{"id":10955,"date":"2014-11-17T04:00:56","date_gmt":"2014-11-17T09:00:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ourgrandmotherskitchens.com\/?p=10955"},"modified":"2016-11-17T09:33:35","modified_gmt":"2016-11-17T14:33:35","slug":"thanksgiving-harvest-salad","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ourgrandmotherskitchens.com\/?p=10955","title":{"rendered":"Thanksgiving Harvest Salad"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"saladweb\"<\/a><\/p>\n

I love the idea of Thanksgiving: setting aside a day for giving thanks, sharing with those in need, and getting together with loved ones\u2014and of course cooking and talking and eating and laughing together.<\/span><\/p>\n

I\u2019m not always absolutely thrilled by Thanksgiving dinner in practice, however. By the time one consumes a portion of each menu item at most harvest tables, one starts to feel awfully full.<\/span><\/p>\n

My solution to this quandary is to try to include a green salad in the day\u2019s offerings. One can eat a lot of salad and eat only a little of everything else.<\/span><\/p>\n

I made the salad below with pecan oil graciously sent to me by La Tourangelle<\/a>. If you have guests at your table with nut allergies, you may of course use extra-virgin olive oil, but otherwise I think the nut flavor suits this quintessential American holiday.<\/span><\/p>\n

Feel free to add your own favorite ingredients. When my sister-in-law Leigh and I made this salad last year to take to Thanksgiving dinner at our cousins\u2019 home, we served sweet-potato chips<\/a> on the side. People threw them into their salad at the last minute to add crunch.<\/span><\/p>\n

If you\u2019d like to see me make the salad, watch the clip at the bottom of the recipe in which Ashley Kohl and I assemble the salad\u2014after we pop some cranberry-apple crisp<\/a> into the oven.<\/span><\/p>\n

Happy Turkey Day (or as I like to call it, Salad Day!) to all\u2026\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n

\"girlsweb\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The Salad<\/span><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Ingredients:<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

for the dressing:<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

4 tablespoons cider vinegar
\n4 tablespoons maple syrup
\n1\/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
\n1 clove garlic, minced
\n1 teaspoon water
\n1 teaspoon salt
\nground pepper to taste
\n10 tablespoons walnut or pecan oil<\/span><\/p>\n

for the salad:<\/span><\/p>\n

1\/2 pound uncooked spinach leaves (more if you like)
\n1\/2 cup walnut or pecan halves (more if you like)
\n1 apple (your choice, cored and sliced but not peeled)
\n1\/2 small red onion, chopped into rings or pieces
\n1\/2 cup crumbled feta or blue cheese (more if you like; omit for a lighter salad)
\n3 strips cooked bacon, crumbled (optional)
\n1\/4 cup dried cranberries (more if you like)<\/span><\/p>\n

Instructions:<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

First, make the dressing. In a 2-cup mason jar combine the vinegar, maple syrup, mustard, garlic, water, salt and pepper. Shake well. Slowly whisk in the oil.<\/span><\/p>\n

Wash the spinach thoroughly and dry it.<\/span><\/p>\n

Place the nuts in a small frying pan, and toast them over low heat for a few minutes, stirring constantly, to release their oils. Take the pan off the heat.<\/span><\/p>\n

Just before you are ready to eat, slice the apple. In a salad bowl combine the salad ingredients.<\/span><\/p>\n

Shake the dressing, and pour about a quarter of it onto the salad. Toss the salad well but carefully. Serves 6.<\/span><\/p>\n

(You will have enough dressing for several salads. Refrigerate the dressing between uses, and make sure to bring it to room temperature and shake it well before you re-use it.)<\/span><\/p>\n

Here’s the video. (You’ll note that the recipe for cranberry apple crisp<\/a> appears first!)<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n