I thought I would lighten things up a little and share one of our favorite salads before the visual and actual chocolate coma coming up next week for Valentine’s Day.

My friend Mary recommended me to buy smoked almonds since we both love smoked rice. They’re incredible on their own but they are also amazing to use on different recipes, they add a hint of that deep smoke flavor to your recipes.

I got inspired by Giada to use them with apples on a salad.

The sweetness of the apples balances the salty crunch of the smoked almonds. I also added some gorgonzola cheese, pumpernickel croutons, and pomegranate seeds, all on baby greens dressed with balsamic dijon vinaigrette.

I love to have this salad as a light lunch or as a side dish for dinner.

We have been having it on repeat almost every week! And just by writing this post I start craving it.

I don’t know which ones are your favorite apples, mine are yellow apples or Ambrosia. They’re so refreshing, crisp and with a delicious aftertaste! I love the fact that they’re so good for baking as well.

I get always asked if I use a mandolin to slice my apples (and cucumber) but it depends on the number of items I need to slice.  For one apple I just use a very sharp knife. If I need to slice a lot of veggies then yes, I use the mandolin – which I love by the way.

If you don’t like gorgonzola you can perfectly replace it with goat cheese, parmesan or any other cheese you prefer. If you’re vegan you can use mozzarella style cheese.

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Apple Salad with Smoked Almonds and Gorgonzola

Yield: 2 servings as a main dish / 4 as a side dish

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Sweet and crisp​ apples mixed with salty and crunchy smoked almonds, gorgonzola cheese on baby greens dressed on balsamic dijon vinaigrette. The perfect salad for any season!

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Ingredients

For the Salad

• 1 apple - I used an Ambrosia Apple
• 7 oz of baby lettuce or baby greens
• 4 oz of gorgonzola cheese
• 1/3 cup of smoked almonds
• 2 tbsp of pomegranate seeds
• the juice of 1/2 lemon

For the Vinaigrette

• 1/3 cup of olive oil
• 3 tbs of balsamic vinegar
• 1 to 2 tsp of dijon mustard - to taste
• 1/2 tsp of salt and black pepper

Instructions

1. Place 2 cups of water in a medium bowl and add the juice of the half lemon.
2. Thinly slice the apples and place them in the bowl with lemon juice.
3. Whisk the olive oil with the vinegar, balsamic vinegar, mustard, salt and pepper in a small container.
4. Place the lettuce on the salad plate. Remove apples from the water and dry them using a paper towel.
5. Arrange the apples on top of the salad. Add the cheese, pomegranate seeds, croutons, cheese and almonds (I like to sprinkle some salt and pepper on the salad too)
6. Add the dressing just before serving and enjoy!

Did you make this recipe?

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