Apple Walnut Salad
My favorite season is summer. I love that it seems more relaxed & less busy than the rest of the year. I love the warm weather but what I don’t love in the summer is spending time in the kitchen making hot dishes. I don’t like standing over a stove or oven for long periods of time.
That’s why I love things that are light & can be made quickly without heating up the kitchen. I like to make things like this steak salad with avocado lime dressing or a big bowl of ceviche. But lately I’m hooked on this Apple Walnut Salad.
This salad delivers a sweet & spicy crunch. The lemon & cilantro make it a super light & fresh side to go right along some grilled chicken on a hot summer day. It’s also perfect all by itself as an afternoon snack.
Apple Walnut Salad
ingredients
3 green apples, chopped & peeled if desired
1 cup walnuts, roughly chopped
handful of chopped cilantro
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon + 2 teaspoons olive oil
1 teaspoons taco seasoning
freshly ground salt & pepper
directions
preheat oven to 350.
place the walnuts in a medium size bowl or baggie & drizzle with 2 teaspoons of the olive oil. sprinkle the taco seasoning over them & mix well to coat the walnuts.
place the walnuts on a cookie sheet & bake about 8 minutes.
while the walnuts are in the oven, peel & chop the apples into bite size pieces. place in a medium size bowl.
mix the remaining tablespoon of olive oil with the 2 tablespoons of lemon juice & pour it over the apples. stir to cover the apples with the dressing.
sprinkle the cilantro over the apples & season with freshly ground salt & pepper. this only takes a few turns of the grinder, depending on how much your grinder puts out.
once the walnuts are done, remove them from the oven & allow to cool 5 minutes on the cookie sheet before adding them into the bowl.
mix well & serve immediately. if you have leftovers this will keep for about 2 days in the fridge in a tightly sealed container.