When I have apples that have lingered on my counter for too long and am tired of the usual tomato-filled salads, I opt for turning the apples into a sweet-savory salad. In this case, the apples are joined by salty, savory blue cheese as well as vegetables for a salad that's light and refreshing. Because apples turn brown once cut, I add lemon juice to them and then let the lemon juice form part of the simple dressing. It works. This isn't a very sweet salad, so, if you'd prefer more sweetness, you can increase the honey a bit. Just don't go overboard, or you'll lose the brightness of the lemon. Also, the salad is great topped with chopped chicken for a light, nutritious main dish.
Lemony Apple-Blue Cheese Salad -- Serves 4
1/4 cup of lemon juice, divided (see below--half is used with the apples)
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1 tablespoon of honey
1/4 teaspoon of lemon pepper
1 large or 2 medium apples, washed, cored chopped into 1-inch pieces, and tossed with 2
tablespoons of lemon juice
1/2 cup of shredded carrots
1/4 cup of chopped celery
1/4 cup of chopped green onion
1/4 cup of blue cheese crumbles
1/4 cup of dried cranberries
4-6 cups of salad greens
In a large salad bowl, whisk together 2 tablespoons of lemon juice, the olive oil, the honey, and the lemon pepper until blended. Add the apples (and lemon juice in which they've soaked), the carrots, celery, and green onions and mix until everything is coated with the dressing. Toss in the blue cheese and dried cranberries and mix everything well. Add the salad greens on top. If you're not ready to serve the salad, that's fine. Just chill it with the lettuce on top, When you're ready to serve the salad, toss it to mix in the salad greens and distribute the other ingredients.
