Beating the Snow Blues

Are you hiding in dormancy, waiting for winter to blow by? Often times you can trick yourself into another season. It’s similar to how we force flowers to bloom in a greenhouse. One way I always like to feel seasonably warm when there ‘ain’t no sunshine’ is by creating a summer dish in the dead of winter. You can be resourceful and check the cupboards but a surefire way to plug into warm weather is with a fresh green salad. What better way to get versatility of vegetables and summer combined in one? So if you are piled high in these winter snow drifts or you are one of the unfortunate ones without electricity, this salad is a perfect recipe to beat the snow blues.

Citrus Salad Dressing

The juice of 2 squeezed lemons
The juice of 2 squeezed oranges
1 teaspoon of Dijon mustard
1/8 cup of white balsamic vinegar or white vinegar
2 tablespoons of sugar
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Mix ingredients together
Add ¾ cup of extra virgin olive oil and blend

A few serving tips:

Serve on a bed of arugula and sunflower sprouts. The flavor of citrus and arugula are like a match made in heaven. You can use other greens but these are your best choices for awesome flavor.
Alter your citrus taste by mixing lemon and limes.
For a different orange zest, use tangerines rather than navel. Test and experiment with the citrus in your home.
You can also use this dressing as a marinade, particularly with grilled chicken. So don’t waste any; it’s good to the last drop!

I borrow two quotes to finish today’s post and provide inspirational thought for this snowy New England day. Anne Morrow Lindbergh shares her insight on how many of us respond to this season. “Perhaps I am a bear, or some hibernating animal underneath, for the instinct to be half asleep all winter is so strong in me. “ But Albert Camus reminds us that “in the depth of winter, I finally learned that within me there lay an invincible summer.”

So there you have it. The best way to beat the snow blues is to find your summer. Have a picnic. Create a salad and spread a blanket on the floor, crack open your favorite beverage and get the fire roaring. Just think – no bugs! And before you know it, the entire yak will be about the sizzling summer temperatures.

Images from the Internet