Christmas Salad with 2-Minute Vinaigrette

christmas salad with apples, pecans, greens and onion

Servings: 8

Prep Time: 10

Total Time: 10

The crisp apples, tender greens, pecan bits, and blue cheese crumbles are a mouthwatering combination -all tossed in a simple apple cider vinaigrette.

5 from 5 votes

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Ingredients

For the vinaigrette:

¼ cup apple cider vinegar
¼ cup pure maple syrup
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
⅔ cup extra virgin olive oil
½ teaspoon salt

For the salad:

10 ounces spring mix salad greens
1 large honey crisp apple, thinly sliced
¼ red onion or 1 small shallot, thinly sliced (can be omitted)
½ cup pecan halves
¼ cup dried cranberries
4 ounces blue cheese crumbles

Instructions

Make the vinaigrette:

Measure and place all the ingredients in a jar. Shake well to combine and refrigerate for one hour to chill or up to a week. For a creamy dressing texture, place all the ingredients, except the olive oil, inside a blender. With the blender on and on low speed, slowly pour in the olive oil to emulsify it. Pour it into a jar and refrigerate.

Assemble the salad:

In a large bowl or serving dish, make a base for the salad with the spring mix greens. For better texture, fluff them as you remove them from the clamshell.
Distribute the thinly sliced apples and the red onion (if using) or shallot over the top. Sprinkle the pecans, dried cranberries, and blue cheese crumbles. This salad can be assembled 24 hours in advance and kept refrigerated and covered with plastic wrap. Sliced the apples right before serving to prevent them from browning.

Serve:

Drizzle ½ cup of the salad dressing over the salad right before serving.

Notes

The best apples for salads are those with a crunchy and crisp texture, like honey crisp apples, fuji, pink lady, and granny smith.

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