Try this delicious fall harvest salad loaded with seasonal ingredients. Dairy free, gluten free and drizzled with a tasty homemade Almond Apple Dijon Dressing! 

The Ultimate Fall Harvest Salad

 

Making beautiful, bright, abundant chopped salads for a crowd is one of my favorite things to do when I get invited to a dinner or am hosting a gathering myself. There’s something about bringing out my massive serving bowl and filling it to the brim with nutritious greens, veggies, fruits, nuts, seeds, etc. that really brings out my artistic side.

I’ve actually had friends/family watch as the salad comes to life and say “how did you do that?!” as if it were a big feat, but honestly it’s so easy to create a show stopping masterpiece salad (even though it may look like a labor of love).

I created this Fall Harvest Salad several years ago when my Mom was having a big 60th birthday bash (she’s a Harvest Moon baby), and I remember my aunts ooo-ing and ahhh-ing as I set it out among the rest of the dishes. 

They keys to making a masterpiece chopped salad recipe any time of year is to use 5-6 seasonal toppings that contrast in color and texture and whip up a delicious homemade dressing. Simply layer the toppings over a bed of greens then drizzle with dressing just before serving and you’ll have a stunning salad that’s a total crowd pleaser. 

Ingredients in Fall Harvest Salad

 

This salad contains a wonderful mixture of seasonal ingredients;

• mixed greens
• roasted sweet potatoes (I usually make these ahead of time)
• chopped beets (using the pre-cooked beets from the store is a big time-saver!)
• crisp apples
• ripe pears
• pumpkin seeds
• chopped pecans
• crumbled feta (I used dairy-free)
• dried cranberries (I completely forgot to put add cranberries when I made this salad for the photos #mombrain, but they are a must)
• fresh dill

 

While I didn’t do it for this recipe you can definitely add grilled chicken or salmon to add an extra dose of protein and make it even more of a meal (the Cuisinart Griddler 5 from The Brick is great for easy indoor grilling!).

This particular combination of fall ingredients creates a tasty mix of flavours and textures; sweet, savory, filling, and nutritious. 

Almond Apple Dijon Dressing 

 

The rich and creamy Almond Apple Dijon Dressing is so creamy and delicious. It has a sweet and rich flavour with a little bit of tanginess.

Here’s what you’ll need to make it:

• almond butter
• applesauce
• dijon mustard
• olive oil
• pure honey
• apple cider vinegar

To make the dressing I used the ultimate kitchen tool I got from The Brick (their small kitchen appliance selection is top notch!) that makes the dreamiest dressings (and many other things too, we’ll get to that in a minute!). The KitchenAid 2-Speed Hand Blender saves mixing time and muscle as it whips, blends, purees and crushes ingredients in a matter of seconds.

It’s an incredibly sturdy and sleek immersion blender that has a great soft-grip handle and comes with a dishwasher-safe jar and lid for storing dressings, sauces, and purees. I’m not going to lie…I felt like a legit badass chef with my immersion blender mixing up this almond apple dijon dressing to perfection! 

The KitchenAid 2-Speed Hand Blender can also be used to make healthy homemade baby food, soups, smoothies, and sauces. When I shared about it over on Instagram stories I received tons of messages from others who absolutely love this must-have kitchen tool. 

The delicious almond apple dressing works perfectly with the ingredients in the fall harvest salad and it can even be served warm! If you’ve never had a slightly warmed dressing over salad, fall is definitely the time to try it. 

With this season comes Thanksgiving and there will always be birthdays and other gatherings to attend, so this salad is a perfect option for any occasion (or for no occasion at all…any old day of the week is opportunity enough for this delicious salad!).

What would be your choice ingredients to add to a Fall Harvest Salad? Tell me about it in the comments section and be sure to pin the photo below to save this recipe for later! 

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Have a wonderful Sunday, 

 

DISCLAIMER: THIS POST WAS MADE IN PARTNERSHIP AND SPONSORED BY THE BRICK. ALL THOUGHTS AND OPINIONS ARE MY OWN.