APPLE, BEET & FENNEL SALAD + BALSAMIC MAPLE-DIJON VINAIGRETTE
Earthy beets, sweet apple and unmistakable flavor of fennel all dressed with a flavorful vinaigrette and topped with candied walnuts. This is one of those unusual dishes that turned out to be fantastic. It’s a flavor sensation!
Apple, Beet & Fennel Salad
Having a fennel and beet sitting in the fridge, I set out to put them to good use. A quick google search brought me to a few various recipes, some of which included my favorite apple, the Fuji. And so this salad was born!
To be honest, I don’t really care for beets much but am trying to work them into my lifestyle, and this salad was perfect. The beets and all the flavors come together beautifully.
When I’m looking to add beets into my meal rotation this will be my go-to salad. You could also use golden beets too. I experimented with a yellow beet and it was just as colorful and tasty as well.
The maple pecans add a nice touch and are a must. I can’t imagine making this salad without all of the ingredients as they each add their own special touch, but you can adjust to suit your flavor palate.
I’m looking forward to more of this in the future using some of the other colored beets again as well. I hope you enjoy this salad as much as I did. Cheers :)
APPLE, BEET & FENNEL SALAD + BALSAMIC MAPLE-DIJON VINAIGRETTE
Earthy beets, sweet apple and unmistakable flavor of fennel all dressed with a flavorful vinaigrette and topped with candied walnuts. It’s a flavor sensation!
- Prep Time: 20 min
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: Serves 2 - 3 1x
- Category: Salad
- Cuisine: Vegan
Ingredients
Candied Walnuts
- 3/4 cup walnuts
- 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
Salad
- 1 red beet (uncooked), peeled and julienned (or grated)
- 1 fennel bulb, thinly sliced (save a few fronds reserved for garnish, if any)
- 1 Fuji apple, or hard crisp apple or pear of choice, cored and diced (or grated)
- small handful of mint leaves, roughly chopped
- arugula or spinach, to serve (optional)
Balsamic Maple Dijon Vinaigrette
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
- 1 heaping teaspoon Dijon or stone ground mustard
- salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Line a small rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or a silpat. Place nuts in the center, drizzle with maple syrup and using your finger, mix well to coat. Place in a single layer. Cook for about 10 minutes, set aside to cool. Maple will be caramelized on the nuts and your home will be smelling oh so good at this point!
In a small bowl combine the ingredients for the vinaigrette, whisk until well blended adding, add salt and pepper to taste.
Prepare your vegetables, fruit and herbs. Place them in a medium size mixing bowl, add the vinaigrette and mix well.
Serve on a small bed of arugula or spinach, garnish with nuts and a few fennel fronds. Enjoy this nutritious and delicious salad!
Serves 2 – 3
NOTES:
Since red beets tend to be pretty messy to work with, you may like to use golden beets instead. You may also consider using apple cider vinegar in place of the balsamic so the dark color of the balsamic doesn’t discolor your lighter colored beets.
I have loved your site for years and last Christmas my mom needed a salad idea so I started reading off your recipes. She was sold on the first one so we made the Beet and Fennel for our family. This year the APPLE, BEET & FENNEL SALAD returned to dinners at both sides of the family (to all of our excitement). Thanks for up keeping such an amazing blog, your truly and inspiration and bring people AMAZING food that they can feel good about. Thank you!!!!!
Thank you so much the kind words! I’m so happy everyone enjoyed this recipe. It’s so simple, and delicious!
Happy Holidays to you and yours! Cheers :)
We are in HEAVEN with this fabulous salad! Instead of doing up the nuts with maple syrup, I just added two handfuls of raw pumpkin seeds. It was still delicious.
I love your site Julie, lots of great recipes and so easy to make.
i made this last weekend for my dad- he loved it! i am not a fan of beets or arugula, but ate a full bowl of this tasty salad! i did not make the dijon vinegrette-i simply used oil and vinegar-but it was yummy all the same. thanks for inspiring me to make things i normally would not touch!
ps- i used fresh beets, and they were a challenge to peel and grate-and they stained everything-so be sure to quickly wash all utensils and counters!!
I'm so glad you gave this a try! I'm going to have to make it again soon myself, it is so delicious!
Red beets are very messy. I would also suggest using golden beets instead for less of a mess. :)
How do you prepare the beet?
I peeled and grated it. Feel free to dice it up as well…will be less messy!
I've always wanted to try fennel on my salads, it's so pretty if nothing else. This may be the salad I finally try it on! Love the idea of grating the beets too. Great post!
Thank you Angela. I agree that fennel is so pretty…I love the way its looks, green and white with its light and airy fronds. Hope you get a chance to try this one…I was pleasantly surprised myself. The first I had it I just added a bit of salt, pepper and a drizzle of maple syrup, I thought it was good that way too but the extra ingredients really add different levels and are tasty. It may even be good with just the olive oil and balsamic too. Lots of ways to vary it up and make it to your liking. Cheers to good eats :)