Olive Celery & Citrus Salad

by Amanda DeLaura

A little PSA on this recipe—David asked me to replicate a salad he had at a local restaurant and I just hope it’s half as good as the one he had. As my father used to say, “Good poets borrow. Great poets steal.” Bon appétit!

Makes about 4 side servings

Ingredients:

For the Salad

4 stalks celery, finely chopped and leaves reserved from the entire bunch

2 small oranges, peeled and coarsely chopped

2 oz black olives, thinly sliced

1/4 cup flat-leaf parsley

1 tsp shallot, very finely minced

For the Dressing

1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp organic white beans*

2 Tbsp organic orange juice

2 Tbsp water

1 Tbsp organic tahini

1 Tbsp organic olive oil

1 Tbsp white wine vinegar

1 tsp maple syrup (or stevia)

1/4 tsp Real Salt

1/4 tsp orange zest

Directions:

1. To combine the salad, add the celery, oranges, black olives, parsley, shallot, and reserved celery leaves in a medium-sized bowl.
2. To make the dressing, blend the white beans, orange juice, water, tahini, white wine vinegar, maple syrup, salt, and orange zest to a blender and blend until very smooth. Pour the bean and tahini dressing over the salad and toss to Season with fresh cracked pepper and sea salt. Taste and adjust as necessary. Add more water or olive oil to adjust the thickness of the dressing.

*NOTE: If using a can of beans, feel free to add the remaining cup and two tablespoons of beans to your salad—this will create a more filling dish and would pair nicely with a simple roasted or pan-seared white fish or salmon.