I’d really like to say that this salad represents a fall Michigan harvest, but I used avocado, so I can’t. Instead, it represents what I had in my possession as far as produce goes and wanting to make a salad for company at the last minute. However, it does have apples and toasted pumpkin seeds and maple dressing — so I’m going to call it Fall Harvest Salad anyways. Whatever name you want to give it, you will be calling it delicious. I was a little skeptical of my own creation on this day, but I pleasantly surprised myself — and some of our family! The salad part is really easy:
Salad Ingredients:
- 4 cups baby leaf lettuce
- 1/2 Honeycrisp (or other firm variety) apple, diced
- 1/2 avocado, peeled, pitted and diced
- 1/3 cup feta cheese
- 1/3 cup toasted pumpkin seeds
Dressing Ingredients:
- 3/4 cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
- 2 Tbsp. maple syrup
- 1/4 tsp. salt
Directions:
Place lettuce in a serving bowl and top with apples, avocados, feta cheese and pumpkin seeds, segregated into quarters — just for presentation. It also makes it easy to grab and mix in the toppings as you serve the salad. I only had raw pumpkin seeds on hand, so I did toast mine in the oven at about 300 degrees for 10 minutes or so. Be careful not to burn them. For the dressing, mix all ingredients together in a shaker or dressing container. Shake well and drizzle over top of the salad once served.
I wasn’t sure how I would like this — especially the dressing since I don’t normally like sweet dressings. I thought this one turned out great! It was very simple and the flavors complemented the salad toppings really well. I think the bite of the balsamic tempers out the sweetness of the maple syrup and vice versa. Salad experiment = success!
At the Water's Edge 
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