I will confess that I bookmarked this recipe almost a year ago but didn’t make it until now because it seemed…fussy. I regret that I did not introduce this into my lunch rotation sooner. There is so much going on with this salad but I promise it is worth the extra time to prep the pepitas and pecans. I know life is busy so feel free to substitute store bought roasted pecans and pepitas if you just want to cut straight to the chase. No judgement here.
To make this a full meal, I added roasted chicken but you could also use rotisserie chicken to make this a little easier to pull together. I went the full mile with this and since I was committed, I went ahead and doubled the recipe so I could have this salad for lunch on repeat all week. I highly recommend you do the same!
Nutty Honeycrisp Apple Salad with Maple Mustard Vinaigrette
Barely adapted from How Sweet Eats. The original recipe provides a Cinnamon Shallot Vinaigrette, but I wanted more acidity and I didn’t love the cinnamon in my salad. I prefer the Maple Mustard Vinaigrette from Sprouted Kitchen, which I provide here.
Serves 2 as an entrée
Smoky Honey Pepita Clusters
1/2 cup pepitas
1/2 tablespoons Canola oil
2 to 3 tablespoons honey
1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
pinch of salt
Sweet and Spicy Toasted Pecans
1/2 cup pecans
1 1/2 tablespoons honey
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
Maple Mustard Vinaigrette
1 tablespoon dijon mustard
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1 small shallot, minced
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper
Salad
4 to 6 cups chopped greens (I like a mixture of Tuscan kale and Romaine lettuce so the kale is not too intense)
2 honeycrisp apples thinly sliced
3 ounces freshly grated sharp white cheddar cheese
Shredded rotisserie chicken breast
Smoky Honey Pepita Clusters:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a large bowl, mix together the oil and honey. Stir in the pepitas, salt, and smoked paprika. Place them on the baking sheet and smooth them out with a spatula – you still want them clustered so you can break them apart after baking. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, or until golden. Remove from the oven and toss slightly. Let cool completely before breaking apart.
Sweet and Spicy Toasted Pecans:
Heat the pecans in a nonstick skillet over low heat, stirring often, until fragrant and toasty. Stir in the honey, red pepper flakes and nutmeg. Let the honey bubble and stir for a few minutes, then transfer the pecans to parchment paper and let them cool completely.
Assemble the salad:
Dress the greens with a tablespoon or so of vinaigrette and let sit for 5 to 10 minutes. If using kale this helps break down the fibers. Taste a leaf of greens and adjust seasoning of salt and pepper. Add the remaining ingredients and toss with vinaigrette until greens are lightly coated.