Cranberry, Apple, & Blue Cheese Salad w/ Cranberry-Apple Cider Dressing

By vealam

Say hello to the flavors of fall in this fast, easy, and healthy salad loaded with textures galore. There are sweet honeycrisp apples, chewy orange-flavored dried cranberries, salty blue cheese (or try gorgonzola or feta), and crunchy candied pecans. The easy dressing comes together in 30 seconds. It's a tart-and-sweet blend of dried cranberries, apple cider vinegar, honey, and olive oil. The salad is great for lunch, as a healthy and fast dinner, or as a gorgeous side at holiday celebrations and parties.

Ingredients

• Salad:
• 4 cups butter lettuce (romaine or your favorite blend of greens may be substituted)
• 1 cup honeycrisp apples, diced (from about 1 medium apple; Fuji, Gala, Braeburn, etc. may be substituted)
• 3/4 cup orange-flavored dried cranberries (regular dried cranberries may be substituted)
• 3/4 cup candied Fisher pecans (use this recipe to make the candied nuts; other candied nuts or your favorite nuts may be substituted)
• 3/4 cup blue cheese crumbles (gorgonzola or feta cheese may be substituted)
• Dressing:
• 1/2 cup orange-flavored dried cranberries (regular dried cranberries may be substituted)
• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
• 2 to 4 tablespoons honey
• 2 to 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper, or to taste

Preparation

Step 1

Salad:
To a large bowl, add the lettuce, and top with apples, cranberries, pecans, and cheese. All amounts are flexible, add more or less of each topping based on personal preferences. Set aside.

Dressing:
To the canister of a blender, add all ingredients, and blend on high power for about 30 seconds, or until combined. The cranberries won't break down completely and having some texture retained is okay. The amount of honey needed will vary based on how sweet or tart the cranberries are and on personal preference. I prefer less oil rather than more, but add to taste. Taste dressing and make any necessary flavor adjustments (more salt, pepper, etc.). Drizzle over salad and serve immediately. Extra dressing will keep airtight in the fridge for up to 1 week.