Butter Lettuce Salad with Cacao Nib Vinaigrette

This fairly simple yet colourful and fun salad plays on different textures and flavours of bitter cacao nibs, tender&sweet butter lettuce, tart&chewy dried cherries, creaminess of silky avocado and juicy sweet mandarin orange.
Cacao nibs, aka cocoa nibs, are fermented and crushed bits of dried cacao beans. They are naturally sugar-free and provide a rich source of fiber, protein, healthy fats and minerals.

Vinaigrette	Salad
2 tbsp Cacao nibs 2 tbsp Extra-virgin olive oil 2 tbsp Walnut oil 3 tbsp Balsamic vinegar 2 tbsp Minced shallot 1/3 tsp Black salt (or regular sea salt) 1/2 tsp Pul biber pepper flakes	1 head Butter lettuce, washed, rinsed, core removed and leaves torn into large pieces 1 Avocado, pitted, peeled, and sliced (or diced) 2 Mandarins, peeled and separated (or clementines or blood oranges) 50 g Dried cherries 2 tbsp Cacao nibs 1 tbsp Parsley, chopped

For the vinaigrette, pulse the cacao nibs in a spice grinder until finely ground, 4 to 5 pulses.
Combine the ground cocoa nibs and the walnut oil and olive oil in a small saucepan and heat on low until warm and fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes. Turn off the heat.
Add the vinegar, shallot, salt, and red pepper flakes, and let sit for about 25 minutes. Transfer to a jar, twist on the lid, and shake well until you have a homogeneous-looking dressing.
Toss lettuce with half of the vinaigrette or to taste. Divide dressed lettuce between 2 serving dishes. Arrange remaining salad ingredients over the lettuce. Serve with any remaining vinaigrette on the side.

21 comments:

The Velvet Runway 24/10/24 12:55: This sounds and looks amazing! I love the addition of cocoa nibs.
Julia x
https://www.thevelvetrunway.com/
Tom 24/10/24 14:13: ...the mandarins is a sweet addition.
Lola Martínez 24/10/24 14:41: Una combinación de ingredientes original que deben imprimir un sabor distinto a la clásica ensalada. La encuentro muy buena.
DEZMOND 24/10/24 15:53: I really like the colour combination in that plate. I will roast some potatoes tomorrow, methinks, I have a sore throat and need me some hearty food.
Brian's Home Blog 24/10/24 16:07: That's a very pretty and yummy looking salad!
Christine 24/10/24 18:44: Interesting and yummy
Pam 24/10/24 20:07: What a cool & tasty salad.
Carol @Comfort Spring Station 24/10/24 20:28: a beautiful salad with intriguing flavors
Bill 24/10/24 20:44: Looks like a delicious dish.
roentare 24/10/24 22:18: Very healthy looking and appetitising
Lowcarb team member 24/10/24 23:02: An intriguing mix of ingredients.
Many thanks for sharing this recipe.

All the best Jan
Cooking Julia 24/10/24 23:56: It is a tasty and yummy salad!
Citu 25/10/24 00:30: Una forma diferente de comer lechuga. Gracias por la receta.
My name is Erika. 25/10/24 00:55: What a delicious looking salad. I love adding Mandarin oranges and dried cranberries to a salad. Yum.
DeniseinVA 25/10/24 01:46: Delicious and creative. I really like the idea of adding Cacao nibs.
Anonymous 25/10/24 05:53: The dressing sounds intriguing!
Tandy | Lavender and Lime https://tandysinclair.com
Margaret D 25/10/24 06:52: Looks delicious, Angie.
eileeninmd 25/10/24 12:38: Looks delicious, I would love this salad.
Take care, Happy Friday and have a great weekend.
Judee 25/10/24 13:48: Your salads are always beautiful and interesting with so many wonderful flavors.
David M. Gascoigne, 25/10/24 14:03: Reminds me that I have an avocado that needs to be used. If I am lucky I will catch it during the ten minutes when it goes from not ready to past it!
tigerfish 30/10/24 00:06: Such a unique vinaigrette which I will absolutely enjoy