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Winter Salad with Baked Apple

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Crunchy kale tossed in a creamy Honey Mustard dressing, with juicy, sweet baked apple, rich chestnuts, and fresh Feta cheese… this is like the BEST salad to make up for all of those Christmas cookies, and the 1 or 2 too many we’ve been eating all month long. 

Main or Side dish?

This recipe also makes an awesome side for your Christmas dinner. It is not too difficult, and it will impress your guests! Even the name itself will “Winter Salad with Baked Apple”, already sounds pretty fancy.. no? Although it sounds pretty fancy, and tastes delicious, it is not too hard to make. I love eating a larger serving of this as a light lunch or serve it along with some meat or fish as a side dish. 

Why is it special?

This salad recipe is not as refreshing as other ones are, but it is winter, so I think something more comforting and cozy is just right. These are also all seasonal foods, which I love. The ones I used for the salad, which basically is kale, apple, chestnuts, and sheep’s cheese, are all from Austria. This means that the transportation did not produce a lot of CO2, which is better for the climate. If you wish to make this recipe vegan, you can simply leave out the cheese, and there you are. 

What is in it?

The Apple adds a sweetness to the earthy kale, which, I believe, balances the entire salad out a lot. It also adds a kick and makes the salad not taste boring! The chestnuts add a winter feeling, because they are a very typical food at this time of the year (at least in Austria you can find them at every corner in December). The ingredients just work in great harmony.

Also the honey mustard dressing goes along perfectly with the apples and the kale. If you have fresh figs on hand, go ahead and throw them in because this combination is bomb too! Or if you don’t like the raw kale, you can steam it for a few minutes to make it softer, or use lambs lettuce instead! But, we are going to massage the dressing into the kale anyway, which is going to make it taste better and easier to digest. 

When to serve?

Because we don’t add the dressing at the very end, as you would do with a regular salad, this is a great make-ahead dish. You can prepare the salad before the guest are coming, then simply bake the apples, cut them up, and you are ready to go! It also works as a leftover the next day. 

Along with my green beans with almond bread crumbs, my caramelized pecan and fog salad or my vegan fall harvest salad this dish is a super delicious side dish for your Christmas dinner. Delicious and nutritious, plus it will impress your guests! 

Enjoy

Katie // Une Petite Cuisinière

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Winter Salad with Baked Apple

A delicious winter salad that includes all the delicious and warming ingredients of the season. Sweet and soft apples pair perfectly with rich chestnuts and earthy kale. All tossed in a honey mustard dressing!

Course Appetizer, lunch, Salad, Side Dish
Prep Time 5 Minuten
Cook Time 15 Minuten
Total Time 20 Minuten
Servings 4 servings
Calories 276 kcal

What you will need

That is what you will need:

  • 6 handful kale stems removed
  • 2 apples core removed
  • 150 g chestnuts
  • 100 g Feta Cheese
  • some nuts (optional)

For the Dressing:

  • 2 tbsp Mustard
  • 1.5 tbsp honey
  • 2 tbsp orange juice fresh preferably
  • 1 tbsp Olive Oil
  • 1.5 tbsp white wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar
  • salt & pepper

How to

That’s how it works:

  1. Preheat the oven to 200C. Cut the apples in half. Take the chestnuts and cut a thin slice on one side (this is a necessary step, because otherwise they will explode, and your kitchen will look like a mess, talking from experience :)). 

    Once the oven is preheated, add the apples and chestnuts onto a baking rack. This works best if you place the chestnuts in a bowl, and put this on the rack, and take another bowl, and place on the very bottom of the oven, so the juice that will drop from the apples doesn’t stick and burn on the oven bottom. Bake them for 15-18 minutes.

    Meanwhile wash the kale and rip it into small bite-sized pieces. In a separate, smaller bowl add the honey, mustard, orange juice, oil, vinegar, and salt. Stir until well combined. Pour the dressing over the kale and gently massage it into it with your hands. This way the kale is able to absorb the flavor, taste less butter, and is easier to digest. Set it aside for at least 10 minutes. 

    Cut up the feta into about 1cm sized cubes. Once the apples and chestnuts are done baking take them out. Cube the Apple into small bites. Also peel and  roughly mince the chestnuts. Add everything to the kale and give it a gentle mix until it is all evenly distributed. 

    Serve and enjoy! If wished, add some cracked nuts on top, for extra crunch!

Green Beans with Almond Bread Crumbs

by 1 Kommentar

It’s Thanksgiving next week and Christmas very soon! Although here in Austria we do not celebrate thanksgiving, I know that a lot of people around the world do! November and December are the months for family come-togethers and dinner party’s with friends. I don’t think that in any other month there are that many big meals. 

For us, at Christmas we always make a huge Roastbeef with some potatoes and a salad but this year, for sure, I am going to change the usual game and make these beans instead of the salad! They are so good! I made them once when friends were over for dinner and they immediately asked for the recipe. 

Since it always is difficult to cook for so many people and still chat with them while being a host, I have made a super quick and simple side dish for you. I really love to make this whenever someone is over at my house because it is something almost every one likes, plus it is super simple to make. Also, you can make it vegan, which is perfect for anyone who has a dietary restriction. It is a side that goes with really any dish. 

This green bean recipe works great with meaty dishes such as a Roastbeef, a meatloaf, turkey, a roasted chicken or pork. If you add a little twist to it, such as adding some lemon zest, it already is completely different and works perfectly with some fish or seafood. Also if you make a vegetarian or vegan pie, this is a great and fresh addition! If you already have a carby and filling side, this is a great addition in place of the boring green salad to get some more veggies. 

It is as quick as preparing a salad and really good! Just boiling the beans, tossing them in olive oil. Roasting the breadcrumbs and chopped almonds in some butter or olive oil and assemble. If you are vegan, use oil, if you are gluten free, go for only nuts or some gluten free breadcrumbs. If you do not like almonds, switch them out for any other nuts (but believe me, almonds work really good in here)! It is super versatile.

What I also really like about this recipe is that if you do not eat all of it you can use it for lunch next day or you can even meal prep it! Store the almond breadcrumbs in a separate container and it will last in the fridge for a few days! When I have this for lunch, I like to pair it with some boiled eggs as whole-wheat bread or some Quinoa to make it more filling. This is a really delicious and balanced meal then, as you have a lot of vitamins from the beans and eggs, a healthy amount of protein from the eggs, healthy fats from the almonds and oil, and some whole grain carbs from the bread or the Quinoa. 

So stop looking for a side dish recipe for thanksgiving or Christmas! Make these healthy and flavorful cream beans with almond bread crumbs to make everyone happy! And a little tip: try it before the big event to convince yourself that it is REALLY good! So if you do like it, it would mean a lot to me if you could leave a rating and/ or a comment here on the blogpost. Also if you decide to try it out be sure to tag me on Instagram with @uneptcuisiniere or #unepetitecuisiniere !

Enjoy!

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Green Beans with Almond Breadcrumbs (Vegan)

This is a great side dish for Christmas Eve or Thanksgiving, or litteraly any occasion. It is super versatile and incredibly delicious.

Course Appetizer, dinner, lunch, Side Dish
Prep Time 5 Minuten
Cook Time 5 Minuten
Total Time 10 Minuten
Servings 4 people
Calories 166 kcal

What you will need

That is what you will need:

  • 400 g green beans
  • 40 g breadcrumbs preferably whole wheat
  • 20 g almonds
  • 20 g Butter if wanting it vegan, use Olive Oil or vegan Butter instead
  • 1 tbsp Olive Oil
  • optional some lemon zest see recipe notes

How to

That is how it works:

  1. Bring a large pot with water to a boil. Generously salt. Cut of the ends of the green beans, and if they are very long cut them in half too. Add them to the boiling water and let them cook for about 5-7 minutes until ready. You will be able to notice that once you can stab through with a fork easily.

  2. In the meantime chop up the almonds into small chuncks. Heat up the butter in a small pan. Once hot add in, both the breadcrumbs, and the almonds and fry them for about 2-3 minutes on medium heat.

  3. Once the beans are done, rinse them and shock them with cold water. This helps to preserve the colour and the vitamins. Toss them in some Olive Oil and add them onto a pretty serving plate. Add the breadcrumbs on top and serve!

    Enjoy!

Notes

Feel free to add some lemon or orange zest to give it some freshness. This addition would make the dish a perfect match to fish and seafood! 

If you do not like almonds, you can use any other nut, but almonds work really great in here!

You can also use gluten free breadcrumbs. 

Caramelized Pecan and Fig Salad

by 1 Kommentar


We’re are in the middle of October which means that we are in the middle of fig season. One of the best seasons ever, I believe. They are juicy, soft, sweet, and they have such a pretty color! Plus they are so versatile I believe! They go well on so many things! Add them to your French toast, on top of a yoghurt bowl, dried in granola, serve them with cheese, add them into salads or Buddha bowls, or even grill them to serve as a side. The options are endless! 

But a fig is not necessarily a fig. There are small ones and there are bigger ones. I really like the small ones on top of yoghurt for example because they are just perfect in size and you can always eat the skin! With the bigger ones, I prefer using them in salads or as a snack. But if you want to consume them with the peel, make sure to buy organic ones. If you don’t then I would not recommend eating the skin! 

Figs have a great nutritional value too! When fresh they are really low in calories, but have a quite high fiber content! They help reducing the blood pressure as they increase the potassium in your body. Also, they are high in calcium, which is an essential Mineral. When dried, they are higher in calories but also in fiber, with incredible 9g per 100g serving. So if you want to add some sweet or chewiness to your next granola, or just snack in something sweet with nut butter than grab some figs next time, either dried or fresh with some nut butter and you have a delicious and filling snack! 

Onto the next highlight of the salad; the caramelized pecans! I am a huge fan of pecans, I lottery eat them on anything! I love the flavor and the crunch! Nuts in general are packed with protein, vitamins and healthy fats! They are a great addition in nutritional value and crunch to almost any dish! Yoghurt, salads, stir fry’s, curries, you name it! Caramelized First nuts is incredibly simple and only requires 3 ingredients! The nuts themselves, some honey or agave, and a pinch of sea salt. I like to prepare them in a non – stick pan as I believe that it is easiest and quickest. 

It is as simple as adding all the ingredients to the pan and heating it up. At first it will seem as there was too little honey as it will only stick on a few nuts, but as soon as it heats up it will get more liquid and it will cover all the nuts. They work great on a salad as they add sweetness but I also think that they go along very well with cheese or yoghurt. I like the pre make them in a batch in the beginning of the week and them add on on several different dishes throughout the week. If you are not a fan of pecans they can be substituted them for any other nut. Walnuts and almonds would work great, hazelnuts do work too but I would not recommend using cashews since they already have a sweet touch and are rather soft so I would not recommend using them. 

The dressing for the salad is really creamy and delicious. It is not loaded with tons of calories like conventional store bought ones. It is made out of Avocado, Greek Yoghurt, Dijon Mustard, honey, Tahin, anchovies Lemon Juice and Vinegar. I know that it sounds like a lot of ingredients but it is totally worth it! It is an oil free dressing. Just blend all of the ingredients up and you will end up with a delicious creamy dressing! 

To add the finishing touches coat the spinach in the dressing, cut up some dogs, crumble feta cheese and add the walnuts on top! It is an amazing side dish in Fall with some roasted meat or to enjoy along a bowl of pasta! It contains a lot of fall ingredients, which I love since it is a great way to enjoy all the seasonal and regional food! 

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Caramelized Pecan and Fig Salad

A delicious side dish to incooperate all of the delicious fall foods!

Course appe, Salad, Side Dish
Prep Time 15 Minuten
Cook Time 3 Minuten
Total Time 18 Minuten
Servings 4 servings
Calories 153 kcal

What you will need

For the Salad:

  • 3 handful Baby spinach (baby spinach preferably)
  • 2 Figs
  • 25 g Pecans
  • 2 tsp Honey
  • 40 g Feta Cheese

For the Dressing:

  • 30 g Avocado
  • 2 tbsp Greek Yoghurt
  • 1 tbsp Tahin
  • 2 tsp White Vinegar
  • 1/2 juice Lemon
  • 1 Anchovie
  • 2 tsp Mustard
  • 1 tsp honey

How to

That’s how it works:

  1. Add all of the ingredients for the salad into a small blender. Add maybe about 1,5 tablespoons of water to start out. Blend it up. It should be creamy but runny. If it is too thick, feel free to add a little more Tahin or water in order to thin it out. Add a generous pinch of salt and set aside, best in the fridge.

  2. Add the nuts into a small nonstick pan. If you do not have one it is not a huge problem but if you have the option, use a non-stick one. Add the honey and a pinch of salt into it. Don’t worry if the honey will only stick onto a few nuts. Heat it up on medium high, constantly stirring. As soon as it gets hot the honey will get more liquid and coat all of the nuts. Once that happened, take the bits out of the pan and set aside. 

  3. Toss the spinach with the dressing and separate it onto 4 bowls. Cut up the figs and add them on top. Crumble the feta. Finally, add the caramelized pecans on top and serve! 

    Enjoy!