Is anyone else out there craving spring? I went shopping yesterday and all I could think about was how little interest I had in wearing any more sweaters this year. Which is inconvenient because it’s been snowing nonstop and there is more in our future. This is the longest winter of my life and we really are only halfway through it. How depressing. Luckily we just booked a flight to Hawaii for next month so we can forget about the snow for a week. But since that trip is still a month away, I’m mixing up my cooking a bit. Instead of casseroles and bakes, I’m in the mood for something refreshing, and that’s exactly what this recipe is! Sure, it uses winter fruits like grapefruits and blood oranges, but it’s a dish that screams ‘BRING WARMER WEATHER NOOOOOW.’ And this is a salad I can get behind. Instead of being filled with floppy greens that get stuck in your teeth and that hit you in the face while you’re trying to put them in your mouth (this sentence is getting weird), it’s simply filled with flavor and crunch. No bullsh*t.
Wait, can we go back to Hawaii for a second? Because I feel like a smart traveler for once in my life and I’m incredibly proud of myself. My husband and I have two different credit cards – Southwest and American Express Platinum. We love to use our Southwest card/points whenever we are traveling since we can always find a Southwest flight out of Denver for pretty damn cheap. And since my husband has been so Southwest loyal, he received a companion pass this year. That means I get to fly anywhere with him for FREE. Hi, for free. So get this – he booked his flight to Hawaii using points, then he used his companion pass for me. We had to pay an $11 fee and THAT’S IT! We are going to Hawaii for freaking $11!! Then we had to choose a hotel, so we hopped on to AmexTravel to use my Amex Platinum points to pay for our stay at the Four Seasons in Maui. Now all we have to pay for is excursions and food since our flight and hotel are covered by points!! BUT when you book through AmexTravel, you get free breakfast every morning at your hotel, so now we only have to worry about lunch and dinner! I know this sounds like a credit card ad, but it’s the first time we’ve actually utilized our points and miles for a big trip and I feel like a traveling professional. Sometimes adulting is the best…but mostly it’s the worst. That reminds me, I need to get my taxes in order. Booooooo.
If you have any Maui recommendations, send them our way! We both have never been to Hawaii so I’m pretty pumped to experience it for the first time! I plan to eat salads like this one, as much poke as possible, and enjoy some extra fruity cocktails. We both love to hang out on the beach and stay active, but I know NOTHING about Maui, so if you have any must-do’s, I’d love to hear them! I’m so excited to get out of this stupid weather and finally be by the ocean again. The hubs and I have been listening to an ocean sound machine to help us fall asleep at night and it’s just not the same…it’s more like someone splashing in a puddle of their own pee. Super relaxing. Can’t wait to hear what you guys recommend!!
Winter Citrus Salad
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 4-5 1x
Ingredients
- 5 ounces butter lettuce
- 3 deep red grapefruit, peel sliced off and citrus sliced into 1/4 inch rounds
- 4 blood oranges, peel sliced off and citrus sliced into 1/4 inch rounds
- 2 sumo citrus, peel sliced off and citrus sliced into 1/4 inch rounds
- 3 red navel oranges, peel sliced off and citrus sliced into 1/4 inch rounds
- 1 fennel bulb, thinly sliced
- 1 Persian cucumber, thinly sliced
- 1 avocado, thinly sliced
- fresh mint
- fresh dill
- freshly cracked black pepper
For the dressing
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup sherry vinegar
- 1 tablespoon orange marmalade
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 2 tablespoon mint leaves
- salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Place butter leaves in a large salad bowl.
- Cut the peels off of all the citrus fruit then cut into rounds. Place on top of butter leaves. Then top with sliced fennel, cucumber, avocado, mint leaves, and dill. Add freshly cracked black pepper on top.
- In a blender, blend together all ingredients for the dressing.
- Pour dressing on top of salad before serving!
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The Trilogy Catamaran excursion from Lahaina to the island of Lanai is pretty fantastic.
awesome thanks Katie!
If yoor restaurants we love Merriman’s in Kapalua…best sunset in the world. Monkey Pods in either Kaanapali or Weilaha is amazing…they pretty much make everything from scratch even the ketchup and have the best mia tias I’ve ever tasted and I hate fruity drinks. Also if you snorkel go up to Kapalua right next to Merrimans is a little bay that”s nice and calm. Finally, if you go way south of Weileha there are amazing lava fields…pretty cool. Ok I’m done…I cant wait for September now we go every year!😁😉
First words were supposed to say “For restaurants” 😫
This is an early morning, but it’s so worth it! https://www.skylinehawaii.com/haleakala/sunrise/sunrise-bike-n-zip-tour
thanks Tessa!
Definitely check out Haleakala! It looks like a different planet at the top. There are some amazing lavender fields near the exit. There are beautiful waterfalls all around Hana. Lahaina is the cutest little beach town. I like to wander the galleries. Maui Brick Oven is 100% GF. They have great pizza and even things like coconut shrimp and mozz sticks. Oh, and you should probably find yourself a maitai to sip on the beach. Have fun!
wooooohooooo thank you for all the recommendations Kelsey!
We visit Maui often and consider it our home away from home. Beaches: Makena. This is not really a swim beach, the waves are huge but it’s gorgeous and quiet. Also if you hike up over the rocks you’ll find Little Beach – it’s clothing optional (not sure if that’s a deal breaker for you) but it’s really a beautiful hidden gem of a beach.
Restaurants – Monkey Pod has a great happy hour and the Mai Tais with the Lilikoi foam, so good! Mama’s is the spot most tourists go for a nicer meal, I also like the Hail’imaile General Store. Paia Fish market for the Fish Tacos – a must; they are the best, anywhere!
For shopping head to Paia. You’ll want to hit Maui Girl for swimwear (this is where Sports Illustrated picks up suits for the Swimwear issue). Also Makawao has been upping the game with some great boutiques and galleries.
Lahaina – it’s kind of your tee shirt/tourist town. Though check out the roof top deck at Fleetwoods in the evening. Gorgeous views – really.
Last tip – pay the extra fee to pick up your rental car early(Expedited pickup) It lets you skip the line which can be brutal after a long flight. Trust me on this!
Oh – the Bamboo forest trail over near 7 pools near Hana or the Poli Poli trail for hiking. Have a great trip, Julie.
thank you for all the recommendations Jodi!! i really appreciate it!
I’ll be in Maui 3/5-10. I’m jealous that you’re at Four Seasons. They would always be my first choice, and I don’t skimp on hotels, but the prices there were off the charts. May I ask — in addition to the breakfasts, did you also get special rates there thru Amex Travel?
i don’t believe so! i think sometimes they have special rates through Amex Travel, but they didn’t at the four seasons. but you get a bunch of different add-ons like room upgrade, drink and food credit, early check-in and late check-out, and other fun stuff!!
My husband and I were on Maui for 15 days in late February last year. We spent the first week traversing nearly the entire island while staying near Paia (loved that little town) and then took it easy after that by relaxing on the beach for the remainder of the time.
Haleakala is great but we went for sunset instead of the typical sunrise – no reservations necessary that way and no crazy early wake up time. The Road to Hana was great, but we started very early before traffic and people got crazy and then we hiked a lot at the end and came back really late after traffic died down. We did a farm tour and lunch at the O’o farm and really enjoyed it. The food was fabulous. Nakelele blow hole is neat and the coast along there is amazing. The lava fields south of Wailea are pretty cool too. You say you’re not much into hiking, but if you do decide to walk through the lava fields at all, make sure you have very good shoes with thick, protective soles. It gets brutal on the feet.
For food, we thought Mama’s Fish House and Monkeypod were really overrated. Pacific’O was our best meal by far (go for sunset if you can) We also had some great meals at Koi at the Fairmont, Spago at the Four Seasons, and Morimoto at the Andaz. We mostly did casual breakfasts on our own but did try the Four Seasons breakfast buffet one day.
As for lodging, we were between the Four Seasons and the Fairmont and we were really happy we stayed at the Fairmont. There was just so much more space in the suites and around the property there, but the Four Seasons looked great too. I will be curious to hear what you think as I would love to go back to Maui.
Enjoy plenty of strolls along the Wailea beach path. Have a great trip!
We are headed to Hawaii in March, too–on Southwest flights using points!!! Also, as a complete aside, I just learned from TPG you can earn RR points by shopping through the portal–lots of stores participate:
https://rapidrewardsshopping.southwest.com/
amazing!! thanks for the tips!
WOW! This salad looks so dreamy! If I could give it more than 5 stars I would! Thank u for sharing! Got so much inspiration. I’m so happy I discovered ur fantastic blog a couple months ago. I always end up drooling whenever I come to ur page. I’m a real fan of what u do. Keep up the good work! <3
thanks for the love Ann!