Spring salad anyone? A light option to replace your lunch meal, according to the Spring Detox plan, maybe? Or you just fancy something quick, refreshing with a zingy note that can bring some spring flavour to your lunch? This fresh and crunchy apple salad is the perfect recipe to enjoy a light meal, but still flavoursome and intriguing, not your usual boring salad for sure!
My signature salad
This recipe is one I learnt many years ago, I think I found it in some cooking magazine in my teens, and began preparing it as my signature contribution dish to picnic and friends gathering, where everybody would bring something! (Yes, that’s so “me” bringing a salad to a gathering with friends… But I figured somebody had to think to the healthy bit of the food!?)
Well, believe it or not, the salad was very popular indeed! Thanks of course to the frankfurters, that I believe count as a sort of party food, and the zingy dressing, that ties all the flavour perfectly together, enhancing just the right notes.
Lost in time
All of a sudden, for no reason I can recollect, I stopped preparing it. For almost 20 years I had practically forgot about it, and then a few months ago, I just remembered the recipe out of the blue. I asked myself why on heart have I stopped preparing it, and I gave it a go.
I loved it even more than I remember, and there you go! I thought it might be the perfect addition to my recipe section.
Nutritional benefits explained
This fresh and crunchy apple salad is not only tasty but it contains a good variety of vegetables, providing a very good vitamin K and calcium, and it adds a bit of peppery to the sweetness of the carrots. (want to know more about the nutrients contained in rockets? Read here! )
Carrots are good for their beta-carotene content (that is then transformed into Vitamin A), and are very low in calories.
The apple, in addition to its low calories content, is rich fibre and in antioxidants: it contains quercetin, a powerful flavonoid that has an anti-inflammatory and antitumoral properties. Furthermore, its crunchiness mixed with the other ingredients really “makes” this salad.
Walnuts are a source of omega 3 fat acids and of proteins and are rich in potassium, selenium and vitamin E.
Well, the frankfurters top up the protein part of the meal, and add of course flavour!
Fresh and Crunchy Apple Salad Recipe
Ingredients:
(Serves 3)
150g rockets
3 big carrots
2 medium royal gala apples (braedburn are fine too)
60g of walnuts
200g of frankfurters
For the dressing:
English mustard
1 lemon
EVO oil
A pinch of salt
Preparation
Thinly slice the frankfurters, and place them in a pan with just a little bit of oil to cook them. Leave them on a low fire for a few minutes, until they are slightly coloured.
In the meantime, cut the rocket, then add finely sliced carrots. Peel and dice the apples, add them on top, and then add the crumbled walnuts.
At this point the frankfurters should be ready, add them as well and then get ready to prepare the dressing.
Mixing the dressing
In a small bowl mix the freshly squeezed half lemon juice, a good amount of English mustard, and a bit of olive oil. Add a pinch of salt, and mix it until you reach a good homogenous and velvety texture.
Taste the dressing to decide if you want to add a bit of lemon or oil to balance the flavour, and then dress the salad!
Serve it alone for a light lunch, and a low carb diet, or with sourdough toast on the side, for a balanced meal, and… Buon appetito!
Fancy trying out this recipe? Let me know in the comments below!
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