Spring Greens with Citrus & Lemon Pepper Ricotta

Spring Greens with Citrus & Lemon Pepper Ricotta combines delicate greens, blood oranges, creamy ricotta rolled in lemon zest and cracked pepper and crunchy sunflower seeds.

Bright, fresh and full of flavor

This salad is all about TEXTURE. Creamy ricotta pairs deliciously with bright citrus and that sunflower crunch…completes the salad. I like my salads to have bite and Spring Greens with Citrus & Lemon Pepper Ricotta definitely delivers. It’s light and fresh enough to serve along side your dinner (pairs perfectly with ham or my Sweet & Spicy Citrus Salmon for Easter) but it’s also hearty enough to make it a meal along with a nice crusty baguette.

In the Spring and Summer, I like to keep ricotta on hand to add to salads, pastas and even pizza. It’s mild, creaminess work well in so many recipes whether you are trying to tame a spicy dish or just want a creamy aspect to your recipe. It’s so easy to add different herbs, peppers or honey to ricotta and transform the mild flavor into something extraordinary.

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Spring Greens with Citrus & Lemon Pepper Ricotta

Delicate Spring greens, juicy blood oranges and creamy ricotta rolled in lemon zest and cracked pepper combined with crunchy sunflower seeds.

Course Salad

Cuisine Easter, Vegetarian

Keyword Citrus Salad, Easter, entree salad

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Servings 6

Ingredients

• 1 5 oz package mixed baby greens
• 2 blood oranges peeled and sliced
• 1 lemon zested
• 1 tbsp cracked black pepper
• 12 tbsp ricotta
• 1/4 cup sunflower seeds

Vinaigrette

• 1 tbsp shallot minced
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• 4 tbsp apple cider vinegar can sub other vinegar
• 1 tsp honey can sub agave or sugar
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

• Place mixed Spring greens and blood oranges in a serving bowl.
• Place lemon zest and cracked pepper on a plate. Roll each tbsp ricotta into a bite size ball and roll in the lemon zest / cracked pepper mixture. Place each ball on salad.
• Sprinkle salad with sunflower seeds and drizzle with vinaigrette. You may have vinaigrette left over as you don't want to over dress your greens.

Vinaigrette

• Combine minced shallot, Dijon mustard, apple cider vinegar and honey. Whisk in olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.

Make it Your Own:

• Use goat cheese in place of ricotta
• Oranges can replace blood oranges
• Try other greens, such as spinach, mixed herbs or arugula
• No sunflower seeds? Use soy nuts or hemp seeds

Pairs Perfectly With:

• Sweet & Spicy Citrus Salmon
• Serrano & Potato Gratin
• Triple Layer Carrot Cake