This post was created in collaboration with Vitamix.
I am so excited for today’s post! It has been in the works for months, and then I got a late start on the photo shoot yesterday and had to redo everything last-minute (i.e., this morning) because yesterday was dark and gloomy. But this morning’s pictures turned out beautifully, so it was worth the hassle. Vitamix contacted me just before the holidays to see if I wanted to try out one of their brand new Ascent Series blenders. Of course my answer was an enthusiastic yes! We have absolutely loved using it over the past few months, and have made everything from smoothies to soup to salad dressing to pancakes. It is not only a powerhouse appliance, but it is also sleek and attractive, so I don’t mind letting it sit on the kitchen counter permanently. And I’m giving one away today! If you want to skip the recipe (but don’t because it’s a good one), just scroll down to the bottom of the post.
We used our Vitamix twice yesterday: once to puree a delicious cream of tomato soup, and once to make the herby raspberry citrus vinaigrette for this amazing salad. My husband and I polished off an entire platter of this salad last night with dinner because it is so good. It starts with a bed of hand-torn red leaf lettuce, which I love because it is pretty, tasty, and tender without being too flimsy. Then the salad gets a layer of very thinly sliced honey crisp apples, followed by slices of fresh orange. Since it is citrus season, you can get lots of interesting citrus fruits at the grocery store right now. I used regular navel oranges along with salmon-colored cara caras and deep red blood oranges. A layer of thinly sliced red onion comes next, then a generous sprinkling of homemade sugared almonds. Just before serving, drizzle the whole salad with a delicious, homemade vinaigrette made with fresh orange juice, extra-virgin olive oil, raspberry vinegar, and lots of fresh herbs. I love using the blender to make this dressing because it means less chopping, and a creamier dressing.
My husband isn’t always a big salad eater, but he loves this salad. It is light and refreshing and full of amazing flavor. The recipe comes from my book, Scandinavian Gatherings. It is a long-time family favorite that I remember fondly from when I was growing up. It always seemed very fancy to me, and is a great special occasion salad. It’s perfect for this time of year thanks to the fancy citrus available at grocery stores, but is also wonderful any time you need a really beautiful salad for brunch, dinner, or a celebration.
- ¾ cup slivered almonds
- 3 Tablespoons sugar
- a generous pinch of salt
- ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- ⅓ cup fresh orange juice
- 3 Tablespoons sugar
- 3 Tablespoons raspberry vinegar
- 2 Tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh oregano
- 1 Tablespoon coarsely chopped fresh parsley
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- ½ teaspoon salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- 2 large heads red leaf lettuce
- 3 to 4 medium apples, cored and thinly sliced
- 4 large sweet oranges, peeled and sectioned or sliced
- 1 small red onion, halved and thinly sliced
- To make the sugar almonds, combine almonds, sugar, and salt in a small skillet over medium heat, cook, stirring gently, until sugar is melted and almonds are golden, 5 to 10 minutes. Pour almonds onto a piece of aluminum foil and set aside to cool.
- To make the vinaigrette, combine all ingredients in a blender. Blend until smooth and creamy. If you are using a Vitamix or a blender with multiple settings, begin with the lowest setting and gradually increase the power until all of the ingredients are combined. Pour the dressing into a jar or serving container, and refrigerate until needed.
- To make the salad, begin by washing and drying the lettuce. Cut off the root end, then tear the leaves into bite-sized pieces. Top with apple slices, oranges, and onions. Break the cooled almonds into small pieces (they can be sharp, so handle them gently), and sprinkle evenly over the top. Pour on the dressing and toss to coat. Season with more salt and pepper as needed.
And now for the part you probably came here for—the Vitamix giveaway! Using the Rafflecopter widget below, you can enter to win a Vitamix Ascent Series A2300 blender in black. You have several entry options; feel free to use as many or as few of them as you want. The giveaway will run through Friday, February 24th at midnight PST. The winner will be notified by email and will have 24 hours to respond before an alternate winner is chosen. Best of luck!!
That salad looks delicious!
I love making blender muffins!!!
Yum!
M- this looks SO good! We are trying to eat better and cleaner this year and I’ve been dying to find delicious salads to use with citrus. Killer giveaway too!
Love to make smoothies.
This salad looks so delicious! Can’t wait to try it! And what an awesome giveaway!
That blender looks awesome!
Can’t wait to try this recipe! Sounds so refreshing!
My blender is broken right now, but usually smoothies are my go to in blenders!
I make so many salad dressings in our blender!
This looks so good! I love making things in our vitamix!
What a fantastic giveaway and that salad looks so delish! Smoothies are definitely my favorite thing to make in a blender!
Boring but true, I use my blender to make smoothies and not much else. My current blender does not even do a good job on smoothies. Maybe I should try using it for dressing.
This blender would change all of that! Our old one wasn’t that good either. The Vitamix machines are pretty hardcore.
The salad looks delicious and I’ve always wanted a vitamix!
Blenders are essential to herbal tinctures!
I love making green smoothies. I also use it to grind my coffee! I’ve always wanted a vitamix so that I could try cool things like soup and ice cream!!
We have not been big smoothie drinkers in our family. I would like to see how the kiddos like them.
Smoothies! And my favorite way to make popovers is by mixing batter ingredients in a blender.
Thanks for the great post – my mornings would be infinitely better if I looked forward to making performance butter coffees in a vitamix blender each day!
I would love to win a Vitamix! My favourite thing to blend is a punnet of fresh raspberries, 1 banana, can of pineapple, can of grapefruit segments. It really is delicious!
The salad looks delicious! I have been enjoying loads of citrus this winter!
What a great giveaway and great salad.
This salad looks awesome but I’m going to try to reduce the sugar in the dressing. Wondering how that will go?
I’m probably a boring blender-user because I mostly do smoothies! 🙂
That salad is beautiful. We make smoothies and milkshakes at least twice a week in our blender
The salad looks delicious!
My grandmothers tomato basil soup.
My favorite thing to make in a blender is milkshakes.
I love making my husband and myself a green smoothie in the morning before work!
Sauces
I love salads! And the combination of lettuce with navel orange and the refreshing vinaigrette sounds amazing!
Pesto is probably my favorite blender item, but we most often use it for smoothies and pizza sauce.
My favorite thing to make in a blender is a chocolate, banana, almond butter smoothie!
I normally make smoothies in a blender, but this recipe has me wanting to try new things!
That salad looks so good!!! My fav blender recipe is amazing smoothies!
My favorite thing to make in a blender is cookie dough!
I would LOVE a vitamix blender for everything from pancakes to smoothies and sauces!!!!
I love making pasta sauces in the blender!
That salad looks amazing! You are seriously talented ?
Aw, thanks, Katie!
We make smoothies almost daily. Yum!
I’m dying for a Vitamix. I make smoothies every morning for my kids and my present blender is just not doing it for me.
My fave thing to make in a blender is milkshakes.
Smoothies! Strawberry and banana smoothies are my favorite.
I love making smoothies with my blender in the summer and creamy soups in the winter!
I love making smoothies, they are so tasty and I can pack them with a lot of nutrients which great with a kiddo since they can be a little picky. 🙂
I love making smoothies but trying to watch my hubs make his verde salsa in a blender will be my most favorite thing made in one!
Great giveaway. I still am pretty traditional and just mostly make smoothies in my current blender, but I’ve wanted to make soups or dressing in it.
I haven’t branched out enough with blender. Smoothies are my favorite. It enables me to feed my boys fruits and veggies they don’t eat otherwise.
My favourite thing to make is my green smoothie every morning!
Your recipes and photography is inspiring. Thanks for sharing your talents! (And thanks for a fabulous give away!)
Aw, thank you, Michelle!
We make smoothies everyday! We would love to have a Vitamix!
My favorite thing to blend is green smoothies. However, I look forward to expanding the blended possibilities with a win of this amazing Vitamix! Thank you for the opportunity.
That salad looks incredible! And my goodness, the amazing things I would make with a vitamix…
We use vitamix at work for everything! Marinades soups and dressings come together so quickly and beautifully! I’ve been longing to have one at home for smoothies for the kiddos, soups and will definitely have to try this salad. The kiddos gobble up any salad with fruit and nuts in it.
I’ve only leafed through your book for aesthetic enjoyment…and because I’m really proud of you. I guess it’s time to cook from it! This will be my first go 🙂
It’s really good, Annie! Speedy loves it.
My favorite thing to make is salsa and/or margaritas
Digicats {at} Sbcglobal {dot} Net
Looks delicious, but very simple
I love to make smoothies in the blender but I have been wanting to try soups.
Homemade nut and seed milks; though “smoothies” (read: milkshakes) are a frequent dessert for my husband and me!
My favorite thing to make in the blender is green smoothies, though I do make a lot of soups too!
I love making smoothies! Thanks for the chance <3
Favorite thing to make: margaritas! It’s national margarita day, isn’t it? Or always five o’clock somewhere?
I love making smoothies or salsa
I love to make date paste in blender to add to a variety or raw vegan desserts!!
i gotta say a smoothie or milk shake ha ha I’m old school like that
That salad looks so yummy! I love making smoothies in blenders- yum!
I love making smoothies in a blender
I am a sucker for a good breakfast, so blender pancakes are always a win-win at our house.
Beautiful!
Serious yum! Salad dressings and golden milk smoothies are my favorites to make in the blender. I can’t wait to try this salad!
I love to make roasted red pepper hummus.
I love making smoothies with my blender! Definitely the thing I use it for the most!
Indian masala
Whoa! This looks so good.
It IS so good! The recipe makes a ton, and without the nuts and dressing on top, it actually keeps decently well in the fridge for a couple of days. We had it for lunch and dinner for two days and LOVED it! xoxo