilliant colors in this dish – it warms me up just looking at it. And bonus, it’s healthy too :). Love how you present different ways of plating it – so appetizing and fun. I’ve never come across blood orange salad dressing before and I think it’s an ingenious (and gorgeous) idea. Loving your work Kelly! Thank you.
thank you kindly Elizabeth ~ your comments always bring light… I hope you’re able to get your hands on some blood oranges; we just love this vinaigrette and have been using it on everything from fish to Greek yogurt! Have a brilliant day.
Now that is one beautiful salad! I love everything about it, including that lip-smacking vinaigrette. ;)
And yes, Whole Foods is a dangerous place. I actually shop there on a regular basis and it kills my bank account! But I just can’t get enough. :)
Hi Sarah, I think it’s worth rejigging the budget to make it work too… the food is exquisite and nothing makes me happier than supporting thoughtful, progressive growers. Thank you for stopping by, I hope your sweet dog is on the mend â¤ď¸.
Everything about this dish sounds delicious…especially that blood orange vinaigrette. There is not an ingredient that I don’t love. I think I still have a few blood oranges left in my fridge too that might have to find their way on top of a salad. It is so nice to finally be seeing some signs of spring. Can’t wait for the world to start getting green again :) xxx
how nice to hear! thank you Sandra ~ a little prayer for spring is on the way to you and yours… xx but I see that you have been happily busy. Looking forward to reading your post.
yes, the “joys” of buying at Whole Paycheck! ;-)
I had to be very careful when I lived in LA, because two stops there and I would be done with the monthly budget for food
Love this beautiful salad, for me shaving is the best way to treat Brussels sprouts, even for stir frying
gorgeous blood oranges, still haven’t found some here (sigh)
I know, darn budgets right? :p
yes, shaving the sprouts is great. Our fave way of eating them is roasting (chips with salt & vinegar) but this also works very well and for the salad, I was more in the mood for raw. Thanks Sally, have a beautiful day.
On most days I’m thankful it’s a 25 minute drive to Whole Foods. We’d be broke if it were any closer ;) I love your choices here. Such a beautiful salad (right up my Lunch Bowl alley).
thank you so much Libby! haha, yes, the bowl concept lives on :) â¤ď¸
You make healthy food so inviting and moreish. Gorgeous colour and flavour here. And I love how you plated the salad.
thank you so much Angie ~ this recipe offers up many platting possibilities; it’s fun and versatile. Enjoy.
Ohhhh Whole Foods. Me too, when I go. My co-op is like that for me, it’s a little closer however. This has my name written all over it, Kelly. The flavors, textures, and nourishment of this salad is what I crave! And look at that.. you’ve got millet in there! I just discovered it last year and have been finding ways to incorporate into my diet. The buckwheat… is that kasha (toasted buckwheat) or raw (cooked prior to putting it in the salad)? So excited theres still some citrus hanging in there… I’m going to enjoy every last drop of it! I’d like to come across a pyramid of oranges every day… in fact if there was one in my living-room, I’d be okay with that. Thank you for this, Kelly!
Hi Traci – yes, these ‘ancient’ grains are still very new to us here in North America. Amazing to think that our European friends grew up on them (buckwheat was a childhood staple of my friend Sissi’s in Poland – where it remains a routine part of the diet). The ones used in this salad were all dry grains (including the buckwheat groats) cooked prior to inclusion in the salad. Really lovely chewy/resistant texture with a mild, nutty flavor. Love that :)
WOW. Beets and Brussel sprouts have never looked so good! Absolutely gorgeous.
Aww, thank you so much! â¤ď¸
what a beautiful, nourishing bowl! i love that you give ideas for using whatever is in season in your area. but i too particularly love blood oranges. their magenta hue is just stunning. and wouldn’t it be great if we could have an unlimited shopping account at whole foods? it’s just dreamy. xo
thank you Amanda, I know how frustrating it can be to see a recipe and not have access to the ingredients but I really do believe it’s about sourcing what is available (healthy/vibrant) near you. Yes, please sign me up for that unlimited account at WFM would you please ;-)
thank you Kiwi and Bean! http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/science/science-news/11490006/Daily-bowl-of-quinoa-could-save-your-life-says-Harvard-University.html