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The Ultimate Apple Cider Fall Harvest Salad

Marc — Sat, 04 Nov 2023 17:27:10 +0000

I’m a huge fan of apple cider in the fall. And with arguably too many gallons of cider sitting around, I was trying to come up with some recipes to justify my zealous purchasing behavior. So why not make a fall harvest salad using an apple cider dressing paired with some other autumn ingredients?

This delicious salad is sure to be a hit with its blend of sweet apple cider, juicy pears, and candied bacon. A mix of fresh and peppery greens, this fall harvest medley is the perfect way to enjoy the best of the season. Plus, it’s nutritious too – packed full of vitamins and minerals that will keep you feeling your best.

As I’ve noted before in my fall flavor tier list, pecans and apples were some of my highest-rated flavors. And they are definitely included here. So, make the best use of your apple cider and enjoy the best flavors of fall.

Fall Harvest Ingredients

What makes the ultimate fall salad? In my mind, it starts with the greens themselves. Then include some of the fruit of the season. Then a lot of the rest is kind of just by feeling or things we tend to associate with the autumn harvest. Whether you’re whipping up a nutritious fall salad or an autumn harvest salad, these ingredients are must-haves! Make sure to include these ingredients in your fall dishes!

Spinach and Arugula

Spinach and arugula are a classic combination that will make your salad delicious and nutritious. Both greens are a great source of vitamins and minerals, so you know you’re getting a dose of healthy goodness. And they’ll add a flavorful and peppery crunch to your salad too.

A lot of salad greens grow best in spring and fall – typically not fans of the hot summer months. So you should be able to find some fresh salad greens at your local farmer’s market. To make the ultimate fall salad, make sure you’ve got plenty of spinach and arugula on hand.

Apples and Cider

Apples are now made available year round but they typically are picked in the fall. Apple cider (not to be confused with its alcohol-containing cousin) is typically made in the fall during the harvest but it doesn’t have the longest shelf life because it is unfiltered. So it has become synonymous with the season. Apples are a great addition to any salad, providing a crunchy texture and a hint of sweetness. Choose your favorite variety to include in your salad – I went with Envy apples.

Pears

I always forget how much I love pears. Like apples, they come into their own during the fall. So this season is the best time to get some truly delicious specimens. I ended up using red anjou for this recipe, but feel free to use whatever variety you prefer or can find locally.

Make the Dressing

The idea that started it all, an apple cider dressing. When I tried to search around for an apple cider dressing it seemed that most of them included only apple cider vinegar. But I wanted something more. So I came up with this recipe for a dressing to make the ultimate fall salad. Basically just adding apple cider in with some generic vinaigrette ingredients.

Start with some quality extra virgin olive oil. This is the base of the vinaigrette so don’t go with the super crappy stuff if you can avoid it. But, you also don’t need to buy a $150 bottle flown in from Spain or Greece to your door. Though I guess I’ve never tried that, so maybe it would be more delicious.

Anyways. I like making salad dressings using my small Nutribullet blender because the container sizes just seem to be perfect for me. You can use any blender or food processor and you can even just put the ingredients in a jar and shake them up – you’ll just end up with some loose diced shallot pieces and the dressing will split sooner. A blender or food processor seems to almost emulsify the oil and vinegar so it takes much longer to separate in my experience.

Obviously, we need some apple cider to make an apple cider dressing. I also tossed in some apple cider vinegar, lemon juice, lemon zest, honey, shallot, and Dijon mustard. Then some salt and pepper to finish it off. Just your basic vinaigrette ingredients to let the apple cider shine.

Then just blend, process, or shake until everything is combined.

Prepare the Ingredients

Washing, cutting, shredding, prepping. Salads are simple but still take a little bit of preparation.

Wash Spinach and Arugula

With the bounty of fall harvest ingredients now gathered, it’s time to prepare them for the salad. Let’s start with the spinach and arugula. You can use a colander or a nifty salad spinner to wash and dry your mixed greens. Now, you’ve got clean, fresh greens to use as the base of the salad.

Cut and Shred

Grab a sharp knife and cutting board, and let’s get slicing and dicing. We’ll start by cutting the spinach and arugula leaves into bite-sized pieces (there’s nothing worse in a salad than greens you can’t fit in your mouth after picking them up – especially when coated in dressing, especially with a big beard that gets covered…). We’ll also need to slice the pear and apple. Then shred the fontina cheese.

Cook Wheat Berries

Wheat berries add a wonderful nutty chewiness to the salad. Their unique texture really helps elevate this dish. But they do require a little bit of prep work. Though most wheat berries are harvested in the summer, I made the executive decision to include them in this fall harvest salad. Mostly because they feel like more of a fall ingredient than a summer one. I dunno.

I bought these hard red spring wheat berries from Amazon to make this salad. You may also be able to find some at your local store.

Cook them according to the package instructions. Mine called for a little salt with the water, bringing them to a boil, and then turning them down to simmer for about 30 minutes (I simmered them a little longer for more tender wheat berries).

Topping the Autumn Harvest Salad

The salad toppings really make this fall harvest salad delicious. The apple and pear, pecans, fontina cheese, dried cranberries, wheat berries, and candied bacon make a delicious combination that’s sure to be a hit. Flavors and textures combine to make this nutritious fall salad unforgettable. Together, they make for a yummy autumn harvest salad that will keep you cozy and satisfied in the cooler weather.

Starting with the cheese, the goal is to add some creaminess to this salad. I chose fontina cheese for a mild flavor and soft and creamy texture that complements the salad perfectly. This is one ingredient that can easily be substituted with a different cheese without changing the salad too drastically. Mozzarella and muenster would be similar to fontina. You could also go for some different flavors – the tang of blue cheese or the saltiness of feta.

As fresh fruit, the apple and pear slices add some crispy juiciness to the mix. Dried cranberries are a pop of tart-sweet flavor that sit as almost a surprise present when uncovered in the salad. The prepared wheat berries add some more texture to the salad bringing chewiness with a light nutty flavor.

And speaking of nutty flavor, we’ll add in some toasted pecans for good measure.

Candied Bacon

Now let’s top off the autumn harvest salad with something special – candied bacon! Yes, you heard that right.

I made my own candied bacon recipe specifically for this salad. So of course I would highly recommend following that recipe for making this salad. What makes it great for this salad is the addition of cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves with brown sugar for candying the bacon. This gives even more hints of the fall season, which really makes this the ultimate fall salad.

You can of course use a different candied bacon, and you could even use regular bacon. It will lose a little bit of the magic but still taste pretty good.

Serving Fall Harvest Salad

This salad is packed full enough that it could be a meal all on its own. But it could also be paired as a side with a different entree or accompanied with some sides of its own to round out a dinner.

Adding Some Sides to this Nutritious Fall Salad

I think this autumn harvest salad could pair perfectly with some kind of bread. Bake your own loaf or try my mom’s dinner rolls recipe or my pillowy softy puffy pitas. Bread is great with salads since it provides you a vehicle with which to sop up every last bit of remaining dressing. And of course, you will want to do that with this homemade apple cider dressing. Trust me.

You could also not go wrong with an additional side of tasty veggies. Roasted green beans, asparagus, or squash come to mind. Or try it with some home-fried pita and spanakopita dip. It is delicious.

A soup and salad combo is classic, so try this out with your favorite fall soup.

Using the Ultimate Fall Salad as a Side

As a fall-themed dish, this bed of mixed greens could be served with a lot of the other main dishes of the season. If you want to use this as an accompaniment, try any of the following:

With a few simple steps, you can create a delicious and nutritious fall salad in no time. Whether you’re having it as a side dish or the main entree, it is sure to please. Plus, the dressing adds just the right touch of sweetness and flavor to make it memorable. So, don’t miss out on this amazing autumn harvest salad!

How did yours turn out?

I’d love to hear when you try out this apple cider fall harvest salad! Take a pic of your food and share your success with me by adding it to your Instagram stories or feed, and tagging me @doyouroux, or by using #doyouroux.

Plus, leave a rating to let me know how you liked the recipe. It helps me out a lot to know how things worked out… or didn’t.

Apple Cider Fall Harvest Salad

Recipe by Marc PetersonCourse: Salads, Main, SidesDifficulty: Easy

Servings

servings

Prep time

minutes

Cooking timeminutes

Total time

minutes

Tantalize your tastebuds with this delicious ultimate fall harvest apple cider cinnamon salad – a nutritious autumn treat!

Ingredients

Apple Cider Dressing
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup apple cider
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon diced shallot
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon lemon zest
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Fall Harvest Salad
4 packed cups spinach
4 packed cups arugula
1 apple, sliced
1 pear, sliced
2/3 cup whole toasted pecans
1/2 cup chopped candied bacon
1/2 cup shredded fontina cheese
1/3 cup prepared wheat berries
1/3 cup dried cranberries
1 batch of apple cider dressing (from above)

Directions

Apple Cider Dressing
Combine all dressing ingredients together in a small blender, food processor, or bottle/jar with a lid
With a blender or food processor, pulse for three 5-second intervals until smooth; with a bottle or jar, shake vigorously until combined – note that the shallot will not be fully blended without using the blender or food processor
Refrigerate until ready to serve, up to 5 days
Fall Harvest Salad
Wash and dry the spinach and arugula
Roughly chop the spinach and arugula, slice the apple and pear, chop the candied bacon, and shred the fontina cheese
In a large serving bowl gently toss together all of the ingredients except for the dressing
Serve and top individual bowls with the dressing

Notes

For convenience you may substitute regular bacon for the candied bacon, but do note that the addition of the candied bacon really kicks this salad up a notch
Simply choose your favorite apple and pear varieties, all of them will be delightful
As a side dish, this would be more like eight servings

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Fall Flavors Tier List | 5 A+ Flavors, 5 C- Flavors

Marc — Wed, 05 Oct 2022 22:20:05 +0000

Fall brings so many different changes. In leaves, in weather, in decor, and in fresh produce. And along with all of these changes, uniquely fall flavors begin to make their appearances across menus and plates worldwide.

The ubiquitous flavor of pumpkin spice is now synonymous with the season changing to fall. But that isn’t the only flavor to enjoy.

From mouthwatering maple to ambrosial apples, there is something here for everyone. But, which flavors are really worth our time during autumn and the spooky season? I have taken it upon myself to review 10 fall flavors and let you know which are worthwhile.

So, now on to the totally not subjective and absolutely set-in-stone fall flavors tier list.

Pumpkin Spice – F Tier

Let’s get this out of the way, I’m not a fan of pumpkin spice. Not because I think it’s too ‘basic’ or that the flavor itself isn’t tasty but on principle alone. Pumpkin spice is not its own spice. So it must be F-tier.

It originates from all of the spices that make up a pumpkin pie.

Pumpkin spice has long since been synonymous with fall because of the far-reaching pumpkin spice latte (a PSL for short…) made famous by Starbucks.

In fact, the spice you usually buy at the grocery store is just an imitation of the true flavors that make pumpkin pie. The spice contains cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and allspice.

So instead of buying a pre-made spice, why don’t you try making your own? You can easily combine these five basic spices into a delicious mixture that will remind you of pumpkin pies and other autumn treats.

And even though this is the worst of the fall flavors, you can enjoy it in these recipes (though only one calls for pre-made pumpkin spice mix):

Cloves – A- Tier

I have a confession. I’ve got a soft spot for cloves. For me, I think it was love at first smell.

So I may be biased but I definitely think cloves are A-tier. But because I can be reasonable and recognize others might not enjoy the flavor as much, I’ll knock it down to an A- for fall flavors.

Some may find the flavor and smell of cloves overwhelming. I don’t know how. I would like to wrap myself in a blanket of cloves for the whole fall and winter season.

Unfortunately, it is a bit difficult finding recipes that feature cloves. And I’m sad to say I haven’t made a recipe for this site yet to use cloves as the star. Though my clove ratios in all pumpkin pie spice creations are skewed much higher than most.

So try the following clove recipes:

Cranberry – D Tier

I’ve long had a grudge against cranberries.

I’ve never really loved their flavor and found them a bit sour for my taste. I must admit that I do have a real bad sweet tooth. But, my issue with them started when they just started being used in everything.

Maybe it was cheaper to include cranberries or their juice in things, but it just took over. It may be a kind of smart cooking technique to use this fall flavor to cut the sweetness of other foods. But I just won’t stand for it.

Though I have to say that craisins – dried cranberries – make for pretty good salad toppings. That’s the saving grace that secures them a D instead of an F rating.

If you’re more into cranberries than I am, try these creations:

Maple – A Tier

Maple syrup is one of my favorite things to cook with. Not only does it taste great, but it can be used to make delicious treats. Maple syrup can be used in place of sugar or honey.

You’ll want to get real maple syrup, rather than any kind of imitation. There are a bunch of different grades of maple syrup and whatnot, but I can’t be bothered to get into all of that right now.

Because it is a natural product, maple syrups can vary widely depending on a whole lot of environmental and processing factors. But I think that lends a bit of uniqueness when looking at different

Its sweet, slightly spicy, and vanilla flavor profile along with its wide versatility give maple syrup an A rating.

If you’re looking to add maple flavor to your life, here’s how to get started:

Pumpkin – D Tier

Pumpkins are a symbol of the season. If you think of fall you’ll likely think of leaves changing colors and pumpkins.

But just because something is iconic doesn’t mean it is the best. Just like with pumpkin spice, we have to keep it real.

Most things that use pumpkin call for canned pumpkin. That’s because it can be annoying to cook and prepare your own pumpkin. Plus, the typical pumpkin you think of for carving up and decorating is not the best for eating. Those varieties are much smaller.

Plus, most recipes with pumpkin really feature other more powerful flavors that overshadow the gourd itself, so how good can it really be? Just look for butternut squash recipes instead cause they’ll probably be better.

When it comes down to it, pumpkin tends to make a better decoration than it does a flavor. So it’ll rank D-tier on our fall flavors list.

Put your canned pumpkin to good use in these recipes:

Cinnamon – A+ Tier

Cinnamon is one of the most popular spices in the world. Its warm, woody, slightly sweet flavor and amazing fragrance make it one of the best.

Many many fall recipes call for the addition of cinnamon. It definitely seems to be the most widely used spice from the list of those that make up the warm spices of pumpkin pie spice.

With its delicious flavor and wide usability, cinnamon deserves an A+ rating.

Here are some cinnamon-centric recipes:

Ginger – C Tier

Okay, ginger itself is better than C-tier. But I’m out here judging everything as fall flavors. And I haven’t ever really associated ginger with just the fall. It is a year-round kind of spice that is used widely in many dishes.

Warm, peppery, with some heat and zest, use ginger when you’re looking to add that extra kick to a dish. Whether fresh or ground, it can add a whole layer of complexity to food.

Because ginger is just not quite associated with fall, I had to rate it lower than it really deserves.

Get your ginger fix with any of these:

Pecan – A Tier

Pecans are nuts that grow on trees. If you have a tree in your yard, you might be able to get some pecans from time to time. However, most people buy them at the store.

If you love pecans, then you should definitely add them to your diet. You can eat the raw seeds straight from the shell, but you can also bake them into cookies. This is one of the best ways to enjoy the flavor.

You can also use pecans as an ingredient in many different recipes. Ground, chopped, whole,

Here are some recipes for enjoying this nutty treat:

Nutmeg – C Tier

I mostly think of nutmeg as a finishing garnish. It is difficult to find recipes with nutmeg as a featured ingredient.

Especially associated with eggnog (which is a trash drink… don’t get me started), it is somewhat comparable to cloves but with a nutty, woody flavor.

I’ll admit that I’ve never grated any fresh, just used a prepackaged spice. So maybe that would improve its ranking for me. But until then, nutmeg gets a grade of C compared to all fall flavors.

Try this warm spice in any of these recipes:

Apple – S Tier

Apple is one of the most popular fruits around the world. From applesauce to apple pie, this fruit is delicious. If you want a snack that can help you keep your energy levels high, then you should consider apples.

They are so completely versatile. Eat it straight. Bake it. Chop it. Slice it. Juice it. Top a salad. Blend it up into applesauce. Add it to pies and desserts galore.

Plus, there are like a million different varieties of apples that all have a slightly different taste. So there’s bound to be a variety for everyone.

Because fall is when apples naturally ripen, this is when they are at their peak. Especially if you can find a pick-your-own orchard near you for those super-fresh and ripe apples. Also, you need apples to make both apple juice and apple cider. Which are both top-tier drinks in their own right.

For all these reasons, apples get the highest rating possible when ranking the fall flavors – S-tier.

So, don’t let

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