orange, olive and fennel salad with cranberry vinaigrette

Cranberries aren’t just for chutneys and turkeys. Try this delicious salad for something light and bright this new year!

For the Vinaigrette

1 cup fresh or frozen and thawed cranberries

¹/2 cup fresh orange juice

1 tablespoon (tbs) finely chopped shallot or green onion,

white part only

2 tbs rice vinegar

1 tbs honey

1 tbs fresh lime or

lemon juice

¹/3–¹/2 cup canola or

neutral olive oil

kosher or sea salt

freshly ground pepper

In blender or food processor, combine cranberries, orange juice, shallot, vinegar, honey and lime juice; purée. With motor running, slowly add oil till you achieve desired consistency. Over medium bowl, strain purée through fine-mesh strainer, pushing down on solids. Reserve liquid; discard or compost solids. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Store, covered, in refrigerator for up to 5 days.

For the Salad

3 large navel oranges, peeled and sliced ¹/4-inch thick

1 large head fennel, sliced paper thin, vertically

1 small sweet red onion, peeled and thinly sliced in rings

(soak in ice water if flavor is too strong)

²/3 cup mixed country-style olives, such as Niçoise

(olives that are cured in brine and packed in olive oil),

cracked green or Sicilian

Arrange oranges, fennel and onion attractively on plate. Scatter olives around and drizzle with 3–4 tablespoons of vinaigrette. Garnish with fennel sprigs (top leafy part of bulb). Makes six servings of salad, 1¹/4 cups vinaigrette.

Per Serving: 230 calories; 16.5 grams (g) fat; 1.5 g protein; 37.8 g carbs; 4.1 g fiber; 586 milligrams (mg) sodium; 351 mg potassium.