Apple and Walnut Autumn Salad
The first snow of the season arrived today in Chicago. After 10 seconds of saying, “aw, it’s pretty” I was onto counting down the days until summer. I’ll spare you the math….we have a long way to go. Fortunately, winter justifies being the laziest person around. Jack did persuade me to go outside only to realize that my boots from last year have a hole in them. Add that to my lazy justification list.
Before we get too far into the depths of winter, I want to share with you an easy autumn salad. Use any type of lettuce as a base and top with apples, roasted walnuts, crunchy scallions and goat cheese with a balsamic vinaigrette. The flavor combination lends itself to the cozy time of year while still being light enough that you’ll fit into your winter hibernation pants all season long.
Apple and Walnut Autumn Salad Recipe
Makes 4 servings.
Ingredients
- 2 shallots, peeled and sliced
- 1 Tbsp flour
- Salt and black pepper
- 4 cups salad mix (Your choice of lettuce, romaine, spinach, kale or arugula.)
- 1/2 apple, thinly sliced
- 1/3 cup candied walnuts
- Goat cheese, crumbled
- Balsamic vinaigrette (store bought or homemade)
Directions
- Peel and thinly slice the shallot. Place in a bowl and cover with 1 Tbsp of flour and a pinch of both salt and pepper.
- Heat a drizzle of olive oil in small skillet. Use a fork to shake off excess flour from the shallots and add to the skillet. Cook for 7-8 minutes until the shallots become golden and crunchy. Stir the shallots frequently so they do not burn. After the shallots cook, place them on a paper towel for several minutes to cool before adding to the salad.
- Thinly slice half of an apple.
- In a large bowl, toss together 4 cups of salad mix, the shallots, apple slices, 1/3 cup walnuts and crumbled goat cheese. Drizzle with balsamic vinaigrette and serve.
I learned a helpful trick about goat cheese. If you store it in the freezer you can easily grate it into a salad. It’s easier to control how much cheese you use and it more effectively incorporates the flavor throughout the entire salad. If you do this, take the cheese out of the freezer for about 15 minutes before you plan to use it.
You can add a protein (meat or beans) to make this into a main dish or serve it as a side salad. Adjust the amount of ingredients depending on how many people you plan to serve.
This salad works as semi-homemade – store bought salad dressing and already candied walnuts – or you can make everything from scratch. I opted for the easier route this time around. If you can’t find candied walnuts, regular walnuts will work. You may want to toast them in a skillet first before adding to the salad. Sprinkle on a little brown sugar to sweeten them up.
Use the Extra Ingredients
If you have leftover apple, dice it into chunks and cook in a small sauce pan with apple pie spice and a little water. Stir into yogurt, oatmeal or ice cream.
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