Apple Strawberry Salad

This is a great way to enjoy your day by preparing an easy and delicious apple strawberry salad. A light salad recipe that has a combination of apples, strawberries, nuts, and greens that will surely be a hit. A complete meal with a variety of proteins, fats, and carbs.

What is? (History/Background)

Salads have been a favorite choice for everyone who wants to enjoy a complete meal without having a long preparation, especially for those who are in the fast-paced work of life. There are different kinds of salads depending on what ingredients or proteins should be included. Salads can either be vegan-friendly or even with slices of meat as part of the totality of the salad. There are also those salads that cater to specific diet preferences, such as vegetarianism.

Regardless of any diet restrictions, salads should be easy, delicious, and full of flavor. There are two parts to any salad recipe, the dressing, and the salad mix. The dressing is a combination of oil and any acid and is not just limited to lemon or any citrus. The ratio between fat and acid is three to one (3:1). Acid and oil don’t mix due to differences in molecules and density (scientific kinds of stuff). Oil such as extra-virgin olive oil and regular olive oils are best to use on salads as they have a buttery tone and contain monounsaturated fats that are good for your health and the heart.

Salad mix can be a range of different ingredients, but green leafy veggies should be included in the mix to counter-balance the acidity of the dressing. For most parts, a salad mix should be composed of proteins, greens, carbs, and ingredients with high dietary fiber.

Tips and Procedure

• The dressing can be prepared ahead and once the salad is ready, just shake it until emulsified. Oil and vinegar don’t mix well as regular liquids do, and it splits again after a couple of hours. If preparing this mixture and finding that it separates, just shake it again until emulsified.
• You may use different nuts, such as walnuts, pecans, or peanuts. Make sure to chop them before adding them to the salad

Select the freshest strawberries by picking the bright red that has a shiny gloss on the skin. The top crown leaves should still be dark green with no discoloration spots.

How To Make

Prepare the following ingredients beforehand:

• romaine lettuce head, remove the core and chopped
• strawberries, remove the top leaves
• medium apples, cored and diced
• yellow bell pepper, deseeded and sliced
• chopped cashews
• goat cheese, crumbled
• olive oil
• lemon, juiced
• salt & ground white pepper

Add lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and ground white pepper to a mason jar. Close the lid and shake until emulsified.

Slice the strawberries in half and place them in a mixing bowl.

Add the remaining ingredients to the bowl. Pour the dressing over and slowly mix the salad. Serve immediately.

FAQs

• What does it taste like? The salad has a combination of different textures and taste profiles. It has a lemony mouthfeel with various sweet and tangy flavors of apples and strawberries. It is then balanced with the leafy lettuce.
• What needs to expect? The apples will oxidize once you cut them and turn brownish. To prevent oxidization, you can drizzle the sliced apples with a little bit of lemon juice.
• What is the best substitute for goat cheese? There are four essential substitutes for goat cheese, depending on your desire. There are cream cheese, feta cheese, labneh, and ricotta cheese. However, feta cheese is the best substitute among the four mentioned substitutes, considering that it can be crumbled into salads. The other three kinds of cheese are good for spreading into toast.
• Can I use frozen strawberries? Unfortunately, for this recipe, you should refrain from using frozen strawberries. It is best to use the freshest that you can get.