As previously stated in other blog posts, I'm a bit picky about salad dressings. Anyone else out there like this? I almost never buy store-bought. It's so easy to whip up a quick dressing at home. Most of us already have everything we need to make a basic vinaigrette. Why not kick it up a notch and try something new like this sweet and tangy blood orange vinaigrette?
What in the World is a Blood Orange?
Well, I hate to be the one to break it to you, but blood oranges are filled with... blood. Yeah, I know, how is it possible you didn't know there was actual blood in blood oranges? In short, these types of secrets are held onto tightly in the whole grand scheme of things. Only a select few of us know the truth. I'm here today to pull back the curtain on blood oranges and the suffering and blood draining that's been taking place behind closed doors for years!
Okay, I should stop that since someone out there will read an excerpt of this in a Google search and think I'm being serious. No, no. I'm just me at home being very silly.
The Real Truth About Blood Oranges Isn't Very Exciting After All
It's basically just an orange that has a different color inside... and more antioxidants that are supposed to be good for you. It's sweet and delicious, of course, and it does taste different than a regular orange. Blood oranges have a deep, richer flavor. In my opinion, they are not as tart as regular oranges. In fact, I definitely prefer the flavor of blood oranges to regular oranges.
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I first tested this recipe when I made my Roasted Beet Salad with Blood Orange Vinaigrette. It soon became a summer staple in my kitchen! I had so many greens from my Clark Farm CSA Share over the summer, so I was making salads every week. The best part about making your own dressing: you make what you need. I only make a cup or so of dressing at a time and it works out great.
So give this one a try! It really rocks and I promise blood oranges don't actually contain blood. That was a joke. It's not real. Just my weird sense of humor! This dressing works with many salads. If I'm not making my go to Favorite Balsamic Vinaigrette, I'm making this blood orange vinaigrette for my salad nights.
Need Some Salad to Go With That Dressing?
- Steak Salad with Pickled Red Onions & Bleu Cheese
- Roasted Beet Salad with Blood Orange Vinaigrette
- Kale, Radish, Parsley Salad w/Fennel, Carrots & Walnuts
- Hearty Summer Salad
- Warm Goat Cheese Salad w/Pine Nuts & Dried Cherries
Sweet and Tangy Blood Orange Vinaigrette
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: 1 cup 1x
Description
This sweet and tangy blood orange vinaigrette is an excellent choice for a salad topper. Easy to make and great on most salads!
Ingredients
- ¾ cup olive oil
- ¼ cup white wine vinegar
- zest from 1 blood orange
- juice from 1 blood orange (same one you zested)
- 1 ½ teaspoons of Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon garlic scape, finely diced (or 1 small garlic clove)
- 1 tablespoon honey
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
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Instructions
- Finely dice your garlic scape. If you’re using regular garlic just finely dice that here. Put in a mixing bowl.
- Add olive oil, white wine vinegar and dijon mustard to the bowl.
- Zest one blood orange using the fine side of a box grater or a microplane tool. Add zest to the bowl.
- Slice the same blood orange you zested in half and squeeze all the juice out of it. Add to the bowl.
- Add salt and pepper and give it a good whisk around now. Taste it now.
- I decided to add a little honey here which rounded out the flavors very well.
- Give it one final whisk and you’re done! Store in whatever glass jar you have around. Keep in your fridge. Shake before using. Enjoy!
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