Apple Spinach Salad with Spiced Nuts

 (Photo from Redhead Recipes.)

This recipe was recommended by Katy L. She found it at Redhead Recipes. She paired it with White Pizza Grilled Cheese Sandwiches, which I will post as soon as I get permission from the blogger.

Ingredients and Directions: 

Apple Spinach Salad with Spiced Nuts

• 1 bag prewashed spinach
• 1-2 granny smith apples, cored and sliced thinly
• 1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
• 1/2 cup spiced caramelized nuts (recipe below)

Place all ingredients in a bowl. (Now that's a difficult recipe!) And top with apple cider vinaigrette (see recipe below)

Spiced Caramelized Nuts

• 1/2 cup pecans (or favorite nut)
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 small pinch of cayenne (don't get scared!)
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

Combine sugar, cayenne, cinnamon, and nutmeg thouroughly. Place in skillet over medium heat. When sugar starts to melt stir in nuts. Stir occasionally. Once all sugar has melted and nuts are coated, place nuts on parchment paper to cool. Eat plain, in a salad, or on top of ice cream.

Apple Cider Vinaigrette 

• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 tsp dijion mustard
• 1/2 tsp sugar
• salt and pepper

Place all ingredients in a curet and shake.

Apple Nectarine Cashew Spinach Salad

Well, Salad September slipped by with only two posts about salads. Next year we'll try for more. I do have some more salads to put up...it just isn't September anymore.

Ingredients:

• 1 crisp apple, preferably Fuji
• 2-3 tsp lemon juice
• 1 nectarine
• about 1/4 c. cashews 
• 3-4 large handfuls of spinach

Directions:

1. Cut apple into bite sized chunks. Put in a seal-able container or bag with the lemon juice and shake until all the apples have been covered in lemon juice. (This helps your apples to stay fresh and not brown.)
2. Cut the nectarine into bite sized chunks.
3. Put the spinach in a bowl. Put apples, nectarines, and cashews on top. 
4. Enjoy!

Raw Vegan Apple Crumble

This recipe was submitted by Aubrey. She adapted it from Love Veggies and Yoga.

Ingredients and Directions:

Raw Crust:
1 c oats
2/3 c Whole Wheat Flour
9 Medjool dates, pitted (you can get these at Costco)

Grind these up together in your blender or food processor and then press in the bottom of a 9x9 pan.

Filling:
4 large apples (this could be interchanged with other fruits- I'm going to try pears next time)
Peel, core and dice. Place in bowl and add:
2 Tbsp Agave
2 Tbsp Raw Organic Powdered Sugar
1 Tbsp Lemon Juice
1/2 Tsp Molasses
1-2 Tsp Cinnamon - according to your taste.

Mix well and spread over the top of the crust.

Crumble topping:
3/4 c Almond Meal (you can just grind up almonds in your blender or food processor)
3/4 c Oats
3-4 Tbsp Agave (depending on how sticky/crumbly you like your crumble)

Give these a good couple of pulses and crumble evenly over the top of your apples.

You're done! Just place it in the fridge until you're ready for it. It's best to do this several hours ahead of serving to allow the flavors to meld, and the crust to get a bit gooey from the sauce in the apples.