Spiralized Apple Salad with Maple Glazed Walnuts and Honey Vinaigrette

Late August marks the beginning of apple season. Eating fresh picked seasonal fruits and veggies pack the biggest nutritional bang for your buck. When you eat a fresh apple you are getting vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and tons of fiber all in one perfect package. Most people never even get close to the recommended daily intake of fiber needed to keep everything flowing smoothly. Fiber is like a broom in your intestines sweeping out the gunk. Mother Nature provided us with these sweet juicy snacks for a reason. Skip the processed packaged junk and enjoy a sweet crispy apple today. 

This spiralized salad is a powerhouse of nutrition with fresh apples, pears, beets, sweet maple glazed walnuts, and a honey vinaigrette. It is the perfect dish for these crisp sunny days of late summer. Even your kids will like it and ask for more!

Salad Recipe:

1 medium firm pear, spiralized on largest blade

1 large red apple, spiralized on medium blade

1 large green apple, spiralized on medium blade

1 medium beet, peeled and spiralized on smallest blade

1 small red onion, sliced thin

2 Tablespoons dried cranberries 

Plane all ingredients in a large bowl. Be careful with the beet. Spiralize last to keep the juice off the other ingredients. 

Maple Glazed Walnuts:

1 cup chopped walnuts

1 Teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 Tablespoons pure maple syrup

Dash of sea salt

Cooking spray

Heat pan on medium to low heat. Spray pan lightly with cooking spray Add walnuts and stir until lightly browned about 2 minutes. Keep an eye on them or they'll burn. Remove pan from heat and add maple syrup, salt, and cinnamon. Stir until well combined. Let cool slightly and transfer to a separate bowl before they stick to the pan.

Honey Vinaigrette:

1 Tablespoon raw honey

1 Tablespoon white wine vinegar

1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil 

Whisk together.

When ready to serve salad add glazed walnuts and Vinaigrette.  If you don't have a spiralizer chop the pear and apples and shred the beet. This would be great served over a bowl of fresh romaine lettuce.

Enjoy!