Dinner

Fall Harvest Salad With Champagne Apple Cider Vinaigrette

Serves 8 Dinner

A go-to recipe from my personal kitchen notebook — structured for clarity so it’s easy to cook from your laptop, tablet, or phone.

Ingredients

Salad: 2 dozen brussels sprouts (shaved)
3 small beets (peeled & cubed)
1 small butternut squash (peeled & cubed)
1/4 cup quinoa
1 1/2 apples (cubed)
1/2 cup blue cheese
1/2 cup pecans
olive oil (for roasting and pan-frying); Vinaigrette: 2 tbsp champagne apple cider vinegar
1/2 apple
2 garlic cloves
2 tbsp Dijon mustard
2 tbsp maple syrup
1/2 cup olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

1

Preheat your oven to 400°F and line a sheet pan with foil.
2

Peel the beets and squash, then cut them into 1-inch cubes.
3

Toss with 1–2 tbsp olive oil, salt, and pepper.
4

Roast for 10–15 minutes (toss halfway through) until tender.
5

Prepare the crispy quinoa: cook quinoa according to package instructions.
6

In a non-stick pan over medium-high heat, add 1 tbsp olive oil and the cooked quinoa.
7

Season with salt and pepper and cook in a flat layer for 3–5 minutes; toss and flatten again, cooking an additional 3–5 minutes until golden and crispy.
8

While the veggies roast and quinoa crisps, cube the apples, roughly chop the pecans, and shave the brussels sprouts.
9

For the vinaigrette, place 1/2 apple and 2 garlic cloves in a food processor; blend until finely chopped.
10

Add the champagne apple cider vinegar, Dijon mustard, maple syrup, olive oil, and a pinch of salt and pepper.
11

Blend until smooth and creamy.
12

In a large bowl, toss the shaved brussels sprouts with half of the vinaigrette.
13

Add the roasted beets, squash, apples, pecans, blue cheese, and crispy quinoa.
14

Drizzle with the remaining dressing and gently toss to combine.
15

Serve immediately or refrigerate, adding blue cheese and freshly crisped quinoa just before serving.