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Autumn Salad
Last year I posted my summer salad. Had no idea what a popular recipe it would become! In that light I guess it only makes sense for me to post an autumn salad as well. I labeled this one: “My new best salad” because I’m totally smitten with it. Not sure what that says about me. Maybe something about my unhealthy relationship with food? Hush. It was a rhetoric question.
My salad combines crispy, nutty and fresh salad leaves with sweet carrots, pungent red onion, fresh apple, creamy avocado and walnuts with thinly sliced smoked chicken breast to create the perfect balance of flavors. I topped it off with my all time favorite creamy ranch-style dressing.
If you’re anything like me, you’ll want to eat this one over and over. Serve it on the side or as an appetizer during Thanksgiving or Christmas, or throw in some rustic whole wheat bread for a seriously amazing lunch or dinner.
Ingredients:
Salad:
smoked chicken breast
salad leaves or lettuce
granny smith apple (or pear)
fresh lemon juice
walnuts
red onion
avocado
carrot
Optional: crispy bacon
Ranch-style Dressing:
4 tbsp mayonnaise
4 tbsp yoghurt
1 tbsp apple juice
1/2 tsp grated onion (or onion powder)
1/2 garlic clove
flat-leaf parsley
1/3 lemon
pepper
salt
Directions:
Combine the mayonnaise (the real deal, Hellmann’s) with the yoghurt. Sure you could use sour cream instead, but give yoghurt a try sometime. Much more diet friendly and it tastes just as good.
Grate a small piece of onion. Don’t overdo it, use only half a tsp or so. Alternately you could use onion powder as well but this really adds flavor and zing. And grate half a garlic clove.
Add the apple juice, a splash of fresh lemon juice and a good pinch of salt and pepper.
Finely mince a handful of flat-leaf parsley.
Combine it all, stir well and check the seasoning. Refrigerate until you need it.
I usually grab a big bag of mixed salad leaves. Feel free to use lettuce instead.
Grate the carrot and thinly slice the red onion.
My salads almost always contain avocado. I love avocado. Avocado and bacon are a match made in heaven, so feel free to add a few bacon strips to the salad.
Granny smith apples work so well in this salad. But you can easily do this with pear as well, it creates a just as tasty but slightly different dimension.
Squeeze a little lemon juice over the apple and avocado to prevent it from turning brown. Break the walnuts in half or chop them up.
Thinly slice the smoked chicken breast.
You can make one big salad but I kinda like making individual portions in cute bowls. I serve the dressing on the side—not everyone likes dressing—but you could drizzle some on top or toss the salad leaves with the dressing.
Now this salad is really all that and a bag of Doritos. Take my word for it.
| Autumn Salad | |
| Ingredients |
salad leaves or lettuce granny smith apple (or pear) fresh lemon juice walnuts red onion avocado carrot Optional: crispy bacon Ranch-style Dressing: 4 tbsp mayonnaise 4 tbsp yoghurt 1 tbsp apple juice 1/2 tsp grated onion (or onion powder) 1/2 garlic clove flat-leaf parsley 1/3 lemon pepper salt |
| Directions |
Grate the carrot and thinly slice the red onion, smoked chicken breasts, avocado and apple. Break the walnuts in half or give them a coarse chop. Squeeze a little lemon juice over the apples and avocado. Make one big salad or serve in individual portions. |
| Meal type: | side dish |
| Servings: | as many as you like |
| Copyright: | © kayotickitchen.com |
21 Comments »
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Yum! This salad sounds exactly like the items I have at home right now! Can’t wait to try it tomorrow!!!!
Oh I love salads with autumnal produce and this really looks so refreshing. love the smoked chicken here!
Oh ! it must be tasty.
Industrial mayonnaise? Go wash your mouth! :-)The only good-tasting mayonnaise is the one you beat by hand using fresh eggs! ;-)
To tell the truth, I have a particular relationship to mayonnaise. I once made a three-egg mayonnaise, which separated. So with another yolk, and a bit of lukewarm water, I restarted. And it separated, again and again. I ended up with an eight-egg mayonnaise, and promised myself to never more make my own mayonnaise.
@ Remo:
Absolutely! Hellmann’s is food fit for a God. Now precooked bechamel on the other hand….
:)
I only make my own mayo now when I make Allioli! And I use an immersion blender. Otherwise I stick to Hellmann’s.
Great salad recipe! It looks perfect for fall (hence the title I guess)!
@Kay:
An immersion blender? They were not yet widely used when I had my tragic mayonnaise adventure: 35 years ago.
@ Remo:
It works like a charm: http://www.kayotic.nl/blog/allioli
But for the record, I also made it by hand: http://www.kayotic.nl/blog/mayonnaise
And even made a Sauce Béarnaise by hand while shooting photos! http://www.kayotic.nl/blog/sauce-barnaise
Just sayin’ :)
AND doritos!? I thought you were a pringles kinda gal ;-) Looks scrumptious, and is definitely going into my to-make SOON file!
@ Elizabee:
My latest addiction (during the weekend) is a huge bag of Cool American Doritos with guacamole! :)
Oh loving it!
My 2 year old LOVES avocado and salad leaves so this will be our “summer” salad down here in the Southern Hemisphere.
Silly question: What is the name of the really little grater you use to grate the garlic – I want to put it on my Christmas list.
@ Cyndi:
It’s a Microplane, Cyndi. They come in tons of colors and are great (until you grate your finger with it:)
I will put it on my list with a pair of those steel gloves I saw recently :P
Thanks :)
i can see that u really like avocado..i ve never thought that u can put it in a sandwhich but u always do. i’ve been reading your blog for several months now. I love your pictures! the food looks even more delicious because of the photography! In the philippines, we only eat avocado as kind of a desert. chop it in chunks, put condense milk/sugar and crushed ice. mix everything in a bowl and tada! summer in a bowl
So glad I came across your blog. I love the salad idea. With this pregnancy it’s about all I crave…well…that and candy! ;o) Gonna have to definately try this.
http://mycupcakejourney.blogspot.com
Autumnal salads are perfect for the coming food eating season.
Thanks for all your wonderful food items and photos!!
Fabulous, fresh looking salad – by looking at that list of ingredients I can definitely see why you’re head over heels for this.
We’re going to have this for dinner tonight. The only differences I’m doing are sautéing the onions and adding in some alfalfa sprouts and skipping the walnuts. Really looking forward to it!
This is so nice! I actually roasted my carrots and did not grate them but cut into bite size pieces. Also heated up the chicken & added some blue cheese in to the dressing.
Just made this tonight and loved it…loved the flavor of the ranch. Thanks!
It’s now autumn in the southern hemisphere and I’ve got a whole smoked chicken in the fridge so I know what I am making for dinner tonight! Gorgeous photos.