It’s fall again, when pecans and apples start showing up in our local grocery stores and farmer’s markets. To celebrate, I decided to create this delectable salad and dressing. This is a simple recipe that uses the best flavors of the fall season. So get to making this pecan and apple salad.

This salad has all the flavors of fall, including sweet pecans, tangy apples, and a maple-sweet, creamy dressing that makes this dish a real showstopper!

The combination of crunchiness from the nuts and softness from the apple is divine. However, I wanted to give it a twist and add a creamy mustard maple dressing. It turned out beautifully! The tart flavor of the dressing goes perfectly with the sweet, juicy apple slices. The creaminess and tang from the dressing adds another dimension to the salad.

I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I did.

A Perfect Fall or Thanksgiving Salad

If you’re looking for healthier options this holiday season, then you might be interested in this salad.

I’ve made a few Thanksgiving-focused recipes on the site before like family Thanksgiving punch, Thanksgiving sage roasted turkey, and my simple turkey gravy. But this one is focused less on the holiday itself and more on the general fall season.

The goal was to use fall ingredients to make a tasty salad that took full advantage of the flavors that are most associated with the season.

This fall salad uses apples, pears, pecans, feta, pomegranates, and dried cranberries. These sit atop the bed of fresh greens. And then the dressing brings in a warm mustard flavor that is tempered with the addition of maple to sweeten it up.

The dressing adds a touch of sweetness with a nice, warm tang. The dried cranberries add a nice bit of color and texture. And they pair well with the dressing, making for a nice, tart, and colorful salad.

Make the Creamy Mustard Maple Dressing

Typically, my first step in prepping a salad is getting the dressing made.

I want the dressing prepped and chilling so its flavors will have more time to meld together and it’ll be ready to go when the rest of the salad is prepped.

For this salad, the warmth of a honey-mustard dressing was appealing. But to make it more fall-themed, I chose to sub the honey with maple syrup. And then for even more added warmth I included some typical fall spices.

The dressing is my favorite part of this recipe. It is so creamy and flavorful. I think a big reason why I enjoy it so much is because I made it myself. And making homemade salad dressings is actually quite easy.

The dressing for this salad is a vinaigrette at its core. As a vinaigrette, this has two main ingredients. Vinegar and oil. Then we dress it up with other items to add flavor.

Our flavor mainly comes from the mustard, maple, cinnamon, and cloves.

Using a blender or food processor makes this a super easy recipe. Just toss everything in and blend it together. Try to pulse it so that you don’t run it too long and overheat anything. If you don’t have either of those tools, then finely chop everything and whisk it all together in a bowl.

It’s a combination of ingredients that all come together well. The dressing can be used for a variety of dishes and for many different occasions. So don’t feel like you are limited to using this dressing on just this apple and pecan salad.

Prep the Pecan and Apple Salad

Luckily, prepping most salads is pretty easy. Take everything out, chop or slice what you need to and you’re basically prepped.

This one takes a little bit more effort, but only due to the inclusion of one ingredient that people are probably less familiar with – the pomegranate.

With the dressing made, get out the apple, pear, and pomegranate. Wash all of the fruit and then cut the apple and pear into slices.

For the pomegranate, you’ll want to slice it in half. Take one half in a hand and then hit it on the back over a bowl with a spatula or wooden spoon. This will help dislodge most of the seeds. You may then need to fish the more stubborn ones out. See this guide for more details on getting pomegranate seeds out.

Once you have the dressing made, the fruit chopped, and the pomegranate seeds out, we’re ready to go.

Assemble the Pecan and Apple Salad

This delicious pecan and apple salad is almost ready to serve to your family. But there are a few different options for serving this salad.

Start with a large salad bowl and add the mixed greens to it.

Now, decide whether you’d like to mix everything together or leave everything in individual bowls so people can build their own salads.

For mixing it all together, there are also two options: with or without dressing. Including the dressing will make it easy and quick to serve, but it will mean that there can be no leftovers because the lettuce greens will wilt badly after just a few hours in the dressing.

If you plan on serving this for a group, then you might want to consider putting the toppings in individual bowls. This way, everyone can choose what goes into their own salad. On the plus side, this method is quite useful if there are individuals with allergies or sensitivities. Because they can simply avoid toppings as needed.

The pecan and apple salad is a great combination. It’s crunchy, sweet, and tangy.

What to Serve with the Pecan and Apple Salad

This pecan and apple salad can be a meal on its own or used as a great addition to the main course. The combination of fall produce with the mustard maple dressing is just mouthwatering.

The fresh ingredients make this salad vibrant. If you’re planning on serving this salad at your next holiday party, then you’ll want to buy some decorative dishes and bowls. You can also get creative by using different kinds of fruits, vegetables, or nuts.

You can upgrade this dish with some grilled chicken, crispy crumbled bacon, or roasted (or leftover) turkey to add some more protein. Serve some dinner rolls on the side and then use them to mop up all of the leftover salad dressing so not one drop is wasted.

In the end, this is really just a salad, so you could serve it as a side with almost anything. But it really works well with other fall and winter flavors or dishes.

Try using some candied nuts like my candied walnuts or cinnamon-candied sliced almonds to add even sweeter notes to the salad.

The pecan and apple salad is a great addition to your fall or winter table, no matter how you serve it up.

How did yours turn out?

I’d love to hear when you try this salad and dressing combo! 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.

Pecan and Apple Salad with Creamy Mustard Maple Dressing

Recipe by Marc PetersonCourse: SaladsDifficulty: Easy

Servings

5

servings

Prep time

20

minutes

Cooking timeminutes

Total time

20

minutes

This pecan and apple salad is a great dish for any fall or winter dinner! It’s full of flavor and is a delicious way to enjoy fall flavors.

Ingredients

• Creamy Mustard Maple Dressing

• 3/4 cup olive oil

• 1/4 cup maple syrup

• 1/4 cup white wine vinegar

• 2 tablespoons stone ground mustard

• 1 small shallot

• 1 clove garlic

• 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

• 1/8 tsp ground cloves

• 1/8 tsp kosher salt

• 1/8 tsp ground black pepper

• Pecan and Apple Salad

• 1/2 cup pecans

• 1/2 cup dried cranberries

• 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese

• 1 pomegranate

• 1 large apple

• 1 large pear

• 8 cups of 50/50 spinach and spring mix lettuce

Directions

• Creamy Mustard Maple Dressing
• Blend together all of the dressing ingredients in a blender or food processor, pulsing for 10 seconds at a time until smooth
• Store the dressing in an airtight container in the fridge until ready to use, stores for up to 2 weeks
• Pecan and Apple Salad
• Wash and slice the apple and pear, cut the pomegranate in half and remove the seeds by hitting each uncut side of the pomegranate over a bowl until the seeds fall out
• Mix together the spinach and spring mix in a large bowl
• Top the greens with the pecans, cranberries, feta, pomegranate seeds, apple slices, and pear slices
• Drizzle with the creamy mustard maple dressing from above and serve

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The post Pecan and Apple Salad with Creamy Mustard Maple Dressing appeared first on Do You Roux?.

This simple strawberry and rhubarb smoothie recipe is an easy way to use the first fruits of springtime. The combination of strawberries and rhubarb is a great match, and together they make for a delicious drink with a delightfully tart strawberry-rhubarb flavor.

Spring is here and I’ve actually grown strawberries myself before. Both strawberries and rhubarb are some of the earliest produce to ripen in late spring and early summer. And when strawberries are sweet and ripe, you know what that means – a healthy strawberry smoothie!

My wife and I enjoy growing a small little garden in the backyard wherever we live.

There’s something very satisfying about growing food for yourself. We grew some small strawberries when we lived in Texas, and I have actually ordered some bare root strawberry plants that should arrive at my house in a few weeks for planting in our new house.

This is a very simple and quick recipe since all we have to do is throw things in a blender. It has two main fruits both taste great as well, so there’s no complaints here.

Strawberries and Rhubarb

Strawberries and rhubarb. The two ingredients are commonly found together in many pies, puddings, and other desserts, but why do they make such a good combination? What is the magical connection between the two fruits that makes the resulting product so amazing?

The main reason that strawberries and rhubarb are so good together is that the tart flavors complement each other well. Ripe strawberries have a fruity, sweet flavor, while rhubarb has a tart, earthy taste. These two fruits make a perfect pair because they both complement each other, and together they taste amazing.

Plus, when they are blended together the flavors seem to intensify.

Strawberries and rhubarb are both very healthy, and their health benefits go hand in hand. They are both high in fiber, antioxidants, and vitamins. They are also very low in calories and fat.

I’ve used strawberries before in my almond and berry salad and three berry syrup. But this is the first time that I have used rhubarb for a recipe on the site.

Combine these fruits with a few other key ingredients and you can get a creamy, delicious drink that is sure to hit the spot.

Variations on a Strawberry and Rhubarb Smoothie

Almost all smoothie recipes are quite simple. I add everything into my Vitamix and then rip it until everything is smooth. Sometimes with a little pausing and tamping things down a bit to get rid of those pesky air pockets.

The recipe calls for two to three tablespoons of honey. You can easily adjust this up or down depending on how sweet all of your other ingredients are. Strawberries can vary greatly in their level of sweet vs tart. So make sure to add less at the start, taste the smoothie, and then add in a little bit more honey if needed before blending it in.

While this strawberry-rhubarb smoothie recipe is very simple, you can use other fruits in place of the strawberries. I think that the best pairing for the rhubarb is strawberries, but you could also try out the recipe with any other berry and see how it tastes. Raspberry, blueberry, or blackberry could all make a great combo with the rhubarb.

You may try subbing milk, heavy cream, coconut milk, almond milk, or regular yogurt for the Greek yogurt used in the recipe.

I know it’s barely spring, but it’s never too early to start thinking about in-season fruit and smoothies. Smoothies are great for breakfast and are extremely easy to make. This strawberry and rhubarb smoothie is one of my favorites because it’s a lighter option for breakfast.

So, I hope you enjoy gulping it down like I did.

How did yours turn out?

I’d love to hear when you try out this strawberry and rhubarb smoothie! 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.

Spring Strawberry and Rhubarb Smoothie

Recipe by Marc PetersonCourse: Breakfast, DrinksDifficulty: Easy

Servings

4

servings

Prep time

5

minutes

Cooking timeminutes

Total time

5

minutes

This healthy smoothie recipe uses seasonal springtime ingredients to create a deliciously tart strawberry and rhubarb smoothie

Ingredients

• 1 and 1/2 cups chopped rhubarb

• 1 cup fresh strawberries

• 1 ripe banana

• 1/2 cup pomegranate juice

• 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt

• 2 to 3 tablespoons honey

• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 2 to 3 cups of ice

Directions

• Add all ingredients to a blender in the order listed
• Blend until smooth, pausing to remove air pockets if needed
• Pour and serve

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The post Spring Strawberry and Rhubarb Smoothie appeared first on Do You Roux?.