Apple Spinach Salad

This apple spinach salad is unique and refreshing. The ingredients are simple, but the variations possible with each component are simply marvelous for playing with your food!

Let’s start with the apples. When you go to the market you’ll see whole rows of apples. Which one do you choose? This decision rests heavily on personal tastes.

Types of Apples

Cosmic: Very sweet with slight tartness. Excellent with wine
Envy: Extremely sweet. A good choice for making cider.
Fuji: the sweetest and excellent for salads
Gala: is also sweet and tasty in salads
Golden Delicious: Slightly sweet with a mild apple flavor, good for snacking.
Granny Smith: Very Tart, good on salads
Honeycrisp: Sweet tart with great aromatic appeal
Opal: Fairly sweet with floral notes. It’s good for snacking boards.
Red Delicious: Sweet-tart mix, good in salads.
Pink Lady: Very tart. Good in salads.

Alternative Nuts

If you are not fond of pecans you have other options. Almonds, for example, have a nice texture that brings a different flavor into the mix. Go with slivered.

Cashews: These are crunchy, yet creamy. There’s a rich buttery note. Roasted cashews work well in your salad.

Pistachios: The vibrant green of these nuts makes a feast for the eye.

Walnuts are crunchy and earthy. Use them chopped unless you want to add them whole as a garnish.

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What no Baby Spinach?

How about a peppery arugula? Its texture is very close to that of spinach. Butterhead lettuce has a different texture, but it looks a bit like large-leaf spinach. Baby kale is tender with a structure similar to spinach. Bok Choy is milder and has a nice tender consistency. Finally, purslane bears a strong similarity to spinach with a hint of salt.

Cheese Additions

You can add cheese to this salad if you wish. Options include cheddar, fontina, parmesan, feta, and mozzarella.