Apple Pecan Salad with Maple Cider Vinaigrette

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Apple Pecan Salad is a favorite fall salad for me! I love salads with apples and let’s face it, apples and cool weather go hand in hand! There are pecans, gorgonzola cheese, and the vinaigrette! The Maple Cider Vinaigrette, I could just snack on this vinaigrette all day!  It is so flavorful!

This post is sponsored on behalf of #appleweek. Our generous sponsors, Swiss Diamond, Envy Apples, Imperial Sugar, Nordic Ware, Rodelle Vanilla, Flahavan’s Irish Oatmeal, Nairn’s and The Spice House have provided us with products for recipe creation and a giveaway for our readers. As always, all opinions are my own.

This delicious apple pecan salad is a real time-saver for me! This salad is perfect as is, for me its a meal! There is crunch from the pecans, carrots, and celery. Cheese is my life, gorgonzola, I can eat it all day!

The apples, well I am just loving Envy Apples! They are a perfect apple to eat! Crunchy and sweet! Envy Apples are one of our amazing sponsors! I have to thank them because I have had a lot of apples in my life, the Envy Apple has jumped to the top of my favorite list!

The apple cider salad takes little work and just assembling the ingredients. I shred my carrots with a mandoline, but you can also buy pre-shredded carrots or just chop them up. It is really a matter of just chopping your veggies. Oh, this is a favorite salad, it’s a no-brainer easy recipe!

You know what I always say, cooking a recipe is always a base, things can be adjusted and swapped. Remember though only cooking, baking, follow the recipe.

Let’s talk about the healthy ingredients in, Maple Cider Vinaigrette:

• I absolutely love maple cider vinaigrette salad dressing! It is a healthy vinaigrette that works with so many recipes. Feel free to use it as a marinade for chicken or pork too.
• The apple cider vinegar I use and highly recommend is the raw-unfiltered apple cider vinegar. A little more expensive than a grocery store brand but the health benefits are worth it.
• I use pure Maple syrup!  By pure, I mean the real deal 100% pure maple sweetener. It is a natural sweetener.

Making salads with apples is a great way to add a fruit to our daily diet. I also find younger kids will eat their salads when they see the apples on top. I will say, not all kids love gorgonzola, so feel free to swap out to another cheese or no cheese, for my Vegan friends.

Can I add a protein to Apple Pecan Salad?

Yes, feel free to add in a protein. Grilled chicken goes so well with this salad! These are two of my favorite grilled chicken marinades, Dijon lime marinade, and Basil Vinaigrette.

What other cheese can be used in Apple Pecan Salad?

For those who don’t love blue cheese as I do, I still love you, feel free to use either feta or goat cheese in the apple salad.

When making salads with apples, how can you prevent apple slices from turning brown?

When making a salad with apples, you want to ensure the apples don’t brown, that just looks ugly. Sprinkle lemon juice on the apple slices right after slicing. I don’t have an issue with browning. With that said, you have to use the apple slices within an hour or two. Slice those apples close to the time you are ready to enjoy your salad with apples. 

If you want to enjoy this salad as a side to a soup or sandwich, here are my suggestions:

• Creamless Butternut Squash Soup
• Dairy Free Corn Chowder
• French Dip Sandwiches

How to Assemble Apple Pecan Salad:

1. Shred carrots. Dice the other veggies celery, red onions, and celery. Have crumbled blue cheese ready. 
2. Slice the apples and sprinkle with lemon juice. 
3. Ensure your lettuce is clean and dry. Place in a bowl and put apples, veggies, and cheese on top.

How to Make Maple Cider Vinaigrette:

1. In a medium bowl, add minced garlic, pure apple cider vinegar, apple cider, juice of a lemon, pure maple syrup, Dijon mustard, black pepper, and salt. 
2. Add in olive oil, whisk while you combine the salad dressing.
3. Store the salad dressing in the fridge for up to a week in a well-sealed container.

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Apple Pecan Salad with Maple Cider Vinaigrette

Enjoy Apple Pecan Salad with Maple Cider Vinaigrette! A delicious fall salad full of veggies that is ready in about 15 minutes! 

5 from 2 votes

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Course: Main Dish, Salad

Cuisine: American

Keyword: healthy fall salad

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Servings: 6 servings

Calories: 83kcal

Author: Eileen xo

Ingredients

Apple Pecan Salad ingredients

• 8 cups salad greens
• 2 Envy Apples, sliced thin Note 1
• 1 cup shredded carrots Note 2
• 1 cup diced celery,
• 1/3 cup chopped pecans
• 1/4 cup red onion, thinly sliced
• 4 ounces crumbled Gorgonzola cheese

How to Make Maple Cider Vinaigrette

• 2 cloves minced garlic
• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1 large lemon, juiced
• 2 Tablespoons pure Maple Syrup Note 3
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1/2 cup homemade apple cider store bought apple cider can be used
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon Black Pepper
• 1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon salt Note 3

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

To Assemble to Apple Pecan Salad

• In a large bowl, add salad greens. Top with sliced apples, shredded carrots, celery, chopped pecans, red onions, and Gorgonzola cheese. Top with Maple Cider Vinaigrette.

To Make Maple Cider Vinaigrette

• In a medium bowl, whisk to combine minced garlic, apple cider vinegar, lemon juice, maple syrup, apple cider. Slowly whisk in olive oil. Season with ground black pepper, and salt. Check and readjust seasoning, if needed. Top the apple pecan salad with the dressing. 

Notes

Note 1: I use Envy apples in this salad. Honeycrisp or Fuji Apples are also great for this salad. I also use a mandolin to slice the apples. However, a knife works well to slice. I also leave the skin on the apples, to help keep their shape. 

Note 2: I prefer shredded carrots. Feel free to dice the carrots for this recipe.

Note 3: Please use 100% pure Maple Syrup. It costs a little more but worth the extra expense. Pure syrup, no added sugars.

Note 4: Start with the least amount of salt and add in as needed.

Note 5: Maple Cider Vinaigrette can be stored in a covered container in the fridge for about 5 days. If you are making the salad ahead of time. Do not add the blue cheese until ready to serve. 

• I am not a registered dietician, I do my best to provide the most accurate nutritional values. Any nutritional data I provide is an approximation. Actual dietary information can vary based on ingredients and portion sizes

 

Nutrition

Serving: 1cup | Calories: 83kcal | Carbohydrates: 10g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 0g | Cholesterol: 0mg | Sodium: 43mg | Potassium: 250mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 84.9% | Vitamin C: 17.5% | Calcium: 3.4% | Iron: 3.3%

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