Fall Salad with Maple-Balsamic Dressing
The maple-balsamic dressing adds a perfect balance of sweetness and tang, enhanced by a touch of Dijon mustard. Blending these ingredients creates a creamy, luscious dressing that clings beautifully to each leaf and mix-in.
Ingredients
- Salad:
- Baby spinach leaves 10 ounces
- Diced apple fresh and crisp
- Sharp Cheddar cheese diced
- Dried cranberries
- Pecans chopped
Instructions
- Balsamic vinegar
- Pure maple syrup
- Dijon mustard
- Extra-virgin olive oil
- Salt and ground black pepper, to taste
- Instructions
- In a spacious salad bowl, combine the baby spinach, diced apple, sharp Cheddar cheese, dried cranberries, and chopped pecans. Gently toss the ingredients to ensure an even mix.
- For the dressing, blend together the balsamic vinegar, pure maple syrup, and Dijon mustard in a blender on medium speed. While blending, pour in the olive oil steadily to create a smooth, emulsified dressing. Add salt and pepper to taste, blending until creamy and well combined. Drizzle the dressing over the salad, toss lightly, and serve immediately.
Notes
Cook's Note: For convenience, you may tear the baby spinach leaves if a smaller leaf size is preferred.