Tasty Bites: My Favorite Fall Salad with Apple Cider Dressing

By Beth V

When I think of a great salad,  I am struck by the balance of  flavors…sweet, salty, tangy, crunchy, juicy. All at once the flavors combine into a delight for the senses. This is a great salad and it’s ingredients are simple…salad greens, red onion, mandarin oranges, dried cranberries, toasted walnuts and crumbled feta cheese. These ingredients are available any time of year and do not suffer from being out-of-season like those pink tomatoes you see at the grocery store through the cold-weather months.

Before preparing the rest of the salad, toast some walnuts in a dry skillet over medium-low heat. Give these a stir every few minutes until they start to smell fragrant and then turn off the heat and set aside. Toasting the walnuts brings out a whole new dimension to their flavor. They are also a great source of omega-3 fatty acids and protein.

Take a bag of baby spinach or mixed greens and spread it over your favorite platter. Scatter very thin slices of red onion over the greens. Next, drain a can of mandarin oranges and spread evenly. Add a layer of dried cranberries and then crumble the walnuts as you spread them over the salad. Top it off with crumbled feta cheese. This sure is a delicious way to get those healthy, dark green, leafy vegetables that are rich in calcium and iron, folic acid and many other vitamins and minerals.

The secret to an over-the-top delicious salad is a freshly made, homemade dressing. Dressings are really simple to prepare and take very little time to throw together. Fresh dressings taste so much more, well…fresh, than bottled dressings. This salad tastes great with a slightly sweet, tangy dressing. Here is one that combines the fall flavor of sweet apple cider with the delicious tanginess of balsamic vinegar.

Apple Cider Balsamic Vinaigrette

½ cup apple cider

½ cup olive or canola oil

3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

2 tablespoons Dijon or other brown, spicy mustard

½ teaspoon salt

3 shakes ground black pepper

1-2 teaspoons sugar or other sweetener of choice, optional

Combine all ingredients in a container or jar with a tight-fitting lid. Shake well until combined. Store in the refrigerator, shaking well before using. If using all olive oil, you will need to allow the dressing to come to room temperature before using since olive oil congeals under refrigeration. To avoid this problem altogether, use canola oil or half canola and half olive oil.

The salad is easy to throw together and will make your taste buds sing. It tastes great on its own or topped with grilled or roasted chicken. It would make a delicious and healthy addition to your Thanksgiving dinner menu.

Enjoy!

Beth is a stay-at-home mom of three wonderfully active children ages 6, 3 and almost 1. She is married to Jason (who also writes for us here at MAD21) and spends her days teaching, changing diapers, sweeping up Cheerios, keeping peace among the kids, and whipping out gourmet meals on the side.