Spicy Apple-Walnut Salad with Fat-Free Balsamic-Raisin Dressing

There’s an unwritten rule of food blogging that says, “When you don’t have anything else to write about, blog your lunch.” Or at least that’s been my formerly unwritten rule, and it’s served me well because it’s led me to create some of my favorite lunches: Balsamic-Glazed Chickpeas and Mustard Greens, Hot Skillet Salad, and Sea-sational Chickpea Salad, among others. I have a tendency to get more creative with my lunch when I suspect I may be sharing it with the world.

But I didn’t get creative this time. What you see before you is the salad that I have three or four times a week, and the only special thing I did to it was to use some beautiful lettuces I got from the farmers’ market instead of my usual romaine:

Pretty Speckled Lettuce from the High Heeled Hippie at MS Farmers’ Market

But even if it’s not super creative, I’m so addicted to this salad that I just had to share.

I don’t know exactly when it happened, but sometime after reading Eat to Live and deciding to eat Mega-Huge salads almost every day, I grew to like my salads spicy. I started with strictly spicy salads like Taco Salad, and somewhere along the way I fell in love with the combination of sweet and spicy. There’s something about biting into a crisp, sweet chunk of apple while my mouth is pulsating with heat that makes eating a salad more exciting than it has any right to be. My current favorite salad seasoning is Vulcan’s Fire Salt, a fiery, habanero-infused salt from The Spice House that I think tastes great on salads.

Don’t worry–I’m not going to make you buy some special seasoning just to make this salad. I’m sure heat lovers will love it with diced jalapenos or even Creole seasoning. And if you’re not a fan of the burning mouth, you can go mild and just omit the peppers and I won’t think any less of you. Or just try the dressing, which is fat-free, refined sugar-free, soy-free, and preservative-free–so you can use it freely.

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5 from 10 votes

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Spicy Apple-Walnut Salad with Fat-Free Balsamic-Raisin Dressing

The sweetness from apples and raisins combined with the spice of jalapeño makes this unusual salad a total delight.

Prep Time 10 minutes

Total Time 10 minutes

Servings 1

Author Susan Voisin

Ingredients

• 5 cups romaine lettuce about 1 romaine heart, chopped5 cups romaine lettuce about 1 romaine heart, chopped
• 2 cups baby spinach2 cups baby spinach
• 1/2 cup clover sprouts, alfalfa sprouts, or broccoli slaw1/2 cup clover sprouts, alfalfa sprouts, or broccoli slaw
• 2 tablespoons Fat-Free Balsamic-Raisin Vinaigrette or other dressing, see below2 tablespoons Fat-Free Balsamic-Raisin Vinaigrette or other dressing, see below
• 1 small apple chopped1 small apple chopped
• 1/2 cup cooked chickpeas or your choice of beans1/2 cup cooked chickpeas or your choice of beans
• 1 tablespoon chopped walnuts1 tablespoon chopped walnuts
• 1 tablespoon raisins1 tablespoon raisins
• 1/2 jalapeno chile stemmed, seeded and finely diced --add more or less to taste*1/2 jalapeno chile stemmed, seeded and finely diced --add more or less to taste*
• additional dressing to tasteadditional dressing to taste

Instructions

• Combine the lettuce, spinach, and sprouts or broccoli slaw in a large salad bowl and toss well with balsamic dressing. Top with the remaining ingredients and drizzle with a little more dressing, if desired.

Notes

Instead of the jalapeno, you can use any spicy seasoning or salt. My current favorite is The Spice House's Vulcan's Fire Salt, an extra-spicy blend made with habanero peppers.

The nutritional count below includes walnuts, which contribute 48 calories and 4.6 grams of fat.

Nutrition Facts

Spicy Apple-Walnut Salad with Fat-Free Balsamic-Raisin Dressing

Amount Per Serving (1 salad)

Calories 377 Calories from Fat 77

% Daily Value*

Fat 8.5g13%

Sodium 96mg4%

Carbohydrates 66g22%

Fiber 18g75%

Sugar 31g34%

Protein 14.5g29%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Nutritional info is approximate.

Course Salad

Cuisine Oil-Free, Vegan

Tried this recipe?Post a photo to Instagram and tag @susanffvk!

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5 from 10 votes

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Fat-Free Balsamic-Raisin Vinaigrette

You can make this dressing sweeter by using apple or white grape juice instead of water. Or add a little spiciness by mixing in a tablespoon of spicy mustard. Or add creaminess by blending in a teaspoon of tahini or a tablespoon of raw cashews.

Prep Time 10 minutes

Total Time 10 minutes

Servings 12

Author Susan Voisin

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup white balsamic vinegar1/2 cup white balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 cup water1/2 cup water
• 1/4 cup golden raisins see note below1/4 cup golden raisins see note below
• 1 large clove garlic1 large clove garlic
• 1 teaspoon basil1 teaspoon basil
• 1 teaspoon oregano1 teaspoon oregano
• 2 tablespoons Meyer lemon juice or 1 tablespoon regular lemon juice2 tablespoons Meyer lemon juice or 1 tablespoon regular lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons Chia seeds2 teaspoons Chia seeds
• 1 teaspoon mellow white miso or salt to taste1 teaspoon mellow white miso or salt to taste

Instructions

• Combine all ingredients in a blender and process on high speed until liquified. Pour into a storage container and refrigerate until thickened slightly. Stir or shake well before using.

Notes

If you're not using a high-powered blender such as the VitaMix, you may get smoother results by soaking the raisins in the water until they are plump and then blending.

Nutrition Facts

Fat-Free Balsamic-Raisin Vinaigrette

Amount Per Serving (2 tablespoons)

Calories 28 Calories from Fat 2

% Daily Value*

Fat 0.2g0%

Sodium 21mg1%

Potassium 41mg1%

Carbohydrates 5g2%

Sugar 3.5g4%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Nutritional info is approximate.

Course Salad Dressing

Cuisine Oil-Free, Vegan

Tried this recipe?Post a photo to Instagram and tag @susanffvk!

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