Butterleaf and Cara Cara Orange, Mint, Avocado and Pineland Farms Feta Salad

 
With all the snow and cold weather it is hard to get excited about salad.  The variety of citrus fruits available in the winter is the perfect antidote for this.  Bill made this salad and it was so delicious we decided to repeat it for the blog.  You want to prep the main ingredients at least 15 minutes ahead so they can macerate with the dressing.

The Cara Cara Oranges have wonderful flavor that hints of cherries, rose petal and black berry.  This orange also has the distinction of being slightly lower in acid than other oranges.  We chose to use Pineland Farms Feta from New Gloucester, Maine.  This is a hormone and antibiotic free farmhouse style feta that is a perfect match for the citrus.

Citrus Salad with Cara Cara Orange, Mint and Avocado (Serves 2)

1 Cara Cara Orange (cut supreme style)
2 tablespoons chopped mint
1/4  red onion julienned
3 Tinkerbell peppers julienned (these are the tiny mild specialty peppers)
1/2 cup of cucumber, peeled, seeded and diced into small cubes (slightly larger than 1/4")
1/2 fresh avocado cubed (do this at the last minute so it doesn't brown)
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
3 tablespoons Vidalia onion dressing

1/2 head of Butter Head lettuce
3 tablespoons of Pineland Farms Farmhouse Feta Crumbles
2 tablespoons toasted hazelnuts or pepitas

Cut your oranges by first cutting off the skin to expose the outer layer of the orange (past the rind).  Slice on either side of the rind to get perfect orange sections (without any rind).  Put these in a medium size bowl.  After cutting out all the orange sections, squeeze the remaining orange juice into the bowl.  Add the remaining 8 ingredients and allow to macerate for at least 15 minutes.  An easy way to cube the avocado is to split it lengthwise, remove the center seed.  Leaving the skin intact score the interior to the inside of the fruit to the skin into the cube size desired.  Use a spoon to remove the cubes.

Lay whole leaves of the Butter Head Lettuce onto your plate, add a generous 3/4 cup of the orange, avocado mixture.  Top with feta crumbles and toasted nuts.  Enjoy!