Leek and Apple Salad

By Maverick19

This salad tastes better the longer it sits. Letting the leeks marinate in their own dressing brings out their sweetness and flavor. I also prefer to ROAST the leeks in the oven in evoo, but you can make this with raw leeks as well.

Ingredients

• Dressing:
• 1-2 small/medium sized apples (i prefer fuji for sweet or granny smith for tart)
• 3-4 medium sized leeks, whites and greens
• 1/4 cup pecans, toasted (you can also use walnuts)
• 1/4 cup dried cranberries or goji berries or raisins (i like the berries the best)
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• juice of 1 lemon
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 2 tsp dijon mustard
• 2 tsp honey
• 1.5 Tbsp greek yogurt (optional)

Preparation

Step 1

1. Prep your leeks. Slice your leeks thin and rinse them well. (You can use the leeks raw, OR if you don't like the strong onion flavor, Roast them or blanch them first.)

2. While the leeks are draining, slice the apples very thin, or dice them small. Toss the apples into a large bowl and add the juice of half a lemon on top to prevent browning. Add the leeks and dried cranberries and stir well.

3. Make the dressing. In a bowl, mix the olive oil, salt, pepper, other half of the lemon, dijon and honey, and mix until it's well incorporated. (Add the yogurt now if you are using it). Pour the dressing into the bowl with the leeks and apples and mix well.

4. Add the toasted pecans (or walnuts), mix well and serve.