Autumn’s Best Salad with Apple Cider Vinaigrette

Today’s recipe is a continuation of fall celebration and its bounty for which I am grateful. To mix things up a bit this is kale salad as opposed to traditional romaine or iceberg lettuce. However, this salad is packed full of brightly colored nutrition. When it comes to food colorful is better. Now please do not take this to literal extremes and go buy a box of Captain Crunch “berries only” cereal thinking you have gotten your daily vitamins and minerals. Naturally, colored veggies and fruit are the idea here, and this colorful gem of a salad is loaded with it. Roasted orange butternut squash, crunchy brown hazelnuts, dried ruby red cranberries, red Anjou pear, and creamy feta decorate Autumn’s Best Salad. And finally, it is topped with my own tangy sweet apple cider vinaigrette.

Now before you kale haters make plans to swap out for iceberg consider that kale is one of the absolute best green foods you can eat. Its nutrition and antioxidants put it at the top of the list for nutrition. Furthermore, cancer-fighting compounds can be found in this cruciferous veggie. But if that is not enough to convert you then consider that this salad is so delicious you will hardly notice the kale. How can you notice the kale with all the other amazing ingredients on the salad? Plus, the apple cider vinaigrette is really, really good.

Autumn’s Best Salad Recipe

Please note: the vinaigrette contains apple cider honey which takes a while to make, so make sure to do this ahead of time.

Washed and chopped kale

Roasted cubes of butternut squash (I cut up cubes and lightly coat them with olive oil and sea salt and roast at 400 till done)

Chopped hazelnuts (or pecans)

Red Anjou pear slices (other pear or apple fine too)

Feta cheese crumbles

Dried cranberries

Apple Cider Vinaigrette (recipe below)

Assemble salad as desired and top with vinaigrette.

Apple Cider Vinaigrette

1/4 cup of white wine vinegar

3/4 cup of vegetable oil

3 tbsps. of apple cider honey (recipe here)

1/4 tsp. sea salt

1/4 tsp. ground mustard

1 tsp. dried parsley

1/4 tsp. onion powder

Combine all ingredients in blender and blend well.

Tip: I find it beneficial to use the traditional oil/vinegar ratio when making salad dressings of 3:1 (oil to vinegar). The dressing stays emulsified longer than with a 2:1 or 1:1 ratio of oil to vinegar.

Sources Used:

www.healthline.com/nutrition/10-proven-benefits-of-kale#TOC_TITLE_HDR_2