The timing could not have been better. Three and a half days of sunshine, ocean breeze, and t-shirt weather was a welcome break from the chilly winter in Ohio.

When I travel, I love visiting local farmers markets, especially if my destination boasts a lengthy growing season. Because I limit my “exotic” produce purchases in Ohio to very special occasions, I jump at the chance to buy them when they’re grown just a few miles away. In southern California, I was after two things: citrus and avocados. And I came back with plenty of both! Definitely worth packing lightly so I could stuff my carry-on with produce on the flight home.

But how to use my precious cargo I kicked it off when a bright, fresh, totally California salad.

This salad starts with a bed of spinach and mixed greens and ends with a drizzle of blood orange vinaigrette. But the components in the middle provide a delightful mix of textures, flavors, and colors, the most striking of which is the blood orange.

The mottled scarlet flesh of this orange is not just pretty to look at. It’s sweet and enormously juice, which makes it an ideal candidate for doubling both as a salad topping and as a dressing ingredient.

Combined with a wee amount of shallots, black pepper, balsamic vinegar, and olive oil, the blood orange juice produces a lovely dressing that would delight on many salads, not just this one.

Other than mixing the dressing, this salad is as simple as can be and really doesn’t require much explanation. Just toss everything on the greens and ta-da! It’s a beauty!

If you’re looking for a salad that you’ll actually WANT to eat, this is definitely on that list. Creamy avocado, bright citrus, crunchy sunflower seeds, and zesty feta play nicely together. It’s filling and satisfying, features I look for when making salad that serves as a meal.

We still have a good 4-6 weeks of decidedly non-t-shirt weather in Ohio, but that doesn’t mean that we can’t sit back and enjoy a summery salad and pretend we’re somewhere warmer, bluer, and California-y-er.

*sigh*

Blood Orange & Avocado Salad
Adapted from Joy the Baker

Note: This recipe makes enough for one as a main course or 2-3 as a side salad. There will be more dressing than you need for one salad, but it will last for 4-5 days, so you can use it for round two or three later in the week. Also, if you have the chance to make the dressing in advance, it gets even better overnight.

3 blood oranges (1 1/2 for the salad, 1 1/2 for the dressing)
1 T olive oil
1 T balsamic vinegar
1/2 tsp dijon mustard
2 T minced shallots
a couple cranks of freshly ground black pepper
2 large handfuls of spinach or mixed greens
1/2 a small avocado
1/4 c feta cheese crumbles
1 1/2 T salted sunflower seed kernels

Slice two of the blood oranges in half. Juice three of the halves and strain juice into a small bowl. Slice away the peel of the remaining half and the remaining whole orange, then carefully slice into disks. Set the oranges aside.

To complete the dressing, add the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, dijon mustard, shallots, and black pepper to the blood orange juice and whisk vigorously until combined. Adjust to taste and set aside.

Add spinach to a plate and sprinkle place oranges on top of the spinach. Sprinkle with feta and sunflower seeds. Slice the avocado and peel back the skin, adding the avocado strips to the salad. Shake or whisk dressing once more and drizzle over salad to taste. Serve immediately and dream of California produce.

But on super-special mornings, I’ll buy a precious avocado and smear it across toast to a beautiful, green canvas for a gently fried egg.

I’ve loved avocados for a long time, but I was previously skeptical of their ability to translate to breakfast. Lord, I was so wrong. The flavor and texture of the avocado and the egg together are fantastic. The avocado needs no additions, though admittedly, I did try mixing in salsa one day, and while it was delightful, I still preferred it all by itself.

The eggs, while you’re smashing avocado, fry gently with their yolks unbroken. If you’re not a fan of runny eggs, don’t worry, just break the yolks with a fork and cook them a bit longer on the second side for a firm yellow center.

This simple breakfast is super-quick for rushed weekday mornings when you want to pretend, just for a minute, that it’s already the weekend. And it’s fancy enough even for the weekend. Why go out for breakfast when you can stay in your pajamas and have this?

Egg & Avocado on Toast

Makes 2 servings

1/2 an avocado
1/2 T butter
2 eggs
seasoned salt
black pepper
2 slices of bread

Scoop the avocado out of the skin into a bowl. Crush the avocado with the back of a fork until it is mostly crushed. Heat a frying pan  over medium heat. Once warm, add the butter to the pan and coat the bottom of the pan as it melts. Crack the eggs into the pan without breaking the yolks, keeping the eggs separate. Sprinkle lightly with seasoned salt and black pepper.

While the eggs cook, toast the bread and smear avocado evenly over both pieces. After eggs have cooked for about two minutes, flip carefully with a spatula and sprinkle the opposite side lightly with black pepper. After about 30 seconds, gently lift the eggs onto the toasts, placing them on the avocado.

Serve and enjoy immediately.