Apple Salad with Walnuts
Something magical happens when toasted walnuts, apples, red onions, and vegan tofu feta cheese are in a bowl of green. Then those fabulous ingredients are tossed in an oil-free walnut apple salad dressing, and the world becomes a better place. Turn simple ingredients into an incredible salad experience.
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 233kcal
Equipment
Ingredients
Salad Ingredients
- 1 bunch Romaine or Red Leaf Lettuce chopped (approximately 5-6 cup)
- 1 Honeycrisp apple cored and sliced thin (or sweet apple of choice), skin on
- 1 Granny Smith apple cored and sliced thin, skin on
- 1 red onion cut into slivers
- ½ cup walnuts toasted
- 1 English cucumber cut in slices and then halves
- ½ cup vegan tofu feta cheese
Dressing Ingredients
- ½ cup chopped apples skin removed (I used Granny Smith)
- ½ cup Walnuts
- ¼ cup Balsamic Vinegar
- ¼ cup Red Wine Vinegar
- ¾ cup water
- 1 small shallot peeled
- 1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme
- 2 teaspoons pure maple syrup or 2 dates if you want to make a raw dressing
Instructions
Apple Walnut Salad
- Chop the Romaine or Leaf Lettuce and place it into the center of a large bowl
- Toast the walnuts in a non-stick skillet on medium-low; add 1 teaspoon garlic powder and salt and pepper as the nuts cook, releasing their natural oil.
- Stir the nuts continuously as they brown for 2-5 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
- If making ahead of time, core and cut the apples into thin slices. Then transfer the slices to a bowl and coat with the juice of 1 lemon.
- Make sure you toss the apples, so all the apple slices are coated with lemon juice,
- Cut the red onion and cucumber.
- Prepare the vegan tofu feta cheese using the attached link (this recipe is best if made ahead of time). Because you only need ½ cup vegan tofu feta cheese, use the rest for other recipes through the week, or freeze the extra.
- Add the apple slices, red onions, cucumbers, toasted walnuts, and tofu vegan feta cheese to the bowl of lettuce.
- Toss and serve in individual bowls.
- Do not dress the entire salad unless you plan to eat the entire salad in one sitting, so the salad does not get soggy.
- Instead, dress individual salads.
Prepare the Dressing
- In a high-speed blender, add all the ingredients.
- Blend until smooth.
- Refrigerate until using.
- For a lighter, less calorie version of the dressing, skip the walnuts.
Notes
To make a less caloric version of the dressing, leave the walnuts out. Blend as directed and dress each salad individually.
Nutrition
Calories: 233kcal | Carbohydrates: 23g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 9g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Sodium: 129mg | Potassium: 307mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 13g | Vitamin A: 128IU | Vitamin C: 8mg | Calcium: 55mg | Iron: 1mg