Apple Harvest Salad Recipe

If you had to pick one dish that would perfectly represent the meaning of "light and healthy," you would be choosing wisely if you picked this apple harvest salad. It comes to us courtesy of chef and recipe developer Susan Olayinka of The Flexible Fridge, and it is a perfect fresh and tasty starter to a dinner or a quick and light lunch on its own. And it will take you all of about seven minutes to prepare it. Loaded with apples, pecans, blue cheese, and a sweet honey balsamic vinaigrette, this salad strikes the perfect balance between flavor and nutrition.

Looking to build this salad out into a fuller meal instead of making it a side or starter? No problem! "[You could] definitely add protein," says Olayinka, "like grilled chicken, fish, or beef." And if you want a bit of carbs and some lovely crunch, of course you can toss in some croutons, too. But first, enjoy the salad at least once just as it's laid out here, because it just might become a new go-to.

To make a batch of this salad that will yield four "starter" portions, you'll need about 7 ounces of mixed lettuce leaves, ½ cup of fresh parsley, two red apples, ½ cup of pecans, ¼ cup of blue cheese, 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, 2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar, and 2 tablespoons of honey. As for which apples are best, that's really a matter of personal preference, but if you want some advice, Olayinka says: "Pink ladies are amazing."

Begin the recipe by placing the mixed salad leaves into a large mixing bowl, and chop any extra large pieces in half, or snip them in half with kitchen scissors. Next, chop the parsley into fine pieces. Then rinse, core, and chop the apples into approximately one-inch cubes. (Note: don't peel the apples! You want that crunch.) Now measure out the liquid ingredients you'll need for the dressing and set them aside, then prepare to assemble the salad.

Add the apples to the salad leaves in the bowl, followed by the pecans and the chopped parsley. Next, crumble in the blue cheese with your hands, letting the pieces fall into the bowl as they break up. If you don't care for pecans, by the way, walnuts are a fine substitute. And if you don't so much like blue cheese, feta works great as a substitute. Now, in a separate small mixing bowl, mix together the extra virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and honey.

Now, finally, pour the salad dressing over the salad and mix the all the ingredients together, coating the greens, fruit, nuts, and cheese in the blend of honey, oil, and vinegar. Now serve the apple harvest salad and enjoy!

Or, if you want to prep the salad now and eat it later, go ahead with all steps except two, Olayinka says: "Just cut the apples later and don't pour the dressing in just yet." By keeping the apples whole until it's time to use them, they won't brown or lose their crunch. And by dressing the salad last-minute, it will retain its crispness.