Green Apple Salad is a crisp, refreshing salad that combines tart Granny Smith apples, crunchy celery, toasted walnuts, and a bright lemon-Dijon dressing. The apples and celery provide plenty of crunch, while the toasted walnuts add a rich, nutty flavor. Optional dried cranberries add a touch of sweetness.
The lemon juice and Dijon dressing gives this salad a wonderful sweet-and-tangy balance, while also helping keep the freshly cut apples from turning brown. It’s quick enough for lunch and makes a refreshing side dish for dinner or a picnic.
Green Apple Salad
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice fresh-squeezed
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoons Agave Nectar or Sweetener of your choice
- 6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 6 stalks celery large stalks with leaves
- 2 each apples large Granny Smith salt to taste
- ½ cup walnuts toasted then chopped
- cranberries optional reduced sugar dried
Instructions
- In a small bowl, whisk together the fresh lemon juice, Dijon mustard, sweetener, and olive oil. Set the dressing aside.
- Working with one apple at a time, cut each apple into quarters. Remove the peel and seeds, then cut each quarter in half crosswise and slice into thin wedges.
- Toss the apple slices with a small amount of the dressing as soon as they are cut to help prevent them from browning.
- Toast the walnuts in a dry skillet over medium-high heat for about 2 minutes, or until fragrant and lightly toasted. Transfer to a plate to cool.
- Wash the celery stalks and dry them thoroughly. Separate the leaves from the stalks. Chop enough celery leaves to make about ½ cup.
- Thinly slice the celery stalks, enough to make about 2–3 cups.
- In a large bowl, combine the sliced celery, chopped celery leaves, and apples with their dressing. Toss gently to combine.
- Add more dressing as needed, just enough to moisten the apples and celery without making the salad overly wet. You may not need all of the dressing.
- Season with salt to taste.
- Coarsely chop the toasted walnuts and add them to the salad along with the dried cranberries, if using. Gently toss to combine and serve.
Nutrition Disclaimer
Art of Cooking Recipes (Paulson Pursuits} is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
