The first salad I made was a disaster.
As a kid, one of the only ways in which I would eat vegetables was in a tomato and pickle salad. Finely diced tomatoes, joined by salty pickles (absolutely, under no circumstances, would I ever accept regular ol' cucumbers), and smothered in a thick glob of mayonnaise was what my mother would serve me nearly every evening, alongside some bread with cheese. That was what she knew how to make, and what I would agree to eat. This concoction looked unappetizing, smelled acrid, but tasted divine to this 6-year-old palette. Sadly, I'll admit it's still one of my favourite salads to date (and you can all feel free to question my palette).
Buoyed by my love affair with zesty salads, I decided to make my parents a big bowl of vegetables after a long day of work. I was about 11, and this was around the time that I was first discovering the kitchen and the joys of playing around in it. After opening the doors to our small fridge, I was met with an open can of Israeli
That day, I learned a valuable salad: apples do belong in salads. It's mayonnaise that should probably stay in the fridge.
Recipe
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Apple and bitter greens salad
Ingredients
- 3-4 cups of baby kale arugula, or other small leafy greens, preferably with a bite
- 1 large firm apple, pear, or 2 firm nectarines, according to season
- ½ a medium-sized purple onion you don't want too much
- ¼ cup of slivered almonds optional
- a handful of fresh dill
- a handful of chives
- ⅓ cup of extra olive oil
- ¼ cup of white wine vinegar or regular vinegar
- 1 Tb Dijon mustard
- 1 Tb maple syrup or honey, if non vegan
- Salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
- Wash and thoroughly dry your greens and fruit. Arrange the greens on a large plate.
- Core and thinly slice the apple (or other fruit that you're using). Thinly slice the onion. Place sliced onions and apples on top of the greens.
- Chop dill and chives finely. Sprinkle on top of the vegetables.
- If using almonds, toast them in a pan for 5 minutes, until they are fragrant and golden.
- In a small jar, mix all the rest of the ingredients. Pour vinaigrette on salad at the very last minute.
- Bring out the salad to your guests, and toss it at the table, allowing them to take in all the colours. Dig in, and forget about that mayo already.
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