Fall Harvest Mason Jar Salad
Fall is officially here and I am obsessed with everything that comes along with it: scarves, pumpkins, leaves changing colors, and the variety of colorful autumn produce.
The millisecond I feel the weather begin to switch, I do 2 things, make a pumpkin spice latte (duh) and whip up a new fall recipe to go with it.
Salad is not the first thing that comes to mind when the weather drops, but looking at the beautiful colors of butternut squash, apples, cranberries, pumpkin seeds, and fresh leafy greens had my mind swirling.
Not only were the colors intriguing in these ingredients, but I knew there would be a great contrasting texture and crunch factor.
We at Deliciously Simple are committed to banning the standard salad because it's just plain boring.
When we make a salad, we always take these tips into consideration, include something crunchy, something soft, something unexpected, a protein, and make an easy homemade dressing whenever possible.
That's why I knew this salad would fit the bill.
Crunch - apples
Soft - butternut squash
Unexpected - pumpkin seeds
Protein - chickpeas
Easy dressing - ??
The final touch to bring this fall salad to life definitely needed to be a delicious honey-balsamic dressing. And voila! The Fall Harvest Salad was born.
Fall Harvest Salad
1 large serving
Ingredients:
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp olive oil
drizzle of honey
Pinch of salt + pepper
1/2 cup chickpeas or chicken sausage
1/2 cup diced apples
1 cup roasted butternut squash, cut into cubes
1/4 dried cranberries
2 cups spinach
1/4 cup pumpkin seeds
Instructions:
To make this salad in a mason jar, put items in the order listed above starting with the dressing at the bottom of the jar.
Make sure to cover mason jar with an airtight lid and keep in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
If you want to take this salad to the next level, heat the salad dressing ingredients in a pan over low heat until warm. Pour the dressing over the salad to allow the greens to slightly wilt. Serve immediately.