Fall Harvest Salad with Apples, Pecans, Spinach, and Maple-Lime Dressing

This Fall Harvest Salad options Autumn-inspired components, akin to apples, pecans, and maple syrup, along with child spinach and goat cheese. This salad is exclusive as a result of the sliced apples are cooked in maple syrup and lime juice earlier than including them to the salad. This not solely makes apples scrumptious nevertheless it additionally prevents them from browning. This can be a must-try recipe to make within the Fall and Winter. It additionally makes a festive facet dish for the vacations (Thanksgiving, Friendsgiving, and Christmas).

Autumn harvest salad with apples

If you happen to requested what one ingredient I all the time use throughout Fall, it must be apples. Fall is the time of 12 months when apples are in season and are at their greatest. They’re plump, agency, and ripe, and also you get plenty of varieties to select from. This Fall salad options plenty of apples. The apples are cooked in olive oil, maple syrup, and lime juice, making this salad distinctive.

It is a must-try vacation salad to share along with your family and friends throughout Thanksgiving (or Friendsgiving) and Christmas. My 2 different favourite Autumn salads for the vacation season are roasted candy potato and spinach salad and easy apple spinach salad with cranberries, goat cheese, and maple-lime mustard dressing.

Why you will adore it

• Cooked apples make this salad distinctive and so totally different from different salads. I cooked apples in olive oil, maple syrup, and freshly squeezed lime juice. One other advantage of utilizing cooked apples in a salad is that they do not get brown from oxidation.
• Nice for making forward. You’ll be able to cook dinner the apples as much as 2 days upfront and preserve them refrigerated (along with the juices). Then reheat the apples and assemble the salad whenever you’re prepared!

The Components

This recipe options plenty of wholesome and nutritious components that we regularly affiliate with the Fall harvest. It tastes like consolation meals but options many wholesome, contemporary, colourful, and nutrient-dense components.

• Spinach is a scrumptious and delightful vegetable – an ideal alternative of inexperienced for a Fall salad. You can even use peppery arugula, kale, or your favourite greens as a substitute.
• Apples. I used Fuji crimson apples. You can even use Gala or Honey Crisp. Select apples with a firmer texture as you’ll be cooking them. I didn’t peel the apples as a result of the peel helps preserve cooked apple slices collectively
• Pecans are filled with fiber and are wealthy in lots of vitamins. This contains zinc and Vitamin B1. These tasty nuts add crunch and texture to any Fall salad. I wish to frivolously toast them within the preheated oven at 350 F for about 10 minutes so as to add extra crunch.
• Feta cheese provides a salty and tangy taste. This brined cheese is normally created from sheep’s milk or a combination of goat and sheep’s milk. It is simple to crumble and works nice in salads.
• Salad dressing is made by cooking the apples with olive oil, maple syrup, and lime juice. The ensuing juices from cooking the apples create essentially the most wonderful Fall salad dressing!

Variations

You’ll be able to simply customise this Fall salad along with your favourite greens, veggies, fruits, nuts, cheese, or different add-ins or substitutions.

• Add nuts. You’ll be able to add toasted pecans or walnuts. Candied nuts would work nice too.
• Dried fruit. Add dried cranberries, blueberries, figs, or cherries.
• Greens. Use your favourite greens – spinach, arugula, blended greens, and so forth.
• Cheese. I like to recommend utilizing the next varieties: feta cheese, goat cheese (any taste), gorgonzola, and crumbled blue cheese.
• Add fruit. You’ll be able to add pears, mango, orange slices, or mandarin oranges.
• Add pomegranate arils. You should buy pomegranate arils in a container at a grocery retailer. This can prevent time and you’ll not must take away the seeds from an entire pomegranate.

Add protein to show this salad into a whole meal

• Cooked hen, steak, shrimp, or salmon would pair properly with this harvest salad.
• Leftover cooked hen, akin to grilled hen, leftover hen, and rotisserie hen work particularly properly.
• Add bacon. Use common bacon, turkey bacon, or bacon bits.  Toasted (crisped up) prosciutto or pancetta will work nice, too.

Different Fall salads you may like

• Butternut Squash Pasta Salad with Brussels Sprouts, Pecans, and Cranberries
• Fall Harvest Salad with Roasted Butternut Squash, Apple, Pear, Pecans, Pumpkin Seeds, Pomegranate, and Spinach
• Butternut Squash and Spinach Salad with Pecans, Cranberries, Pomegranate Seeds, and Poppy Seed Honey-Lime Dressing
• Roasted Brussels Sprouts Salad with Maple Butternut Squash, Pumpkin Seeds, and Cranberries
• Winter Vegetable Salad with Roasted Butternut Squash, Brussels Sprouts, and Beets