Vegetarian Fall Harvest Salad

this Recipe

Oh, hey there Monday. Ready for a Fall inspired salad? While we still officially have a few days left of summer, I’m declaring FALL in my kitchen. After spending the last week in Sacramento, I ate more than my fill of zucchini, corn, heirlooms, peaches and rosé. Basking in 90 degree heat with best friends; the perfect way to say goodbye to the season.

This salad is also the perfect balance to a week of vacationing and over-indulgence. Ever since moving to St. Louis last year, I’ve had a running list of restaurants that I’ve missed on the West coast, making every effort to hit most of them last week. Now that I’m back in the Lou, I’m craving nothing but vegetables, whole grains– and lots of them.

This salad is my take on Panara’s Orchard Harvest salad; I love the combo of crisp apples, honeyed pecans, creamy goat cheese and cider dressing. Quinoa was added for extra protein and fiber as well as a large bed of mache lettuce blend, my favorite packaged salad variety.

I try and limit my dairy intake to when it really provides a lot of flavor, and I can’t get enough of the goat cheese crumbles here. It almost melts into the lettuce and is the perfect pairing with crispy Fall apples.

These pecans are a must-make. A must for holiday parties, for snacking, this salad and everything in between. The hardest part about this salad is not eating all of the pecans while you are prepping the rest of the ingredients. They are addictive to say the very, very least.

If you’re looking for a healthy way to start the week, this salad is it. Prep the quinoa, pecans and dressing ahead of time for easy assemble throughout the week. You know how I feel about week-day lunches (and dinners) — make them as easy as possible on yourself. With simple ingredients like this, you can mix and match healthy meals whenever you need them.

If you try this recipe, let me know! Leave a comment, rate it, and tag your Instagram photos with #delishknowledge . I absolutely love seeing your creations. Happy cooking! 

Vegetarian Fall Harvest Salad

• Author: Alex Caspero
• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 30 minutes
• Total Time: 45 minutes
• Yield: 4 salads 1x
• Category: healthy, salad, lunch, vegetarian, glutenfree

Description

Fall Harvest Salad! A must make this fall. Mache lettuce, quinoa, apples, goat cheese, homemade honeyed pecans and a simple apple cider dressing. Vegetarian and Gluten-Free.

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Pin Recipe

• Author: Alex Caspero
• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 30 minutes
• Total Time: 45 minutes
• Yield: 4 salads 1x
• Category: healthy, salad, lunch, vegetarian, glutenfree

• Author: Alex Caspero
• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 30 minutes
• Total Time: 45 minutes
• Yield: 4 salads 1x
• Category: healthy, salad, lunch, vegetarian, glutenfree

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Ingredients

• 1/2 cup pecans
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1/2 cup uncooked quinoa
• 6 cups Mache lettuce blend, baby lettuce or greens of choice (thinly shredded kale would also be delicious!)
• 3 large honeycrisp apples, sliced or diced
• 1/2 cup goat cheese crumbles
• Apple Cider Dressing:
• 1 small shallot, very finely diced
• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
• 2 teaspooons Dijon mustard
• 2 teaspoons honey
• 1/2 teaspoon salt (or more to taste)
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper (or more to taste)
• 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

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Instructions

1. Make the pecans. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place pecans in an even layer on baking sheet. Roast 8 to 10 minutes until just toasted, taking care not to brown. Remove from oven.
2. In a medium saucepan, combine honey and pecans. Cook over medium high heat, stirring until completely coated and mixture simmers and foams, about 5 minutes.
3. Place a piece of parchment paper on the baking sheet and transfer pecans there in a single layer. Let cool while you make the quinoa and prepare the rest of the salad.
4. Place the quinoa and 1 cup water in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and look cook until water is absorbed and quinoa is cooked through, about 12 minutes. Remove from heat and let sit an additional 3 minutes without removing lid. Then, fluff with a fork and let cool. You can prep both the pecans and quinoa ahead of time for easy salad assembly throughout the week.
5. Whisk together the ingredients for the cider dressing except the olive oil. Slowly drizzle in the olive oil until an emulsion forms. Season to taste, if needed, with salt and pepper.
6. Toss greens with 3 tablespoons of the dressing and divide among 4 plates. Top each salad with apples, honeyed pecans, cooked quinoa, goat cheese and more dressing. Eat immediately.

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