A couple of weeks ago my husband and I attended a long-table dinner at a nearby farm called Rainshadow Organics.
The long table ran along a wide, shady porch with a beautiful view of the fields. After a glass of wine and a few appetizers, Sarahlee, the farmer who has spent the last eleven years cultivating these twenty-five acres, led all the guests on a tour of the property.
It took me about five seconds to develop a complete girl crush on Sarahlee — colorful, fascinating, and, as it turns out, married to a professional rodeo rider. An organic farmer married to a cowboy felt like a scene from one of my novels.
It was an unforgettable evening. The setting was gorgeous, and every dish we tasted was made with ingredients grown on the farm. I’ve had a farmgirl fantasy for decades, and this felt very much like a dream date.
Taking My Farmgirl Fantasy to the Next Level
The next day my husband and I talked it over and decided to sign up for a CSA share. CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture: by purchasing a share, you support local farming and receive a weekly box of fresh, organic produce and sometimes meat.
Many CSAs sell out quickly and the season had already started, so I expected to find no available shares on the Rainshadow Organics website. I emailed the farm anyway to ask if a small share might still be possible.
Lucky for me, they said yes.
Receiving a mystery bag of freshly harvested produce each week has pushed me to try new, healthy recipes. This week’s share included red leaf lettuce, baby zucchini, snow peas, kohlrabi, and some beautiful carrots.
I roasted the carrots and served them over fresh greens with a bright homemade citrus vinaigrette, toasted nuts, and creamy goat cheese. The result was colorful, satisfying, and substantial enough to serve as a main course. It felt healthy, too, so I happily enjoyed a small scoop of homemade ice cream for dessert without guilt. Since I’ve reached my goal weight, this low-calorie, flavorful salad is a perfect option to keep me on track.
The Thing About Homemade Citrus Salad Dressing
The earthy roasted carrots and tangy goat cheese get a lift from the citrus vinaigrette. Technically a vinaigrette, this dressing is essentially the special touch that makes the salad sing.
It’s fresh, versatile, easy to make, and I usually have the ingredients on hand. I’m looking forward to trying this dressing on other salads and dishes throughout the season.
Here’s the recipe.
THIS POST MAY CONTAIN REFERRAL LINKS. IF YOU CLICK THROUGH AND TAKE ACTION, I MAY BE COMPENSATED, AT NO ADDITIONAL COST TO YOU.
Farm Salad with Roasted Carrots and Citrus Dressing
Author: Marie Bostwick
Yield: 4 starter salads or 2 main course salads 1x
Ingredients
Scale
3 Tbsp sunflower seeds
1/3 cup shelled pistachios
1 lb carrots, peeled
2 cups salad greens (use whatever is fresh and tender – lettuce, baby kale or spinach, arugula)
1 large navel orange
1 lemon
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus 2 Tbsp more
2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
2 tsp smoked paprika
4 oz goat cheese
Kosher salt
Fresh ground black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to high broil.
- In a dry skillet over medium-low heat, toast the sunflower seeds until they begin to turn golden and smell fragrant, about three to four minutes. Remove and set aside. Toast the pistachios in the same skillet for about six minutes. Let them cool on a cutting board, then chop coarsely and combine with the sunflower seeds in a bowl; add a pinch of salt.
- If any carrots are thicker than ¾ inch, slice them lengthwise; smaller carrots can be roasted whole. Cut the lemon and orange in half. Arrange carrots on a foil-lined baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil, and season generously with kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper, and smoked paprika. Place the citrus halves on the pan, cut side up.
- Broil the pan for about 10 minutes, stirring the carrots halfway through. The carrots should be fork-tender and charred in spots. Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly.
- When the citrus is cool enough to handle, squeeze the lemon and orange to extract about ½ cup of juice. Add the apple cider vinegar, a pinch of salt and pepper, then whisk in 1/3 cup of olive oil to form the citrus vinaigrette.
- Divide the greens among plates. Top with the roasted carrots, sprinkle with the toasted nut mixture, and crumble goat cheese over each salad. Drizzle with the citrus vinaigrette and serve.