When you think of the fall season, you don’t exactly picture cool, crisp salads on your dinner table. For fall, you think pumpkins, apples, ciders, and warm sauces to dress everything up. So what kind of creative salad recipes can you really picture making during the cool months at the end of the year? Salads are a refreshing and healthy way to get all of your vitamins and minerals in one light meal. Topping your salads with seasonal fruits and vegetables can be a great way to get your minerals with a few different flavors incorporated.
The following are 5 examples of fall, seasonal, salads:
1. Apple-Cheddar Salad with Walnuts: This sweet and savory salad combines the fresh, crisp taste of apples and the earthy crunch of nuts, topped off with the tang of cheddar cheese. The juice from the apples is a great complement to all the other healthy ingredients. In fact, a light salad dressing is all you need to tie everything together in a nutritious and delicious way. Try combining a little ginger with a splash of lemon juice, salt and pepper, and some light extra virgin olive oil for a healthy dressing that can pair with many salad dishes.
2. Sauteed Pear Salad: Whoever said salad had to be cold all the time? Why not throw a few ingredients into a sauté pan and witness the magic. The sweetness of sautéed pears is cut with a healthy cider-vinegar and Dijon-mustard vinaigrette. You could also make this salad with other fruits like apples or peaches for a different nutritious spin that will satisfy you and keep you warm.
3. Warm Spaghetti-Squash Salad: This is a veggie that is sweeping the nation right now as a popular nutritious ingredient. There are a ton of fall recipes that are incorporating this healthy vegetable known as spaghetti squash, that can be substituted for actual spaghetti noodles. Mixed with potent ingredients like olives and feta, spaghetti squash creates a hearty salad or side dish. Mix in a few sliced, toasted almonds to add a slight crunch and texture that is healthier that croutons.
4. Spiced Paneer, Chickpeas and Quinoa Autumn Salad: If you’re looking to try something different, this spiced paneer salad will not disappoint. It incorporates Indian flavors like chickpeas, paneer, turmeric, cinnamon, chili, nutmeg, garam masala and mint to spice up your salad with international flair. These ingredients thrown together in a salad make for a healthy dish that is full of flavor and amazing nutrition.
5. Fall Fruit and Yogurt Salad: Salad can be eaten for any of the three meals during the day. This fruit salad is to die for and can easily be made fresh throughout fall and winter time once the local apples are pears are gone. It’s made with an apple, pear, grapefruit, yogurt, pomegranate seeds and pumpkin seeds. Try this in the morning for a healthy way to start your day, or even in the evening for a delicious dessert that won’t pack on the calories.
There are no rules when it comes to amazing salad recipes. When you want a seasonal fall dish, try adding some apples and almonds to your chicken salad, try Italian dressing on your macaroni salad instead of a heavy, cream-based dressing, and use the remains of salad dressing packets to season roasted vegetables over a bed of spinach. With any dish involving fruits and vegetables you want to make sure all of your ingredients are washed before you use them. Buying local ingredients when they are in season is better for the environment as well as your health, because they don’t have to travel as far to get to your plate.
