Everyone needs an easy, fresh salad recipe like this orange feta pistachio salad made on a bed of arugula! The bright citrus flavors complement the creamy poppyseed dressing perfectly. This Cara Cara orange salad is a light refreshing vegetarian recipe you will love!
This orange feta salad is made with both blood oranges and Cara Cara oranges. It’s beautiful, easy to make, and delicious too!
I developed this salad with my friends at Drew’s Organics. Let’s check out just how easy it is to make!
This post is sponsored in partnership with Drews Organics and as always all opinions expressed are my own. Thank you for continuing to support brands that help make Flax & Sugar possible.
Ingredients
We wanted to create a beautiful, elegant, and tasty salad that would be perfect for BBQs and get-togethers, and let me just say, we did it! Here are the only ingredients you will need to make this easy orange pistachio salad with wild rice!
- Arugula
- Blood Oranges
- Cara Cara Oranges
- Long Grain Wild Rice
- Vegan Feta- We used Violife and love it!
- Pistachios
- Red Onion
- Drew’s Organics Poppy Seed Dressing
- Cracked Black Pepper
See, look at how simple those ingredients are! Not to mention, if you want to make this salad grain-free, simply omit the wild rice and it will still be amazing!
How to make orange feta salad
I’m thrilled to share this salad because it makes such a great light vegan dinner recipe! The salad and the dressing are dairy-free, flavorful, and as you already saw, only require a few ingredients. So, let’s make it!
First, head to the store and pick out the juiciest Cara Cara and blood oranges, fresh arugula, and the other ingredients for this salad.
If you plan to serve the salad with wild rice, prepare the rice first as it will take the longest to prepare. Prepare the wild rice according to the recommended cooking instructions and then allow the rice to cool completely before adding to the salad.
Then slice the oranges into circular slices. Cut the rind off by cutting each piece into a hexagon shape and set the slices aside until you are ready to assemble the salad.
Fill a large plate with a healthy heap of arugula and top with wild rice. Then arrange the oranges, thinly shaved red onion slices on top, and garnish with vegan feta crumbles and chopped pistachios.
To finish the salad and when you are ready to enjoy it, drizzle Drew’s Organics Poppy Seed Dressing over the entire salad. Serve and enjoy!
Dairy-free poppyseed dressing
I love making my own dressings like the orange tahini dressing served with these dill roasted beets or this zesty mustard vinegarette on an asparagus salad. But, I will be the first to tell you that Drew’s Organic Poppy Seed Dressing is phenomenal! It’s light, creamy, dairy-free, and made with ingredients you can pronounce! We loved using it on simple green salads and this orange feta pistachio salad with wild rice too! Here are even more salad recipes to explore!
Tips to keep your salad fresh
Since this salad is made with fresh fruit and greens the juicy citrus can make the salad wilt if not enjoyed right away. So, here are some tips for the freshest citrus salad!
- Wait to cut the citrus until after the rice is cooked and cooled.
- Make sure the rice is completely cooled before adding it to the bed of arugula.
- Slice and garnish the bed of arugula when you are ready to enjoy the salad
- Keep the dressing off of the salad until just before serving.
If you are planning on transporting the salad before serving. My suggestion is to wait until you are ready to enjoy the salad before topping the greens with the oranges and then drizzle with dressing. This will keep the salad fresh and tasty!
More recipes made with citrus
Orange feta pistachio salad recipe
PrintOrange Feta and Pistachio Salad
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 45
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 5 1x
- Category: Salad
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Description
Bright citrus salad with vegan feta and pistachios! This easy orange feta salad is a complete meal with the addition of wild rice and arugula. It’s finished with a dairy-free creamy poppyseed dressing that you are going to love!
Ingredients
- 1 cup of wild rice + 4 cups water*
- 2 Cara Cara oranges
- 3 blood oranges
- 1/4 cup thinly shaved red onion
- 4 cups arugula
- 1/4 cup chopped pistachios
- 1/4 cup vegan feta crumbles – We used Violife
- Drew’s Organics Poppyseed dressing to preference
- Fresh cracked black pepper
Instructions
- Prepare wild rice first if desired. Rinse the rice in a fine-mesh strainer under cold running water.
- Add rice and liquid to a medium-sized saucepan and bring to a boil.
- Lower heat to low and cover. Let simmer for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Drain the excess liquid. Fluff with a fork and set aside to cool completely before assembling the salad.
- Slice both the Cara Cara and blood orange into circular slices and then cut the edges off into hexagon shapes to remove the rind.
- In a large bowl or serving platter place the arugula. Add a few scoops of cooked and cooled wild rice and then top the arugula with orange slices and shaved red onion.
- Sprinkle with chopped pistachios and vegan feta cheese crumbles and add fresh cracked pepper.
- Drizzle with poppyseed dressing when you are ready to enjoy!
Notes
The rice is completely optional and you can omit it altogether if you would prefer the recipe to be grain-free.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/5 salad
- Calories: 180
Keywords: wild rice, blood orange, fruit salad, feta, pistachio,
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