Beet & Orange Salad with Sans-Poppy Seeds dressing

The dressing is a homemade version of poppy seed dressing, but...you guessed it! I didn’t have any poppy seeds! So, if you do have a random jar, a tablespoon is a great addition. Otherwise the dressing can do fine without it and it pairs well with a leafy green salad or the beets and orange one featured here.

The greens can be swapped for whatever is on hand, arugula, spinach, mint or basil.

A quick pickle to shallots or thinly sliced red onions adds a bonus layer, but onions can be kept raw. This recipe includes instructions for pickling, but the additional time (about 1/2 hour) isn’t reflected in salad total time.

Find recipes for roasting beets on the site, to use in this salad.

Poppy Seed Dressing-Sans Poppy Seeds

¼ cup Sugar

¼ cup White vinegar

1 tbsp Dry ground mustard Substitute with 2 tbsp Dijon mustard. Careful when using yellow mustard to substitute, taste will be altered...

1 tsp Onion powder

⅓ cup Vegetable oilCanola or coconut oil can be substituted. Avoid olive oil, due to taste.

1 tsp Salt

1 tbsp Poppy seeds- if you have ‘em!

Pickled Shallots

1 Large shallot, sliced into thin rings

½ cup Hot water

¼ cup Apple cider vinegar Any “strong” tasting vinegar can be substituted, like red wine vinegar

¼ cup White vinegarAny “subtle” tasting vinegar can be substituted, like rice vinegar

½ tbsp Sugar

¼ tsp Kosher salt1/8 table salt can be substituted

Beets & Orange segments

2 Roasted beets, peeled and cut into wedges

2 Oranges, outer peel sliced away and segments cut from membrane center

¼ cup Leafy greens, fresh basil, mint, arugula, or spinach

Salt and pepper to taste

In a medium size jar with lid, mix together dressing ingredients, except oil. Shake until sugar dissolves. Add oil and vigorously shake to emulsify.

Alternatively ingredients can be mixed in a blender. Blend until oil and vinegar is emulsified, or creamy.

Pickled shallots;
Mix together vinegars, sugar and salt. Whisk in hot water and mix until sugar dissolves. Place shallots in a container with a lid. Pour hot liquid over shallots. Allow shallots to sit for at least 1/2 hour to overnight.

Assemble Salad

Right before serving, plate orange segments and beets together. To not lose the bright orange color avoid mixing everything in one bowl. the beets with color the orange segments.
Add leafy greens and pickled shallots. Drizzle dressing over salad and sprinkle salt and pepper over the top.

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Beet & Orange Salad with Sans-Poppy Seeds dressing