Apple season is here! I’m usually so sad to see summer and its glorious produce go, but I’m actually looking forward to slowing down this fall. I’m going to bust out my cozy jackets and boots from their hiding places and take my dog Cookie out to admire the changing leaves. To celebrate the beginning of fall, I made a big kale salad with chopped apple and a lemony maple and mustard dressing. Goat cheese, cranberries and savory granola—yes, granola on a salad—round it out and make this salad a full meal.
I’m fully smitten with this granola-as-croutons concept, since I never have a loaf of crusty bread when I need it. You can toss it together in no time at all, and you’ll end up with plenty for two salads. As you’ve probably heard already, old-fashioned oats offer a number of beneficial qualities—they’re a good source of fiber, vitamins and minerals—so these croutons are more redeeming than most.
Let’s talk about how to modify this salad to take advantage of the extra produce you might find yourself with this season. You can replace the apples with roasted vegetables (sweet potato and Brussels sprouts are great), the kale with chopped spinach, and the goat cheese with cheddar or Parmesan. With those granola croutons, you can’t go wrong! Please let me know how your recipe turns out in the comments! I love hearing from you.
1 cup old-fashioned oats ½ cup roughly chopped pecans ½ cup raw pepitas (hulled pumpkin seeds) ½ cup raw sunflower seeds ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon Pinch of cayenne pepper 1 large egg white, beaten 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 1 tablespoon maple syrup or honey
Lemony maple mustard dressing
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 1 tablespoon lemon juice 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon smooth Dijon mustard 1 tablespoon maple syrup or honey Hefty pinch of fine sea salt Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Kale salad
1 large bunch or 2 small bunches (12 ounces) curly green kale 1 medium Honeycrisp, Granny Smith or Fuji apple 2 ounces chilled goat cheese, crumbled (about ½ cup) ¼ cup chopped dried cranberries
Make it vegan: Omit the egg white and omit the goat cheese or replace it with a diced avocado. Make it dairy free: Omit the goat cheese or replace it with a diced avocado. Make it gluten free: Use certified gluten-free oats.
