Author Notes
I make and eat a ton of salads, and I love coming up with interesting salad combinations. This one, which I've nicknamed the perfect fall salad, is my new favorite. Feel free to substitute goat cheese for the feta, and if you add 1/2 cup dried cranberries, this will be just a little bit sweeter and perfect for Thanksgiving, too. - WinnieAb —WinnieAb
Test Kitchen Notes
WinnieAb's salad is mellow and sweet, woven through with crunchy strands of parsnip, carrot, and apple and salty bursts of feta. The honeyed walnuts add heft and an addictive crackle. —Kristen Miglore
Continue After Advertisement
Ingredients
- Make the spiced honey roasted walnuts
-
1 cup
walnuts
-
1/4 cup
honey
-
1 tablespoon
butter
-
1 pinch
ground cinnamon
-
1 pinch
ground ginger
-
2 pinches
course sea salt
- Make the salad
-
4 cups
chopped red or green leaf lettuce or mixed baby greens, rinsed and dried
-
4 cups
arugula, rinsed and dried
-
1
large parsnip, peeled and then shaved lengthwise
-
1
large carrot, peeled and then shaved lengthwise
-
1
honeycrisp or Fuji apple, peeled and then shaved lengthwise
-
1 /2 cups
goat or sheep milk feta cheese, crumbled
-
1 cup
honey roasted walnuts
-
1/3 cup
olive oil
-
1 teaspoon
Dijon mustard
-
1 teaspoon
honey
-
1/2
shallot, peeled and minced
-
2 tablespoons
apple cider vinegar
-
1/2 cup
dried cranberries-optional
Directions
- Make the spiced honey roasted walnuts
-
Pre-heat oven to 300°F.
-
Combine the honey and the butter in a small microwave-safe bowl. Heat in the microwave for 30-45 seconds, until the butter has melted.
-
Place the walnuts into a medium sized bowl and pour the honey-butter mixture over them; add the spices and 1 pinch salt and mix well so that the walnuts are coated.
-
Bake the walnuts for 15-20 minutes, tossing mid-way through, until crispy; watch closely so that they do not burn. Once out of the oven, sprinkle them with another pinch of course salt. They will continue to crisp and the honey will harden as they cool. Set aside.
- Make the salad
-
Place the greens, shaved parsnip, carrot and apple, feta cheese and walnuts in a large salad bowl. Mix well.
-
In a separate medium sized bowl, whisk the olive oil, vinegar, mustard, honey and minced shallot to make the dressing.
-
Pour the dressing over the salad and mix well to combine. Garnish with the dried cranberries, if desired, and serve immediately.
I grew up in a restaurant family (my parents owned the now closed Quilted Giraffe in NYC) and I've always loved to cook.
My interest in the connection between food and health led me to pursue a graduate degree in naturopathic medicine. I don't practice medicine anymore; I have a blog called Healthy Green Kitchen that I started in May of 2009 and I wrote a book called One Simple Change that will be published in January, 2014.
I live in upstate New York with my family and many pets.
See what other Food52ers are saying.