I hope everyone is enjoying the long weekend! Ours has been full and fun so far. We saw Silver Linings Playbook (excellent, btw), made some delicious food and worked our butt off at the gym several times. Yesterday we tried the boot camp class for the first time and let me tell you… right after I … ow. So yes, great class, I had a good time and almost fell over from being exhausted. That is the best kind of workout. I can’t wait to go back and I just hope the soreness goes away before next Saturday (debatable).

Yesterday we walked to the grocery store, and I thought I’d grab some blood oranges and see what all the fuss was about. Turns out they were only a buck a pound at Fred Meyer, so I got several (oranges, not pounds). This is the first of several experiments with them. They are sweeter than a regular orange, and a little smaller.

I often end up throwing together any salads I make after one of our weekend yoga classes – the light is just perfect for photography, and while we are always in need of nourishment after class, we also don’t want to spoil that “just worked out” feeling by eating a huge heavy meal.

I’m pleased with how this turned out – I can’t wait to use more blood oranges in other adventures – maybe some cocktails

Here’s what you need for two lunch salads – they might need a little muffin or a piece of bread to round out the meal):

• 2 blood oranges (they might be called “moro oranges” at the store. This is a type of blood orange)
• 1 head butter lettuce
• 1.5 oz. goat cheese
• 1/4 cup toasted almonds
• 1/4 cup raisins
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 2 tsp. Dijon mustard
• Sprig of thyme
• Salt and pepper

Fill your (clean) sink halfway with cold water and separate your lettuce leaves. Submerge them in the cold water for ten minutes.

In the meantime, wash, zest and juice one of the oranges. Add the zest to the juice in a medium bowl along with the Dijon mustard, thyme leaves and a good shake of salt and pepper. Slowly dribble the olive oil in and whisk like crazy, until it emulsifies.

Peel the other orange and cut the segments into fork sized pieces. For fun, I sliced it horizontally.

Dry the lettuce and tear it into small, fork-sized pieces. Add it into a large bowl along with the almonds, raisins, orange pieces and crumbled goat cheese. Toss about 2/3 of it with the salad dressing (you may wish to give the dressing a few turns with the whisk to make sure it’s still mixed perfectly first). Plate and serve as a lunch or a nice first course.

I guess since there’s no vinegar, the dressing is no longer a vinaigrette. But it functions like one. I’m excited to use the leftovers for more salads this week.