Thanksgiving Food Ideas | Holiday Honey-crisp Salad
Easy Thanksgiving Food Ideas Side Dishes– This Holiday Honey-Crisp Salad is a Delicious and Nutritious Side Dish with a Great Colorful Presentation!
This Holiday Honey-Crisp Salad is an easy and colorful recipe packed with great flavor and texture. A bed of fresh greens covered with sliced sweet honey crisp apples, toasted pecans, dried cranberries, and creamy blue cheese; all coated with a light, fresh, and zesty apple cider vinaigrette. A simple salad made in minutes, but with a forever lasting taste.
Why you’ll love this Holiday Honey-Crisp Salad?
So easy: It requires no cooking or extra steps; all you need to do is toss together all ingredients and voila!
Healthy: It contains fresh greens, healthy fats, protein, and calcium; making it full of vitamins, minerals antioxidants and fiber. All the fresh ingredients are mixed in a light vinaigrette, which makes the salad low in calories, but without lacking flavor.
Great for different occasions: This salad provides a light and healthy lunch, a hearty and refreshing dinner side dish; especially alongside grilled meats. It’s also perfect for holiday meals, lunchboxes, and picnics.
What ingredients do I need for this crisp Salad recipe?
½ cup light vegetable oil
¼ cup apple cider vinegar
¼ cup unsweetened apple juice
2 to 3 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon lemon juice
½ teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper
3 medium apples (thinly sliced)
Juice of ½ lemon
12 ounces salad greens (baby spinach, arugula, baby romaine)
1 cup nuts (toasted)
¾ cup dried cranberries
4 ounces crumbled blue cheese
How to make this Holiday Honey-crisp Salad?
First, let’s prepare the vinaigrette. After measuring, combine the apple cider vinegar, oil, apple juice, honey, lemon juice, salt and pepper in a mason jar; close tightly and shake to combine all ingredients. You could also prep the vinaigrette by simply whisking all these ingredients in a medium mixing bowl.
Put the sliced apples in a plastic bag, squeeze the half lemon over them, close and shake to coat. Choose your favorite salad bowl, add in the salad greens and spread into a layer, add the coated sliced apples, halved nuts, dried cranberries and blue cheese. When it’s time to serve, pour the apple cider vinaigrette on top of the salad and gently mix until all ingredients are evenly covered. Enjoy!
Easy & Healthy Thanksgiving Food Appetizers – This Holiday Salad is Fresh, Vibrant, and Refreshing Side Dish for all Festive Gatherings!
Helpful Tips and Variations:
Which salad greens can I include in this Crisp Salad? You can add arugula, spinach, kale, Romaine lettuce.
How can I replace the apples? You can use sliced pears; they’re sweet and have similar texture. Substitute if you want with mango or peaches.
How can I replace the blue cheese? You can replace with Feta cheese, Goat cheese, Ricotta, or Parmesan.
Can I add dried fruit? Definitely! Choose your favorite dried fruit and toss it in your salad, but be mindful of the sweetness it may add to your recipe. You can use some cranberries, apricots, or raisins. You don’t have to mix them with your salad, you can serve in little ramekins and let everyone choose according to taste.
Can I add chopped nuts to this recipe? Absolutely! When is this not a good idea? Add any chopped nuts you prefer for added crunch, nutrition, and flavor.
How can I replace the apple cider vinaigrette? You can replace it with a simple lemon or balsamic vinaigrette. You can also opt for a red wine vinaigrette; it’s richer but has similar acidity. If you’re looking for something slightly different, try using Greek yogurt for a healthy and creamy dressing, or a honey mustard dressing for a light mix of sweet and tangy flavors.
How can I store this Crisp Salad recipe? Place in an airtight container and refrigerate for about 3 days. I usually make this salad just moments before serving dinner to preserve freshness and taste of all ingredients.
How can I serve this Holiday Honey-crisp Salad?
You can serve this Holiday Honey-Crisp Salad in a big salad bowl for a casual family dinner. You can serve it as a light lunch or dinner meal or as a side dish during any type of festive gatherings. If you want to have it on the go; you can place the salad in mason jars, pack the dressing separately and take it for lunch or school.
Thanksgiving Food Ideas – Holiday Honey-crisp Salad
Ingredients
- ½ cup light vegetable oil
- ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
- ¼ cup unsweetened apple juice
- 2 to 3 tablespoons honey
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 3 medium apples thinly sliced
- Juice of ½ lemon
- 12 ounces salad greens baby spinach, arugula, baby romaine
- 1 cup pecan halves toasted
- ¾ cup dried cranberries
- 4 ounces crumbled blue cheese
Instructions
- First, let’s prepare the vinaigrette. After measuring, combine the apple cider vinegar, oil, apple juice, honey, lemon juice, salt and pepper in a mason jar; close tightly and shake to combine all ingredients. You could also prep the vinaigrette by simply whisking all these ingredients in a medium mixing bowl.
- Put the sliced apples in a plastic bag, squeeze the half lemon over them, close and shake to coat. Choose your favorite salad bowl, add in the salad greens and spread into a layer, add the coated sliced apples, halved pecans, dried cranberries and blue cheese. When it’s time to serve, pour the apple cider vinaigrette on top of the salad and gently mix until all ingredients are evenly covered. Enjoy!
