I often think of salad as a summer meal, but there’s no reason a healthy dose of greens and fruit can’t grace our plates in the cooler months, too.
For starters, tossing together a salad is one of the quickest ways to get a healthy meal or a side together – it certainly beats steaming or sauteeing vegetables when it comes to time. However, fresh vegetables and fruit in the cooler months are a textural diversion from the typical seasonal sides.
Here, fresh apples mingle with crunchy walnuts, toothsome dates, and soft cheese atop the bright spinach. The sweet apples and dates pair perfectly with the zing of feta or the smoothness of goat cheese, depending on your dairy preference. Crunch down on this all by itself, or top with my apple cider vinaigrette.
- Bag of spinach
- 2.5 ounce bag of chopped walnuts
- 4 ounces feta or goat cheese
- 12 dates
- 6 apples
- Chop dates into quarters by slicing lengthwise, then in half.
- Dice apples.
- Toss apples, dates, walnuts, and spinach together.
- Top with crumbled feta or goat cheese.
- Before adding apples into the salad, toss them in lemon juice to avoid browning, particularly if the salad isn’t being served immediately.