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Tomorrow is the first official day of the fall season. AKA, the best season. Football is back, mornings start getting crisp, I can break out all my sweaters, booties and jeans, and not much is better than fall food.
Harvest foods are some of my favorites: fresh apples, warm, cozy spices, pumpkin everything. I feel like we don’t often think of fall as the fresh food season, but after the summer growing season, fall is primed for fresh eats.
In honor of one of my favorite seasons I am making a fall harvest salad. You will likely have the makings for the salad dressing in your pantry already and all the fresh goodies will surely be in full supply at your local grocery store. I got all my produce from Schnucks Markets here in the greater St. Louis area. Schnucks just launched their new Schnucks Rewards App where you get 10 points for every dollar spent in store (you get points on EVERYTHING). After you reach 1,000 points, you will get $2 off your purchase. We are always buying groceries, so it’s nice to get rewarded for it! Plus, their app is incredibly user friendly, just scan the barcode at check out and you’re good to go.
Let’s get down to the salad making!
Serves 4
Fall Harvest salad
6 cups romaine lettuce (or preferred green, spinach would be great too)
¼ cup red onion (sliced)
1 medium apple sliced (if not eating immediately, toss apple slices in lemon juice to prevent browning)
¼ cup feta cheese (a soft goat cheese would be delish here)
Candied pecans
Creamy apple cider vinaigrette
Be sure to wash your produce really well, then add all ingredients except for the dressing to a large bowl. Bonus points for a beautiful topping arrangement. I don’t dress the salad until I’m ready to eat, then I portion out how much salad I want and toss it in the dressing so that 1.) I don’t over dress my salad and 2.) the left over salad will keep better if it is undressed (ohhhh scandalous).
Candied Pecans
½ cup pecans
¼ cup brown sugar
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon water
Pinch of salt (I used pink Himalayan sea salt)
For Candied Pecans: Start by adding all ingredients, except for the pecans, to a small saucepan over medium-low heat stirring constantly. Once spices are well dissolved and mixture starts to boil, turn heat to low and add the pecans. Continue constantly stirring until all of the coating is stuck on the pecans. Remove the pecans from the pan onto a plate and allow to cool completely. (Kait’s "pro" tip: immediately wash this pan with super hot water to get the sticky mixture off. Once it hardens you will have one heck of a time cleaning your pan).
Creamy Apple Cider Vinaigrette
3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon maple syrup
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons Greek yogurt
Salt and pepper to taste
For Creamy Apple Cider Vinaigrette: Mix all ingredients together, cover and refrigerate if not eating immediately
by Kait, with love!
Nutritional info per serving:
305 calories
22.3g fat
22.6g carbs
3.6g protein
