Apple, Sweet Potato, Maple and Dijon Salad

Dang, guys: it’s October!! And that means it’s starting to actually feel like fall in the Midwest. 

I’m a firm believer that even though the temps are starting to drop, a refreshing salad still has a place at the table. Especially when it’s this easy to make, good salad is an anytime food. 

For this particular salad, I really channeled the flannel and fireplace vibes. With apples, pecans and maple syrup this recipe just screams fall. 

Let me know what you’re doing to get in the fall mood and don’t forget to follow the sustainability tips below!

Ingredients

dressing (adapted from Food Network)

• 2 tablespoons maple syrup

• 2 tablespoon Dijon mustard

• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

• 1/3 cup olive oil

• Salt and pepper to taste

salted maple roasted walnuts

• 2 cups pecans

• 2 tablespoons maple syrup

• Generous sprinkling of salt

salad

• 2 large tart apples

• 2 medium sweet potatoes

• 10 cups mixed greens

Steps

getting dressy

1. Put all dressing ingredients in a small bowl and whisk well until combined. Set in the fridge until ready to use.

topping it off

1. Preheat your oven to 425 F. Place your pecans in a small bowl and coat with maple syrup, stirring to combine. Spread your pecans on a lightly oiled baking sheet.* Sprinkle them with salt and bake for about 5-10 minutes, watching carefully to make sure they don’t burn. Set those aside.  

2. Wash your sweet potatoes, peel them if you fancy and cut them into 1-inch pieces. Lightly coat them in oil and arrange on a baking sheet* so they have plenty of room to breathe. Spreading them out so they’re not touching will help them get those nice crisp edges. Bake them for 35-45 minutes or until nicely brown around the edges, flipping halfway through. 

3. While your taters are baking, chop your apples. I prefer cutting mine into thin slices, but you could cut them into cubes or larger slices if you’d rather. 

putting it all together

1. In a large bowl toss together your greens and most of your apples, sweet potatoes and pecans. Toss with dressing, or save it to serve on the side. Top with remaining ingredients and marvel at its beauty!

Sustainability tips

• Maple syrup: Go as local as possible with your syrup. By doing this, you’re cutting down on how far your syrup needs to travel, which is preventing a bunch of nasty GHGs from getting into the atmosphere.

• Olive oil: Organic and fair trade are the way to go. Read more in my sustainable cooking oils post!

• Pecans: Try to go local with these too. If you don’t live in near an area with pecans, feel free to sub your favorite local nut.

• Apples, Sweet Potatoes, and Greens: Make sure these puppies are in season and then buy them from a farmer you know and love. Both of these things will cut down on travel emissions, and you can ask the farmer all your burning food and crop questions.  

• Baking Sheets: No aluminum foil here! Use compostable parchment or go naked to cut down on waste.