Citrus Berry Avocado Salad with Orange Basil Vinaigrette

I’m absolutely loving the summer flavors lately. I currently can’t get enough avocado in my life, and a bowl full of fresh berries is my ultimate craving. Comfort food is great and all, but when the summer is around, I just want to live in the produce aisle.

Currently, our veggie garden is thriving. Our jalapenos are growing like crazy, and I’m fairly tempted to make more jalapeno pepper jelly to use some of them up. I just dug up some garlic that I planted last July as well and can’t wait for it to dry out, and also, our basil plant just won’t stop growing! I’m going to have to take a weekend to make a large freezer batch of pesto!

Now, when it comes to basil, I’ve been looking for more ways to use it up (no offense to pesto), and I thought about adding it into my salads. I love a good, herby vinaigrette and thought that combined with orange, it would be a great combination. This salad is a great way to use up leftover chicken or rotisserie chicken from the store, and because of that, it’s a meal that comes together very quickly. It’s also very colorful, which makes for a fun presentation.

Citrus Berry Avocado Salad with Orange Basil Vinaigrette
Source: an original

Ingredients:

For the salad:

• 1 9 oz. bag baby spinach
• 1 cup fresh blueberries
• 1 cup canned mandarin oranges, strained (preserved in water, not syrup)
• 1 Haas avocado, cut in large cubes
• 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
• 1/4 cup sliced almonds
• 1 cup chopped rotisserie chicken

For the Dressing:

• 1/4 cup fresh orange juice (juice of one large orange)
• 1/4 tsp. orange zest
• 6 basil leaves
• 2 tbsp. red wine vinegar
• 5 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. black pepper
• 1 tsp. granulated sugar

Directions:

1. To assemble the salad, place the baby spinach in a large bowl. Sprinkle the blueberries, oranges, feta cheese, avocado and chicken on top.
2. To make the dressing, place all ingredients in a blender and blend until everything is well mixed and the basil is finely chopped. Pour the dressing over the salad, and sprinkle the almonds on top. Toss the salad well and enjoy!