A refreshing (and refreshingly simple!) side salad with crisp apples, toasted pecans, crunchy celery, and a light dressing made with cider vinegar and pure maple syrup.
Ingredients
1batch Cider Maple Vinaigretterecipe below
1/2cuppecanschopped
1medium honeycrisp or cameo applecut into thin matchsticks
Juice of half a lemonabout 2 teaspoons (optional)*
1small head green leaf lettuceor your favorite mild greens, torn into bite-size pieces (about 6 cups)
1stalk celerysliced (about 1/2 cup)
Cider Maple Vinaigrette
2tablespoonsextra virgin olive oil
2teaspoonsapple cider vinegar
1teaspoonpure maple syrup
1/8teaspoonkosher salt
1/8teaspoonfreshly ground black pepper
Instructions
Add all ingredients for the Cider-Maple Vinaigrette to the bottom of your salad bowl. Whisk until blended. Set aside.
Heat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Spread pecans on a rimmed cookie sheet. Place in preheated oven and cook, stirring once or twice, until fragrant and slightly browned, about 4 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside.
If desired, in a small bowl, toss the apple matchsticks with the lemon juice. This will help prevent them from browning - see note below.
Add lettuce, apples, and celery to the salad bowl. Toss until all of the greens are lightly coated with the dressing.