After overindulging at Thanksgiving, we have been in desperate need of healthy and fulfilling lunch and dinner options. We had some leftover Maple Roasted Pecans, and a bunch of extra arugula so I decided to turn those ingredients into a fall salad of arugula, cranberries, maple roasted pecans, apples, and crumbled feta. I dressed the salad with a tangy apple cider vinaigrette, and we had lunch and dinner for a couple of days. This salad can stand alone, or would be a lovely accompaniment to a bowl of vegetable soup or a grilled cheese sandwich. Switch it up and add Maple Roasted Pumpkin Seeds if you don't have pecans!
The Maple Roasted Pecans make a lovely snack so you may want to double the recipe and have some around to snack on. The same goes for the dressing honestly... It's both tangy and sweet and the Papa Joe's Salt is a perfect way to season the dressing. I like to make up a double batch and store the extra dressing in the refrigerator for my future salads.
Because I often have friends and family with various dietary restrictions, I like to slice the apples and add them to a big salad bowl with the arugula, pecans, and dried cranberries. I then leave little dishes of the dressing and feta out for people to add to their salad if they wish. The other option is to toss all of the ingredients together in a large salad bowl and enjoy!
Other delicious vegetarian recipes
- Gnocchi with Mushroom Ragu and Peas
- Farm Share Vegetable Soup
- Maple Roasted Sweet Potato and Black Bean Enchiladas
- Mimi's Sweet Potato Soufflé
- Shaved Brussels Sprouts, Apple, and Cranberry Salad
📖 Recipe
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Apple Cranberry Salad with Feta and Maple Roasted Pecans
Ingredients
Maple Roasted Pecans
- 1 cup pecans
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- ¼ teaspoon Papa Joe's Salt or a mix of salt and pepper
Dijon Apple Cider Vinaigrette
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled and pressed
- ⅓ cup olive oil
- 1 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 tablespoons apple cider
- 1 tablespoons fresh thyme, chopped or other fresh herb you have around
- 2 teaspoons dijon mustard
- 1 pinch Papa Joe's Salt or salt and pepper
Salad
- 1 5 oz package arugula
- 1 large honey crisp apple, thinly sliced any apple will work - I'm currently obsessed with honey crisps
- ½ cup dried cranberries
- ½ cup feta cheese crumbled
Instructions
Maple Roasted Pecans
- Preheat oven to 350° F. Line a quarter sheet pan with parchment paper
- In a small mixing bowl, combine the pecans, Papa Joe's Salt or salt and pepper, maple syrup, and olive oil. Stir to combine.
- Spread evenly onto the sheet pan and drizzle with any remaining liquid from the bowl.
- Roast at 350° F for 10-15 minutes. You will begin to smell a nutty, sweet flavor coming from the oven. This means that they are ready.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool thoroughly. These pecans can be used immediately for the salad or made ahead of time and stored in an airtight container until you are ready to use them.
Dijon Apple Cider Vinaigrette
- In a medium-sized jelly jar or glass measuring cup, combine all dressing ingredients.
- Cover the jar and shake vigorously to mix the dressing. If you are not using a jar, use a whisk to combine the ingredients.
- Season with additional Papa Joe's Salt or salt and pepper if needed.
Salad
- In a large salad bowl, combine arugula, sliced apple, dried cranberries, and feta.
- Top with the cooled, Maple Roasted Pecans. You can choose if you want to add the vinaigrette to the salad now or serve in a pitcher alongside the salad.
April says
Hi! The recipe says “Dijon Apple Cider Vinaigrette” but the ingredients don’t list Dijon. Should Dijon be added?
Maple and Thyme says
H! Yes! There are two teaspoons of dijon mustard in the dressing. I'm not sure what happened but I just updated the recipe. Here is a link to the original dressing recipe too! Sorry about that!! https://mapleandthyme.com/dijon-apple-cider-vinaigrette/