Well, folks, my plans to share this Ultimate Fall Crunch Salad recipe with you all are officially over one year in the making. Completely forgetting to share a recipe for (just slightly over) 365 days is one way to build up the anticipation, right?! I first mentioned my Ultimate Fall Salad back in this post for our favorite creamy apple cider vinegar salad dressing I posted in September of 2019.
By the way, that apple cider vinegar salad dressing is still one of our all-time favorites and it’s also still the perfect accompaniment for this salad!
How to make an ultimate fall crunch salad
This hearty salad has all the fall feels: sweet bits of fresh apple, colorful carrots, flavorful dried cranberries, toasted pecans, pepitas, and sunflower seeds (a.k.a. the crunch) all served on a mixture of crisp lettuce and shaved Brussel sprouts! Every bite of this salad has a lovely harmony of sweet, tangy and earthy flavors.
I’m going to go ahead and mention it, however, I think you can see for yourself that this autumn-inspired salad is also pretty easy on the eyes!
I nearly always keep this Ultimate Fall Crunch Salad vegetarian, but it certainly can be a light and flavorful way to use up some leftover turkey from a holiday dinner. Adding a bit of chopped, roasted, or smoked turkey to the bowl would be a scrumptious addition to the flavor profile in this colorful dinner salad!
I’m hoping to squeeze in another post before the big turkey day 2020, but just in case I don’t:
Happy Thanksgiving and happy eating, y’all!
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The Ultimate Fall Crunch Salad
Course: Lunch, DinnerCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy1
servings10
minutes2
minutesChockful of fresh apples, sunflower seeds, pecans, dried cranberries and flavorful greens, this colorful Ultimate Fall Crunch Salad is earthy, sweet and a bit tangy. Please note: This recipe is meant to create a single serving of this Ultimate Fall Crunch Salad, so please double or otherwise increase the ingredients as needed for serving.
Ingredients
1 tablespoon raw pepitas (shelled pumpkin seeds
1 tablespoon unsalted sunflower seeds
1 tablespoon coarsely chopped pecans or another nut of your choice
2 cups Romaine or red leaf lettuce, chopped or torn into bite-size pieces
2 fresh Brussel sprouts, rinsed and thinly sliced
2 tablespoons julienned or thinly sliced carrot
1/4 of a sweet apple, rinsed and diced (skin on)
1-2 tablespoons reduced sugar dried cranberries (I used Craisins brand)
thinly sliced red onion, optional
Directions
- Heat a dry skillet to medium heat. Add the pepitas, sunflower seeds, and pecans to the pan and lightly toast them (this should take only 1-2 minutes. (Stir the nut mixture very often and don’t walk away from the pan, they can burn quickly!) Remove the nuts and seed from the skillet and set aside.
- To serve, add the torn lettuce to a bowl and layer with thinly sliced fresh brussel sprouts (see notes below), julienned carrots, chopped apple, and finally the dried cranberries. (Refer to the recipe video for a full demonstration, if needed)
- Top the salad with the toasted pecan and seed mixture. As a final ingredient, add some sliced red onions, if desired.
- This salad is excellent served with this tangy, Creamy Apple Cider Vinegar Salad Dressing, or substitute in another salad dressing that you prefer!
Recipe Video
Notes
- Raw Brussel sprouts are known to give some people tummy trouble. If this is the case for you or a guest, but you want to include them in this salad, prepare Brussel sprouts by sauteing them in a bit of olive oil and allow them to cool completely before adding them to the salad. Cooking them may reduce any stomach discomfort they may typically cause.
- Recipe from A Little Fish in the Kitchen blog at www.alittlefishinthekitchen.com. All content is owned by Marcelle G. Bolton. Please contact the author for permission to republish.
Flavorful, colorful AND with great texture – what more could anyone want? BTW – love your apple cider vinegar dressing. We used it a lot this summer.
This is fun. I like the crunch and the freshness, and I like your vinaigrette as well. Wasn’t sure what made it creamy, but i like the mayo as an ingredient!
Fun looking salad — definitely worth waiting for! I’m a fan of Brussels sprouts wherever I can find them, so happy to see they make an appearance here. Good stuff — thanks.
It looks so fresh, crunchy and tasty!