Mandarin Orange Salad with Pan-Fried Feta and Herby Honey

Fresh crunchy greens, sweet mandarin oranges, dried cranberries, nuts, avocado, red onion, and amazing crispy feta with herby honey. A hearty and satisfying salad.

5 from 1 vote

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Prep Time 20 mins

Cook Time 5 mins

Feta Prep Time 10 mins

Total Time 35 mins

Course Brunch, Main Course, Salad

Cuisine American

Servings

Calories 451 kcal

Ingredients

For the dressing

¼ cup neutral oil or light olive oil
3 tablespoon juice from the mandarin oranges
¼ cup apple cider vinegar
3 tablespoon sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
1 dash cayenne red pepper
1 tablespoon fresh chopped parsley

For the feta cheese

1 block feta cheeses sliced into ¼ to ½ inch wedges
¼ cup flour
1 beaten egg + ¼ cup water egg wash
¾ cup bread crumbs

For the herby honey

2 tablespoon chopped herbs of choice any combination of: parsley, basil, oregano, summer savory, thyme, rosemary, chives.
½ cup honey

Salad greens and toppings

4 cups leaf lettuce of your choice
1 can mandarin oranges, reserving 3 tablespoon of juice 11oz can
½ cup sliced red onion
¼ cup dried cranberries
1 sliced avocado
¼ cup chopped nuts

Instructions

For the dressing

Combine dressing ingredients in a jar with a tight-fitting lid, shake vigorously. Refrigerate.

For the crispy feta & herby honey

Blot the block of feta dry with a paper towel and slice into ¼" to ½" wedges.
Dredge in flour, then the egg wash, then the bread crumbs.
Pan fry in ½ - 1 inch of hot oil. Allow to drain on paper towels or a clean repurposed brown paper bag.
Chop herbs and mix with honey. Set aside until needed. There will be extra honey to save and drizzle on muffins, cornbread, biscuits, ricotta cheese & toast.

For the salad assembly.

Prepare greens (and sprouts if you have them) in a large bowl.
(If I want to present this on the table or buffet I'll divide the ingredients and place them in groups or sections. If I'm making this family-style I'll just toss everything together.)
Add the oranges, feta, onion, cranberries, avocado, mixed nuts. Drizzle the feta with herby honey then spoon on some Mandarin Orange Citrus Dressing and toss.
Enjoy!

Nutrition

Calories: 451kcalCarbohydrates: 58gProtein: 8gFat: 23gSaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 1mgSodium: 369mgPotassium: 886mgFiber: 9gSugar: 25gVitamin A: 18014IUVitamin C: 66mgCalcium: 156mgIron: 4mg

Keyword almonds, citrus, cranberries, crispy, donuts, feta, feta cheese, herbs, mandarin oranges, red onion, salad

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