Peak season for mandarin oranges is from early winter to early spring. They are smaller than regular oranges and are easier to peel; even in early March, grocery stores have stacks of clementines in crates, or piles of the bagged fruit. More

For a full confession, my first faux Asian salad came from McDonalds. One of McDonald's first "healthy" campaigns designed to improve its image. Ah, the 1980s. The era of the guilt-free McNugget. But I was hooked on the faux Asian flavor combination as well. I have a nut consumption issue (or rather, a hard time stopping myself from nut-inhaling) and eating nuts on a salad (as opposed to from the jar) is a great way to slow myself down and have a more balanced dinner than bonding with Mr. Peanut one-on-one. More