This salad is full of tangy, sweet, and smoky flavors that compliment one another very well. The apples and roasted sunflower seeds provide a satisfying crunch that mingles well with tender spring greens and creamy goat cheese. This is a go to meal in our home and is a great dish to bring to a potluck or party.
For the Salad:
Spring mix or other tender salad greens
Tamari & garlic roasted sunflower seeds (recipe below)
Raw walnuts
Fuji, Pink Lady or Honeycrisp apple, diced into ¼ inch cubes (recipe below)
Juice of ½ lemon, for the apples
Red Onion, thinly sliced
Cucumber, cut into rings, then into quarters
Goat cheese or crumbled cheese of your choice
Raisins
Dried oregano, sprinkled on top
Equipment Needed:
Large Bowl
2 Medium sized bowls
Glass jar w/lid; Wide mouth if using emersion blender
Salad tongs
Cutting board
Sharp kitchen knife
2 Soup spoons
Emersion blender (optional)
Chop and prepare all veggies and fruits, set aside. Fill the large bowl half full with salad greens, this will be the base of the first layer. Top the first layer of greens with half of all toppings except onions, raisins, roasted sunflower seeds and dried oregano.
For the second layer, cover the first layer with a few handfuls of salad greens to fill the bowl. Use the remaining half of ingredients along with onions, raisins and roasted sunflower seeds to top the salad. Sprinkle the salad with dried oregano. Enjoy!
Homemade Balsamic Vinaigrette
Yield: About 12 oz
1 cup olive, avocado or sunflower oil
1/3 cup + 1 Tbs balsamic vinegar
1 large clove of garlic, chopped
2 tsp dried oregano
1 ½ tsp maple syrup
1 tsp dijon mustard
1 tsp sea salt
Add all ingredients into a glass jar. Tightly screw on the jar lid and vigorously shake the jar until all ingredients are combined. This dressing can be used immediately. Leftovers can be stored at room temp for one week or in the fridge for one month.
For a creamy style vinaigrette:
Add all ingredients into a wide mouth glass jar. Submerge an immersion blender into the oil and vinegar, blend on high speed until emulsified and combined. Leftovers can be stored at room temp for one week or in the fridge for one month.
These lemon soaked apples are delicious! I love to prepare them as a snack, for guests and for, you guessed it, salad. The addition of lemon juice adds a tang to the apples, brings out their sweetness and prevents them from turning brown.
Lemon Soaked Apples
Yield: About 1 ½ cups
1 large Fuji, Pink Lady, Jazz or Honeycrisp apple
juice of ½ a lemon
These lemon soaked apples are delicious! I love to prepare them as a snack, for guests and for, you guessed it, salad. The addition of lemon juice adds a tang to the apples, brings out their sweetness and prevents them from turning brown.
Wash the apple and pat it dry. Cut the apple around the core into four large pieces. Cut each piece into three pieces, lengthwise and three or four pieces crosswise. Add apple into a medium sized bowl. Cut and squeeze the juice of half a lemon over the apple pieces in the bowl. With a spoon, combine apple pieces and lemon juice together until all apples are coated. Allow the apples to soak in the lemon juice for 10 minutes before adding them to the salad. Any remaining lemon juice can be added to the salad dressing or just drink it right then and there, it's absolutely delicious.
Tamari & Garlic Roasted Sunflower Seeds
Yield: ½ pound
½ lb. Raw sunflower seeds, unshelled
2 Tbs. Tamari or soy sauce
1 large clove of garlic, chopped
Tamari is gluten free soy sauce. If you can’t find tamari or only have soy sauce at home, go ahead and use soy sauce for this recipe.
Pour the sunflower seeds into a medium sized bowl. Add chopped garlic and tamari (or soy sauce) to the bowl, stir well until all seeds are coated. Spread the coated seeds onto an un-greased baking sheet. Roast seeds at 375° for 20 - 30 min or until dark golden brown. Stir the seeds once while they roast. Remove the seeds from the oven and allow them to cool about 10 minuets. Once cool, give them a stir and break up any chunks that may have formed. Top your salad with the seeds and store leftovers in an airtight container.
Additional Tip
I typically roast the sunflower seeds in a toaster oven. Follow the instructions as stated above but roast the seeds at 450° for 10-12 minutes in the toaster oven, stir them once as they roast. Remove the seeds from the toaster oven and allow them to cool about 10 minuets. Once cool, give them a stir and break up any chunks that may have formed. Top your salad with the seeds and store leftovers in an airtight container. Note: We have an old, trusty toaster oven that we always keep at 450° for anything we roast or reheat. If you think 450° is too high for your toaster oven, adjust the temperature as you see fit.
Although it may seem like a lot of prep work, this salad is quite easy to make and so worth the effort. Once you taste it you’ll be glad you took the extra steps to make it.
Salads don’t have to be boring. They can be filling meals, exciting side dishes and lovely additions to any gathering. Buy yourself some high quality, organic salad greens, your favorite ingredients and get creative.
Are you excited to make this salad? Let me know in the comments below!