Mandarin Orange Salad with Poppy Seed Dressing
The Ultimate In Meal Prep
Do you want a simple salad that packs a big punch? This Mandarin Orange Salad with Poppy Seed Dressing hits all the right notes.
I normally struggle with meal prep, but this salad is an exception. It’s great to make ahead as you can keep this salad deconstructed in your fridge for quick and easy lunches.
Add your favorite protein for bigger flavor!
Make Ahead For Deliciousness
I am not a person who enjoys meal prepping nor am I a big leftovers person. There are only a few things I will eat for leftovers.
One is my Meatloaf recipe and of course my Lasagna and Stuffed Shells. This salad happens to be another. I store all the components separately and make the salad for myself for lunch.
I know that the dressing is not the healthiest, but it has so much flavor so you do not need to use very much on your salad when you dress it. For me, I hardly eat lunch, so the fact that I have something for lunch is, health-wise, better for me as then I do not eat cookies or other junk, instead of a meal.
I figure I am getting some nutrients from the lettuce, oranges, and nuts!
Straightforward Ingredients
You will see on the printable recipe card at the end of this post that the ingredients are quite simple. I am easily able to find all of them at a regular grocery store.
I keep things like toasted sesame oil on hand for other Asian inspired recipes that I make often. Build a small pantry with a good quality soy sauce, toasted sesame oils, and some rice vinegar.
Solo Poppy Seed Filling
The one ingredient that may be new to some is the Solo Poppy Seed Filling. This product is very easy to find, you may just not have ever looked for it before.
To find this, check the baking aisle. You will see a lot of pie and cake fillings by this brand.
They usually have the poppy seed one. My Mom used to make the most delicious coffee cake with this filling.
Solo pie filling is great for the dressing because it is slightly sweet and it is slightly thicker so it adds some texture. I say to use 2 to 3 tablespoons, as you should taste the dressing at 2 tablespoons and decide if you want to use a third.
I freeze the remaining or make a poppy seed chicken recipe, which I will post soon.
No Can, No Problem
If you absolutely cannot find this can of Solo pie filling, you can use a tablespoon of brown sugar and two tablespoons of poppy seeds in the dressing.
The Dressing Is Addictive
One thing I will warn you about is that this dressing is very addictive. I use it on everything when I make it. This is one of the dressings I will make and store on hand at all times.
It keeps for a week or so in a sealed container, but it never lasts that long. There are times I make it as a vinaigrette or creamy when I add the Mayonnaise.
Stores Really Well
The components in this salad store really well for many days. I keep all the ingredients in separate containers for ease of assembly when I am hungry.
I do not keep the nuts in the fridge, I keep them on the counter. The rest of the ingredients go in the fridge.
Other Toppings
This is a simple, yet delicious salad. If you want to bulk this up, you can add crispy or grilled chicken.
You can also add red onions, green onions, red peppers, celery, or any other vegetables that you like. If you are a tofu fan, that would be good in this salad as well.
Mandarin Orange Salad with Poppy Seed Dressing Recipe
This salad has toasted almonds, shallots and a delicious poppy seed dressing that can be made as a vinaigrette or creamy.
Ingredients
- 2 stems of Romaine lettuce
- 1/2 head of iceberg lettuce
- 2 cups of slivered almonds
- 1/4 cup of toasted sesame oil + 1/2 tablespoon of toasted sesame oil (divided)
- 1 tablespoon of butter
- 1 teaspoon of black pepper
- 1 teaspoon of sea salt
- 1/4 teaspoon of cayenne pepper *optional
- 1/2 cup of soy sauce
- 1/2 cup of rice vinegar
- 1/4 cup of mild oil (coconut, avocado, or vegetable)
- 2 fifteen ounce cans of Mandarin Oranges
- 2 to 3 tablespoons of Solo brand poppy seed cake and pie filling, 12.5 ounce can *more info on this in the post
- 2 tablespoons of mayonnaise *optional
- 2 shallots, finely minced
Instructions
- In a skillet with low heat, add the butter and the 1/2 tablespoon of toasted sesame oil, let this warm up, but not smoking, add your sliced almonds and begin toasting. Keep a close eye on these, they can burn quickly, toss occasionally in the pan. You want these to get toasted brown but not burnt. When they are toasted, add the black pepper, sea salt and the cayenne if you want some spice.
- To make the dressing, in a bowl add the rice vinegar, 1/4 cup of the toasted sesame oil, 1/4 cup of the other oil, the soy sauce, the vinegar, shallots and the 2 to 3 tablespoons of the poppy seed filling. Make sure to whisk or emulsify this well. If you want this creamy, add the 2 tablespoons of mayonnaise. *this dressing is better the longer it sits, so I like to make it a day in advance.
- Wash and dry your two lettuces, then chop into small, bite sized pieces.
- Drain your mandarin oranges. *you can use a few tablespoons of the juice for the dressing if you like.
- I keep all the ingredients separate to make salads throughout the week. The salad is simply the crisp lettuce, toasted almonds, oranges and the dressing. I have added chicken, red peppers, red onions etc. The basic salad is also divine on its own.