Every fall, Trader Joe’s makes a salad kit that I adore. It’s pretty basic, and when I put it together for dinner, I tend to doctor it up a bit.
It comprises spring greens, apple chips, pecan pieces, their own ‘Unexpected Cheddar’ cheese, and a killer apple cider vinaigrette. With all that sweetness, the cheese is a necessity. They were a bit late getting the product into the market this year, so I devised my version since I improvised on theirs anyway.
The dressing was the most challenging part, but I found an ingredient list online of what’s in the dressing, so I reverse-engineered it, and I have to admit, I’ve come pretty close.
Ingredients
- 4 cups mixed greens
- 1 apple, sliced
- 1 stalk celery, sliced crosswise
- ½ red bell pepper, seeded and diced
- 2 oz cheddar cheese, diced
- A few slices of red onion
- ¼ cup cinnamon candied pecans or walnuts (plain will do, too)
- ¼ cup dehydrated apple chips, broken
- A small handful of dill (for garnish)
In a large bowl, toss all ingredients together except for the apple chips (to keep them crispy) and the dill. Add the apple chips and garnish with the dill when ready to serve. Serve with the apple cider dressing below. Serves about 4.
This dressing was created from the ingredients list of the Trader Joe’s salad that I love so much, which explains the ‘pinches and drops’ of this and that. It comes close. It can be doubled if necessary for a larger crowd.
Apple Cider Vinaigrette
Ingredients
- ¼ cup apple juice
- 2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
- ¼ cup + 2 Tbsp light olive oil
- 2 tsp honey
- 1 tsp Dijon
- A large pinch of dried garlic
- A large pinch of dried onion
- A large pinch of cinnamon
- salt & pepper to taste
- A couple of drops of molasses
Shake all ingredients in a lidded jar. Taste and adjust if necessary. Serve.
