I’ve never been a huge winter fan. The cold, the dark, I’m just not about it. However, citrus is truly my favorite part about the winter. It is in its peak season and brings some much needed color and flavor to a cold and dark season – especially once the holidays are over. What better way to showcase these winter gems then via this winter citrus salad. It has it all. Quick, simple, and the best addition to any dinner entree (especially my lemon + rosemary roasted chicken).
Trust Your Body
This week I was craving this salad. Something fresh, green, and sweet with just the right amount of salt. For the last several weeks I have been eating way more comforting food, sweets, and other things that aren’t a part of my everyday diet. That being said, my body knew that this week it wanted something fresh and green. That doesn’t mean that we can never have those things – comfort food and sweets – quite the opposite actually. It means that we can enjoy those things when we want and trust our body to tell us what it needs and when. This goes back to the premise of intuitive eating and learning to trust our body to tell us what nourishment it needs each day. You can learn more about intuitive eating from this post.
its time to ditch the diets
After the holidays, all of our TVs suddenly become flooded with diet and detox ads. These adds insinuate that we should feel bad about all we’ve eaten, that we need to compensate for the food we’ve consumed, and worst of all – they tell us to not trust our bodies. Our bodies do so much for us, and literally keep us running daily. From our nervous system to our digestive system and everything in between, are bodies are miraculous vessels that can weather a whole host of storms. If our bodies were made to be resilient, then why do we need to follow someone else’s man made rules about what, when, and how we eat. Our bodies have the capability to tell us when they need nourishment and when they are full. They can tell us what they want to eat and what they are lacking. If we shut out the noise of diet culture (especially around the New Year) then we can start to better listen and understand our own bodies. This will lead to a relationship where we not only feed our body what it needs and when, but also are able to show it the love it deserve. Hating our bodies serves no purpose for ourselves or others. While much easier said then done, when we learn to love our bodies for what it can do for us, not what it looks like, we begin to gain a sense of gratefulness and respect. This hopefully leads to a cycle of self-compassion, lending to appropriate nourishment and self-care.
Abundant Ingredients
Another thing I love about this salad (add it to the list) is that both the main ingredients are seasonal. Kale and citrus are at their peak seasons in the winter making this salad all the better. Simple, inexpensive, seasonal, and delicious (wins all around 🙂 ). The dressing is also my all time favorite and the most simple homemade staple I always have in the fridge.
The Process
Ridiculously simple and lacking no flavor. Start by massaging the kale. Yes, you read that right. Learn more about this step from this post. After the kale is massaged, add the dressing, parmesan and a pinch of salt and toss. Peel all the citrus and slice into circles. Add the citrus on top of the salad and serve!
Winter Citrus Salad
Ingredients
Salad
- 1 bag kale
- 1-2 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 cup parmesan cheese
- 1 navel orange
- 1 blood orange
- 1 grapefruit
Dressing
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 juiced lemon
- 3 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 2 tbsp water
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp salt
Instructions
- For the dressing, add the water, oilve oil, apple cider vinegar and salt to a dressing vessel or jar. Grate the 3 garlic cloves and add to the same jar. Shake well.
- Wash kale and place in large bowl. Combine with the tbsp of olive oil and massage until tender. Once tender, add the dressing and parmesan and toss.
- Peel the citrus and slice into circles or sections. Place on top and serve!
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