honeycrisp apple and blue cheese autumn salad
A perfect transitional side dish from hot summer to mellow fall. At least, mentally, if not atmospherically.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup pecan halves
- 1/2 cup pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
- 3 tbsp dark brown sugar
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp chili powder
- 1/2 tsp instant espresso powder (optional)
- 4 cups baby arugula
- 2 cups shredded Brussels sprouts (or more arugula/kale)
- 2 honeycrisp apples, thinly sliced
- 1 avocado, chopped
- 1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese (I like gorgonzola)
maple dijon vinaigrette
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 tbsp dijon mustard
- 1 tbsp fresh oregano, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a medium-sized baking sheet with parchment.
- On the baking sheet, toss the pecans and pepitas with the brown sugar, maple syrup, cinnamon, chili powder, and instant espresso. Roast 8-10 minutes, stirring once halfway through baking time, until crisp and caramelized. Let cool 5 minutes, then gently break apart any very large clumps. Sprinkle with flaky salt.
- In a jar or bowl, shake or whisk the olive oil, cider vinegar, maple syrup, dijon mustard, oregano, garlic, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.
- To a large mixing bowl, add the arugula, Brussels sprouts, apples, avocado, blue cheese, and about 1/2 cup of the nuts. Drizzle with a few spoonfuls of dressing and toss to coat.
- Divide into bowls and serve with additional dressing and nuts on the side.
Notes
*To make ahead: Prepare everything through step 3. Omit the avocado and vinaigrette when tossing the salad; add those when serving.
*Substitutions: You can use any leafy green or chopped, sturdy vegetable instead of the arugula and Brussels sprouts. Broccoli and various kale varieties work great! If you don't like blue cheese, feta is a nice swap.