Harvest Apple Salad

This post is sponsored by Eckert’s, however, as always, all opinions are our own.

It’s apple season at Eckert’s and we are excited to partner with them to bring you a delicious and healthy recipe for the fall. Sweet and crunchy apples pair perfectly with roasted sweet potatoes, salty parmesan cheese, and toasted pine nuts. This salad can be served an appetizer, side, or main dish, and keeps in the fridge for days.

A variety of apples work well in this dish. Pick-Your-Own apples at Eckert’s, or visit their Country Store to shop Eckert’s Honeycrisp, Gala, Jonathan, Golden Delicious, Fuji, Crimson Crisp & Sweet Maia apples. Each Eckert’s location has fun fall events throughout the summer that feature live music and activities for kids, so be sure to check their events page and join in on the fall fun. We hope you pick an abundant amount of Eckert’s apples this season at their farms and enjoy making memories together as a family!

Harvest Apple Salad

Prep Time: 45 min (includes roasting the sweet potato) Cook Time: 5 min.

Ingredients:

For the Salad:

1 Gala apple diced into matchsticks

1/4 cup dried apricots, roughly chopped

4 cups kale

1/4 cup toasted pine nuts

1 sweet potato, cut into 1/2” cubes

Freshly grated parmesan cheese

Olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

Honey Lemon Vinaigrette (recipe below)

Honey Lemon Vinaigrette

1/4 cup olive oil

2 tablespoons of lemon juice

1 tablespoon honey

Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat your oven to 375° degrees Fahrenheit. Chop a sweet potato into 1/2” cubes and place on a baking sheet. Top with enough olive oil to lightly coat all of the sweet potatoes and season with salt and pepper to taste. Bake in the oven for 30-35 minutes until the sweet potatoes are cooked through and have taken on some color.

Meanwhile, in a small sauté pan, add the pine nuts and place over medium low heat. Move the pine nuts around with a spatula so they toast evenly. This should take about 10 minutes.

For the vinaigrette, combine all ingredients into a small bowl and whisk until emulsified. Reserve for the finished salad. Prep the Gala apple and the dried apricots. Once the sweet potatoes and pine nuts have come to room temperature, assemble the salad. Combine the apple, apricots, kale, pine nuts, and sweet potatoes in a large salad bowl. Add the vinaigrette and toss the salad. Add salt and pepper to taste. Top with freshly grated parmesan cheese and serve immediately.