Fall is supposed to be the time when we think of roast beef dinners, cinnamon rolls, and soups. We get all cozied up by a roaring fire and watch the leaves turn and begin the countdown to Christmas. But it doesn’t mean that that’s all we can think about. As I prepared my menu for the show, I knew I needed something healthy, not only for the sake of the show, but also for the sake of my waistline! Instantly I went to a salad. But a salad in the fall? Seems odd. Seems weird. So I thought a lot about how I could take a traditionally summer plate and bring it into the wonders of fall. I knew instantly… apples, pomegranates and feta cheese.

The best part of a salad is that no matter when you make it, there are so many options from the lettuce you use to the dressing that accompanies it. That’s one of the things I really wanted to show you guys in all the things I cooked. Yes, there’s a recipe to follow. But at the end of the day, you have to do what feels right to you. So if you like oranges and goat cheese…use oranges and goat cheese! Dried Cherries and blue cheese would be an excellent choice too! Go with your gut, it won’t often steer you wrong, especially when it comes to food.

Okay, so this fall salad is fresh, simple, and can be tossed together in no time. What’s not to love about that?

What you’ll need for the salad is:

1 bag of lettuce or 1 head of Lettuce

1-2 Granny Smith Apples

1 Pomegranate

½ cup of Feta cheese

½ cup of Walnuts

For the dressing:

¾ cup of Olive Oil

¼ cup of Balsamic Vinegar

2-3 TBS of Honey (more of less depending on your desired sweetness level)

The dressing is one that can be made a head of time. Pour your oil, vinegar, and honey into a bowl and whisk together until combined. Set aside or cover and place in refrigerator.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and bake your walnuts for 10 minutes, take out and set aside. When cooled, rough chop and place in a bowl.

For your salad, chop lettuce if not already pre-chopped. Place in large bowl. Chop your apple into bite sized pieces, place in the same bowl as the lettuce. Now begins the tricky part. The pomegranate. I was honestly terrified to cut into it. I did not want to stain my mom’s counter top and on top of that, I had several thousand people watching me…it was game time! Thankfully I got it on the first try. But if it doesn’t work out on your first try, don’t lose heart. Try, try again.

Once your pomegranate is open, begin to remove the seeds and place on top of your lettuce. Then add your chopped walnuts and feta cheese. Here’s the fun part, now you get to toss it all together. If your hands are clean, you can toss it all together with your hands. If they aren’t clean, you can toss it with tongs. Even if they aren’t clean, I’m not there to know, so you can do whatever you want! Another way to put your salad together is on individual plates. First you would put your lettuce, then apple, pomegranate, walnuts, cheese, and finally dressing. I do enjoy putting it together that way, because you can make a really pretty plate that way. But either way, it’s going to taste great.

Now you’re ready. Did you ever think you’d be enjoying a salad in the fall? Probably not, but I’m guessing you’re happy you are!

Thanks so much for following along. Can’t wait to see what you’ve made!

~I’ll see you guys next time!