Winter lettuce in the RGB lettuce box.
Plenty of greens for the next few weeks...
While traveling through the South of France, we befriended an artist who said she painted “in the evenings because that’s when the light is best.” Later that week, while driving around the countryside, we found ourselves surrounded by that late afternoon glow… and realized she was right. And ever since then, my favorite time of day has been the late afternoon, just before the sun goes down. It’s when the garden is draped in sunshine and glitters like gold.
So earlier this week, when I came home from the office early enough to catch this late-afternoon glow, I was thrilled to discover how much lettuce we had. Knowing I had 15 minutes to get a good shot before the sun went down, I grabbed a colander and picked some greens. On the way back to house, I stopped at the tangerine tree to grab a few tangerines, then headed in to stir a quick vinaigrette. With 10 minutes to spare, I made a quick salad, found a spot on the patio and enjoyed a late-afternoon snack.
RGB Lettuce and Tangerines
A quick note on the salad: We used a California Honey Balsamic Vinegar that we found while on a weekend trip to Temecula. The Blood Orange Olive Oil is also from CA. Combine the two with a bit of mustard, some fine sea salt and white pepper, and you’ve got yourself a light citrus vinaigrette.
Blood Orange Olive Oil and Honey Balsamic Vinegar
Few things are more satisfying than a garden snack in the late-afternoon sunlight.
[K]
What’s your favorite time of day?
Late afternoon sunlight. See what I mean?!?! (Note: zero editing was made to this photo; none.)
Winter Salad with California Honey Balsamic Vinaigrette
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~ Serves 2 ~
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~ Ingredients ~
- 2 ounces mixed garden lettuce
- 2 small tangerines
- ¼ teaspoon Dijon mustard
- ½ tablespoon white honey balsamic vinegar
- 1 ½ tablespoon blood orange-infused extra virgin olive oil
- Pinch of fine sea salt
- Grind of white pepper
- 1 tablespoon dried blueberries
- 1 tablespoon sliced almonds
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~ Preparation ~
Preparation Time: 15 minutes
- Carefully wash and dry lettuce; tear leaves into bite-sized pieces and set aside.
- Peel and split tangerines and set aside with lettuce.
- Dip the tip of a small narrow whisk into a jar of Dijon mustard. When you pull the whisk out, you’ll have about a ¼ teaspoon of Dijon mustard. In 1-quart glass bowl, pour in the vinegar. Stir it with the Dijon-drenched whisk. Slowly drizzle in the oil, a few drops at a time, while whisking the vinegar. Finish with pinch of salt and grind of pepper.
- Add to the bowl, lettuce, tangerine slices, dried blueberries and sliced almonds; toss to coat.
- Divide into two plates and serve immediately.
Nutrition content per serving: 184 calories, 19g carbs, 2g protein, 12g fat, 5g fiber
Cost per serving: $0.35 – $2.10
Source: Rustic Garden Bistro
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RGB Winter Salad with Blood Orange and CA Honey Balsamic Vinaigrette
In the photo world we call that time and that glow magic hour. These days I call it cocktail hour. Cocktails with salad of course. GREG
Your lettuces are just gorgeous (as are your photos in that perfect light!). I am sure that salad is delightful with all the fresh produce and flavors of the dressing. How nice to come home to such a treat!
I agree with Greg on both counts: it is the magic hour and it is also the cocktail hour:) Do you know how jealous some people can be (OK, me!) when you say “I stopped at the tangerine tree to grab a few tangerines”? I was ogling some citrus trees today at Home Depot, but they were $80.00 – not a good investment if you don’t have a yard:)
Love the combination of blood orange, balsamic, oil, and home-grown lettuces.
What beautiful photos – the lighting is PERFECT. I love the combination of oranges and balsamic vinegar and am always looking for ways to use them. I’ve clipped this recipe and hope to try it soon. Thanks!
That salad sounds amazing. I cant wait for the summer when my mom starts growing lettuce again. I stole so much from her last year, and it really is so much better than store bought.
My favorite time of day is usually the evening, but I have to say right now Im kind of torn between evening, and morning. Im not a morning person at all, but this time of year the sun rises as Im leaving the house for work. I get to drive straight into the sunrise, and between the orange sky and pink mountains, theres just nothing prettier.
I’m not a morning person, so late afternoon early evening has always been my favorite time of day. There’s just something so much more relaxed and unhurried about that time of the day.
Just looking at your pictures offers some warmth to me on this cold and snowy day. I do love Colorado but it seems I need a break in SoCal! Beautiful. Everything!
WOO HOO!! Looks whose becoming a master with that new Canon toy!! Absolutely beautiful shots and beautiful salad!!! I agree – late afternoon is my favorite time of day – when we had our boat it was my absolutely favorite time to be on the water!!
Our apartment gets strange bouts of light on sunny days–since we’re relatively low to the ground it’s all about capturing the light when you can, and sometimes it’s possible to literally play with light if you’re working with the right ingredients and take some gorgeous photos, but it changes from day to day that it can be hard to nail down.
I think you did a lovely job of doing it here–again, those shots of green are welcome to this weary New Yorker who is tired of looking at grey.
Yes, your salad is bathed in that gorgeous late afternoon glow! Beautiful salad (love how you threw in dried blueberries) and photos! I have some Blood Orange olive oil and it does make a fabulous vinaigrette!
Ryan and I have been spending the evenings together, sipping tea and watching the sun set. It has turned into my favorite part of the day! I loved seeing your beautiful lettuce. We had a hard freeze last week, and we lost a lot of our veggies
We need to move to California! Thank you for sharing your words, your photos and your thoughts. I’m blessed to have you in my day! I hope you have a wonderful week, my friend!
Kim you’ve inspired me to get out there and enjoy my deck. All I need now is that blood orange olive oil – yum.
Great pictures, Kim =)
Oh, Kim, every time I read your blog, I’m homesick for California. I want to grow lots of lettuce in the winter. So yummy. And, with the blood orange. Wonderful! As always!
What a lovely salad and I really like the add of blueberries, so refreshing
Kim – The vinaigrette sounds absolutely lovely. I just bought some blood oranges this past weekend at the Farmers’ Market for a tart, and saved a little juice for a cocktail. I’m so jealous of your garden – what a stunning place to spend the late afternoon. Early mornings (with my boys) and late afternoons are my favorite times of the day
you are so right~ that glow is gorgeous… what a beautiful garden you must have… i just cut back all my arugula, it was growing out of control… i’m going to try to shoot in the evening more, always learning- never completely satisfied…