One thing I really like about re-creating vintage recipes is knowing exactly what I’m eating. There is no strange ingredient list with items I can’t pronounce and have no idea of what they are.
Instead, I use common items that are economical and something from my pantry, usually a leftover item I’ve used previously, which means a cost-saver!
A great example of this is Sunny Citrus Salad. It might be a recipe from four decades ago, but it is full of food that is still healthy, natural, and that which you can alter if needed with items you have on hand.
I took these liberties with the original recipe:
Our family doesn’t like raw onions so I deleted this item.
I didn’t have walnut halves and didn’t fancy making a trip to the store to purchase them, so I used slivered almond pieces leftover from an earlier recipe. A cost-saving move!
And while Bleu cheese sounded wonderful as a topping, I went with feta for the same reason as the almonds. If it’s in my refrigerator or pantry, an item has a good chance of being used up before it spoils!
Rather than use mayonnaise, my daughter and I topped our salads with homemade Honey Mustard Poppyseed Dressing (not vintage) shared with me by my friend, Janet, at our library cookbook club meeting. It’s so delicious I’ve made it twice! The recipe is below.
This same daughter who is vegetarian loved this salad with its freshness, sweetness and slight bite of acid from the dressing.
Cooking shouldn’t be a costly endeavor when you can find satisfactory, tasty substitutes. I’ve found it’s easy to create vintage recipes on a budget!
Sunny Citrus Salad was printed in a cookbook called ‘Family Favorites’ published in 1981 by Swartz Creek Jaycee Auxiliary in Swartz Creek, Michigan.
It is a spiral-bound volume that is full of great recipes including earlier Vintage Eats posts:
Blueberry Bread and Peanut Butter Granola
I was thrilled with both recipes and received many compliments on them.
Try making all three recipes – better yet, combine them into one meal! You’ll enjoy the homemade difference in taste and savings.
Sunny Citrus Salad
1 quart assorted greens
1 cup orange, sliced
½ cup onion rings
½ cup walnut halves
½ cup (2 ounces) Bleu cheese, crumbled
2 avocados
Mayonnaise
Tear greens in bite-size pieces into a large salad bowl.
Add oranges, onion, walnuts and Bleu cheese.
Toss lightly.
Arrange avocado slices in a pinwheel design on top of the salad (I cubed mine).
Serve with mayonnaise.
Yield: 6 servings
Honey Mustard Salad Dressing
½ cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoon mustard
1 tablespoon mustard
2 tablespoon honey
½ tablespoon lemon juice
Whisk all ingredients in small bowl until blended. Refrigerate until ready to use. May use as a dipping sauce for chicken or other meats and vegetables.
Yield: 1 cup
Vintage Eats of Kayleen Reusser 
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