I am declaring this the summer of incredible, simple meals!! With a cross-country move from Long Beach, CA to Atlanta, Ga in our very near future I am looking for easy meals that are customizable to my family’s needs and that don’t take a ton of time like this Spiralized Apple Salad!
There are 2 ingredients that I like to keep on hand at all times for my kids to snack on, Stemilt apples and celery. They both taste amazing, my kids eagerly eat them, and they are really good for them too. Plus, those ingredients do double duty in one of our new favorite summer dishes, this Spiralized Apple Salad!
This salad is not only easy to make, with ingredients that I typically have on hand, but unlike some salads, this one is super kid-friendly too. My kid’s love all of the ingredients, even the apple cider poppy seed dressing, and they really love it when I add sliced grilled chicken breast on top of the salad too!
Salad’s like this one don’t have a lot of rules that apply when you are making them, but I do have a couple of tips to keep in mind when making this salad!
No spiralizer, no problem. Spiralized noodles are super fun for my kids to make and eat, but you don’t have to own a spiralizer to make this salad! All you have to do is serve this salad with thin slices or matchsticks of apple instead.
Browning apple noodles would be a pity. Whatever way you slice your apples though be sure to toss your apple noddles with 4-5 tablespoons of the dressing before you pile them onto the greens. This will keep your apples from oxidizing and will actually ensure a perfectly dressed salad with nice crisp greens and lots of flavor!
Feel free to mix it up! This salad is customizable in so many ways!!! Which basically means this recipe will never ever become boring to your kid’s or your taste buds. While I am sure there are a bazillion ways to swap up the flavors in this Spiralized Apple Salad, I thought I would also share a few flavor swaps that are on my “to-try” list with this salad over the summer.
- Add goat cheese or even chunks of a good sharp cheddar cheese.
2. Substitute shaved fresh or pickled fennel for the celery for a fun licorice scented twist.
3. Add herbs!! Seriously, nothing takes a recipe to the next level quite like fresh herbs. Try basil, thyme, or even a bit of mint in this salad instead of the celery leaves. We promise you won’t regret it!
Ingredients
- 2 Stemilt Piñata apples, spiralized or chopped into matchsticks
- 1 head butter or Bibb lettuce, torn
- 1/2 cup red walnuts or regular walnuts, toasted & roughly chopped
- 3 stalks celery, sliced thin
- 2-3 tablespoons chopped celery leaves, optional
- 1 tablespoon bee pollen, optional
- flaky sea salt and coarsely ground black pepper to taste
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1/4 cup apple juice, look for a cloudy juice not clear if possible
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 1 tablespoon poppy seeds
- 1/4 teaspoon coarse Kosher salt
- black pepper to taste
This salad is not only easy to make, with ingredients that I typically have on hand, but unlike some salad’s this one is super kid-friendly too.
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Instructions
To make the dressing:
- Put all the dressing ingredients in a mason jar or similar sized wide mouth jar and use an immersion blender to blend to a creamy consistency.
To assemble the salad:
- In a large bowl toss the spiralized apples with 4 tablespoons of the poppy seed dressing, completely coating the apple noodles. Set aside
- Arrange the lettuce leaves on a platter and top with the dressed, spiralized apples.
- Sprinkle the walnuts, celery, and celery leaves over the top.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle on bee pollen if using.
Nutritional Information
Per Serving
- Calories: 305
- Fat Content: 23.3g
- Cholesterol Content: 0mg
- Sodium Content: 35mg
- Carbohydrate Content: 23.8g
- Fiber Content: 4.9g
- Sugar Content: 16.1g
- Protein Content: 5g
