Apple Walnut Salad with Ginger Vinaigrette (Step-by-Step for Dummies 101)

I’m not the healthiest person around, but I have noticed that my diet has been very meat-heavy the past few weeks. To make myself feel better, I decided to make salad to pair with my soft shell crab dinner. I’m not a big fan of salads typically, for a couple of reasons but mainly because: (1) the greens are wilted or not crunchy, (2) the sauce is overpowering (and defeats the purpose of it being “healthy”), and (3) too many veggies involved – my carnivore heart cries.

So, today, I want to present you this Apple Walnut Salad with Ginger Vinaigrette – filled with ALL the things I do like in a salad 😉

 

DELECTABLE FOOD FOR THE DAY: APPLE WALNUT SALAD WITH GINGER VINAIGRETTE

DIFFICULTY: Easy

SERVING SIZE: Good for 5 people

PREPARATION TIME: 30 minutes

 

INGREDIENTS

APPLE SALAD

• 400g of Romaine lettuce (purchased on the day itself to ensure freshness)
• 3 ripe apples, diced (you can also use pears – whichever you prefer)
• 1 cup walnuts, toasted (you can also use pecans)
• 2 medium-sized red onions, sliced

GINGER VINAIGRETTE

• 2/3 cup olive oil (you can also use canola oil or sunflower oil)
• 1/4 cup rice vinegar (you can also use white wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar)
• 4 tbsp honey
• 1 tbsp calamansi juice (or lemon juice)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1 tsp mustard
• 1/2 tsp ginger powder (I didn’t have this on-hand, so I used my ginger tea powder)

 

PROCEDURE:

STEP 1: Prepare the lettuce

• Since you’ll be eating the lettuce raw, make sure to wash this carefully. After washing, place in bowl with holes to drain the water, so it doesn’t become soggy

• Once the lettuce has dried, you can then tear into smaller pieces. I like them bite sized so it fits onto my spoon/fork when I scoop it up

STEP 2: Prepare the salad toppings

• Slice the apples – you can either dice into cubes, or slice into thin wedges. Completely up to you. The important thing is you do this maximum ~1 hour before you sit down to eat the salad to prevent the apple from oxidizing

• Toast the walnuts by placing them into the oven for ~7 minutes at 190 deg C. Remember to pre-heat beforehand (I set it up before I chop the apples). The walnuts are meant to balance out the sweetness of the apples

• Slice the red onions – this will add that crunch as you bite into your salad

STEP 3: Prepare the ginger vinaigrette

This is the key to this salad. While we have a lot of ready-made salad dressing at home, I find that a lot of them are overwhelming in taste and not my type. This one, I really like.

• Place all the ginger vinaigrette ingredients into a blender. Here’s the list for your reference: 2/3 cup olive oil, 1/4 cup rice vinegar, 4 tbsp honey, 1 tbsp calamansi juice, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp pepper, 1 tsp mustard, 1/2 tsp ginger powder

 

• Pulse for 15 seconds, or until they’re all well-blended. I like using the blender instead of whisking because (1) it’s easier, and (2) the vinaigrette comes out thicker

STEP 4: Toss the salad

• Combine all the ingredients together – lettuce, apples, toasted walnuts, red onions, and ginger vinaigrette – then toss them together so that they’re evenly mixed

• 

• You can opt to add romano cheese and raisins here, but I didn’t have any.

STEP 5: Bon appetit!