This Apple Cranberry Salad recipe has a combination of sweet dried cranberries, sliced apples, and walnuts all drizzled with a cinnamon honey vinegarette.
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HOW TO MAKE APPLE CRANBERRY SALAD
WHAT KIND OF GREENS ARE BEST
Crisp Romaine is good choice for this salad, however spinach and arugula would be delicious.
WHAT ARE THE BEST APPLES TO USE IN A SALAD
For salads, you’ll want a nice crunchy apple that doesn’t brown too quickly when sliced or chopped. The best red apples for adding to salads are Honeycrisp, Pink Lady, Fuji or Empire. I like to use Granny Smith for my green apples, they are tart and crisp.
HOW TO CUT AN APPLE FOR SALAD
- Set the apple on a stable cutting board. Start by standing the apple up on the board with the stem face up.
- Use a sharp knife to cut the apple in half, slicing through the core to the bottom of the apple.
- Lay the apple on its sides and use a melon baller to scoop the seeds and core out with.
4. Place the apple on the cutting board skin side up. Cut the stem and blossom bud out, discard. Slice diagonally down from the top to the bottom to make thin slices.
CAN CRANBERRIES BE PUT IN A SALAD?
Fresh cranberries might be to tart for a lettuce salad. They usually need to be cooked or have sugar added to them. It will be best to use dried organic cranberries for this salad recipe.
WHAT KIND OF DRESSING TO USE ON APPLE CRANBERRY SALAD
Apples pair so well with cinnamon so for this salad use a honey and cinnamon vinaigrette.
PROTEIN OPTIONS
To make this salad a main dish at any meal add a protein. Fire up the grill for this slightly spicy, exotic flavored Thai Grilled Chicken. It will go great with the cinnamon and honey dressing. It’s easy to prep ahead, which is perfect for a quick night dinner or a bbq on the patio.
MIX INS OPTIONS
Here is where you can get really creative. This salad lends to the perfect backdrop for all kinds of yummy add ins to create new flavors.
- Roasted pecans
- Feta cheese, parmesan, blue cheese, or gorgonzola
- Pears
- Quinoa
- Spicy Seed Salad Topping
- Leftover turkey
- fennel
- avocado
- broccoli
TIPS FOR MAKING APPLE CRANBERRY SALAD AHEAD
To make this salad ahead for a party or busy day dinner buy a bag of precut and washed romaine. You can slice your apples and store them in an airtight container 1 tablespoon of lemon juice mixed with one cup of water. This will prevent them from browning. Slice onions but keep them in a small ziplock bag.
Mix your salad dressing in jar with a tight lid. Store in the refrigerator until ready to use. When you are ready to eat mix all your salad ingredients together in a large bowl, drizzle dressing over, toss and serve.
MORE GREAT SALAD RECIPES TO TRY
- Summer Farro Salad
- Festive Mexican Rice Salad
- Genesis 9:13 Rainbow Detox Salad
- Bread Salad
- Rainbow Cauliflower Salad
- Mexican Coleslaw Salad
Apple Cranberry Salad
Ingredients
- 6 cups romaine lettuce chopped
- 1 apple red
- 1 apple green
- 1/4 onion medium, sweet
- 1/4 cup dried cranberry
- 1 cup walnuts roughly chopped
Dressing
- 1/2 cup apple juice
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- Core and chop apples into slices
- Slice onion into small bite-size pieces
- Toss romaine, apples, onions, cranberries, walnuts in a bowl
Dressing
- Combine in a jar, apple juice, apple cider vinegar, honey, olive oil, cinnamon, salt, and pepper. Seal with a tigh-fitting lid and shake well.
- Pour dressing over salad, toss, and serve. May top with feta cheese, croutons, or french fried onions.
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