Seasonal Green Salad with Apples, Blue Cheese & Pecans
This fresh salad combines peppery greens and crisp apples slices and is finished with a light Champagne apple cider vinaigrette.
Ingredients:
½ pound mixed greens
1 apple, cored and thinly-sliced
½ cup crumbled Westward blue cheese
½ cup toasted pecans, roughly chopped
½ cup olive oil
2 tablespoons Champagne vinegar
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon minced shallot
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
Method:
1. In a large mixing bowl, toss mixed greens with the apple slices.
2. In a smaller bowl, combine vinegars, honey and shallot, then whisk in olive oil to combine. Season with salt and pepper to your liking.
3. Drizzle dressing over salad greens, tossing to combine. Top salad with crumbled blue cheese, toasted pecans and a twist or two of fresh ground pepper if desired.
Fall Green Salad with Apples, Blue Cheese & Dried Cranberries
This beautiful salad is light and fresh, a perfect pairing for fall’s heartier pastas, risottos and soups.
Ingredients:
4 cups salad greens, washed and patted dry
1 cup radicchio, cored and thinly sliced
1 apple, cored and diced
½ cup crumbled blue cheese
¾ cup walnuts
¼ dried cranberries
F&L apple cider-honey vinaigrette
Fresh ground pepper
Method:
1. In large bowl combine the greens, radicchio and apple slices. Drizzle about ¼ cup of the vinaigrette over the salad and toss to incorporate, then add more as desired. Top salad with crumbled blue cheese, walnuts and dried cranberries. Add fresh ground pepper over if needed.
Apple, Pear & Blue Cheese Salad with Mizuna Greens
Tossed with a light balsamic vinaigrette, this crisp salad is both bold and beautiful.
Ingredients:
4-6 cups Mizuna greens
1 Manon pear, cored and thinly sliced
1 Arkansas Black apple, cored and thinly slice
½ cup blue cheese, crumbled
¾ cup olive oil
¼ cup balsamic vinegar
1 clove garlic, crushed
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
Method:
1. In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil, balsamic vinegar and garlic until well combined. Season to taste with salt and ground pepper.
2. In a large serving bowl, combine Mizuna greens and apple and pear slices. Toss with about half of the vinaigrette, adding more to taste as desired. Crumble blue cheese over top, season generously with black pepper and serve.
Blue Cheese & Pear Salad with Arugula Greens
Tossed with a light balsamic vinaigrette, this crisp salad is both bold and beautiful.
Ingredients:
4-6 cups arugula greens
1 D’Anjou pear, cored and thinly sliced
½ cup blue cheese, crumbled
¾ cup olive oil
¼ cup balsamic vinegar
1 clove garlic, crushed
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
Method:
1. In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil, balsamic vinegar and garlic until well combined. Season to taste with salt and ground pepper.
2. In a large serving bowl, combine arugula greens and pearl slices. Toss with about half of the vinaigrette, adding more to taste as desired. Crumble blue cheese over top and serve.
Apple & Pecan Green Salad with Gorgonzola Dolce
This beautiful salad is light and fresh, a perfect pairing for this week’s brunch fare.
Ingredients:
4 cups of your favorite spring lettuce greens, washed and patted dry
1 apple, cored and diced
½ cup gorgonzola dolce cheese, cut or crumbled into bite-size chunks
¾ cup cocktail pecans
Apple cider vinaigrette (see recipe)
Method:
1. In a large bowl, combine the greens and apple slices, tossing to mix well.
2. Drizzle about ¼ cup of the vinaigrette over the salad and toss to incorporate, then add more as desired. Top salad with the gorgonzola dolce cheese and cocktail pecans. Add more dressing and fresh ground pepper to taste, as needed.
Mizuna Greens with Candied Pecans & Pear Vinaigrette
This flavor-packed salad is both light and fresh, accented with creamy blue cheese, juicy pomegranate and crunchy candied pecans.
Ingredients:
Mizuna greens
Farm & Larder pear vinaigrette
4-5 Seckel pears, seeded and sliced
4 Belgian endives, sliced thinly
½ cup pomegranate seeds
½ cup crumbled blue cheese
½ cup candied pecans
Fresh ground pepper
Method:
1. Rinse Mizuna greens and pat dry with paper towels, or spin dry in a salad spinner. Transfer to large mixing bowl and add sliced pear, endive and pomegranate seeds.
2. Drizzle with about ½ cup Farm & Larder pear vinaigrette, and season to taste with fresh ground pepper, adding more vinaigrette as desired. Sprinkle with candied pecans and crumbled blue cheese.
Beet Salad with Arugula, Apples and Blue Cheese
Tossed with a light balsamic vinaigrette, this crisp salad is both bold and beautiful.
Ingredients:
4-6 cups arugula greens
1 bunch Chioggia beets, trimmed of green tops
1 Cameo apple, cored and thinly sliced
½ cup blue cheese, crumbled
¾ cup olive oil
¼ cup balsamic vinegar
1 clove garlic, crushed
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
Method:
1. Preheat oven to 350°. Place beets in a large roasting pan and pour in ½ cup water. Cover with parchment and foil. Roast until just tender, they should be easily pierced with a knife, about 40 minutes. Peel beets under cool water. Cut in half lengthwise and again in quarters.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil, balsamic vinegar and garlic until well combined. Season to taste with salt and ground pepper.
3. In a large serving bowl, combine arugula greens, warm beet slices and apple slices. Toss with about half of the vinaigrette, adding more to taste as desired. Crumble blue cheese over top and serve.
Smokey Blue Cheese-Stuffed Pears & Arugula Greens
Topped with spectacular slices of blue cheese stuffed-pear, this salad always wows guests.
Ingredients:
2 ripe, but firm, red pears, peeled
Juice from ½ lemon
½ cup crumbled Rogue Creamery smokey blue cheese
Arugula greens
½ cup dried cranberries
Fresh ground pepper
F&L pear vinaigrette
Method:
1. Wash each pear, peel and remove stems. Then, using either an apple corer or sharp paring knife, hollow out the center of each pear by inserting your chosen tool into the top of the fruit and pushing down in a circular motion, hollowing out the flesh and seeds, until you’ve reached the bottom. Pack blue cheese crumbles into the cavity, keeping one hand on the bottom of the pear to prevent the cheese from slipping out.
2. Place a generous portion of arugula greens in a serving bowl. Take each pear and slice into ¼-inch slices, revealing the blue cheese center. Place pear rounds on top of greens, drizzle with the vinaigrette and top with dried cranberries.
Frisée Salad with Figs, Grapes and Blue Cheese
Juicy, crisp and cheesy—this salad has it all.
Ingredients:
½ head frisée, cored and thinly sliced
2 cups mixed summer greens
4-6 fresh figs, washed and halved
1 cup grapes, washed and halved
½ cup crumbled blue cheese
Fresh ground pepper
For vinaigrette:
½ cup olive oil
¼ cup white balsamic vinegar
1-2 tablespoons honey
1 garlic clove, finely minced
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
Method:
1. In a small bowl, whisk together the ingredients for the vinaigrette until thoroughly combined. Season to taste with salt and pepper; set aside.
2. On a serving tray arrange the frisee and greens and then top with the figs, grapes and crumbled blue cheese. Drizzle with the white-balsamic vinaigrette and season with additional pepper as desired.
Honey-Roasted Pear Salad with Thyme-Apple Verjus Vinaigrette
This salad is a stunner!
Ingredients:
1 bunch fresh thyme sprigs
4 ripe but firm Bosc pears (about 2 ½ pounds), halved, cored
¼ cup honey
6 cups mixed spring greens, such as this week’s Wrinkled Crinkled Cress, Claytonia and salad mix
6 ounces blue cheese, sliced or coarsely crumbled
½ cup hazelnuts, toasted, coarsely chopped
Dressing:
â…“ cup apple verjus
â…“ cup olive oil
1 large shallot, finely chopped
2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
Method:
1. To prepare the dressing, whisk all ingredients together in a small bowl to blend. Season dressing to taste with salt and pepper.
2. Preheat the oven to 400°. Scatter thyme sprigs on a rimmed baking sheet. Place the pear halves cut side down on a work surface. Starting ½ -inch from stem and leaving the pear half intact, cut each lengthwise into scant ⅓- to 1/2 -inch-wide slices. Press pear gently to fan slices; place atop thyme sprigs. Drizzle pears with honey; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake until pears are tender, about 15 minutes. Let stand on a baking sheet at least 30 minutes and up to 3 hours.
3. Combine the greens in a large bowl. Add a drizzle dressing and toss to coat, adding more to taste. Divide the salad among plates and place a pear half on top of the greens. Garnish salads with cheese; sprinkle with nuts.