Sometimes food surprises you.That was certainly the case the first time we tried this Five Greens Salad. It looks totally unassuming, but wow is it delicious! And so simple to make.
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Inspired by an East Coast Trip!
In October of 2017 we spent two weeks on the East Coast. Being life long ‘left coasters’ it was the first time either of us had been on the ‘right coast’ to see the fall colors. And Autumn did not disappoint!
The colors were spectacular. We drove from Boston to Maine, Maine to Vermont, Vermont to the Berkshires (Mass), then the Berkshires to Rhode Island, and finally Rhode Island to NYC to see our oldest son and his family. Phew!
On our drive we passed through New Hampshire and Connecticut stopping to apple pick, shop, meander through small towns, and of course, eat!
What a fantastic vacation! The colors were amazing, the history was incredible and we ate a lot of fabulous New England sea food.
The Salad, Not Just For Fall!
As we passed through Greenwich CT, we stopped at a local Mediterranean restaurant for lunch. We ordered, and soon a salad was dropped off at our table. We both just stared at it. We didn’t think it was the salad we ordered. We were expecting a salad with lettuce greens. But what we got was even better, we just didn’t know it yet!
We were intrigued by the combination: apples, cucumbers, avocado, pistachios, golden raisins and chive vinaigrette. So we grabbed our forks and it was love at first bite! The Five Greens Salad is fresh, crispy, light, delicious, healthy and so unique. I don’t ever remember eating or even having seen a salad quite like it! We finished it off in two minutes flat. Of course when we got home I had to come up with my own version.
Every time we make this sweet, tart, salty salad it reminds us of our fantastic east coast trip. Which is one of the great things about food, at least for me. I connect pleasant food experiences with the places I have been and the people I love. Even if you never make it to the east Coast in fall you can certainly enjoy this salad any time of year!
The Recipe: Five Greens Salad
Tips and what you need: Dicing everything uniformly makes for a prettier salad. You will need either a white balsamic vinegar or a champagne vinegar. My first choice is this white balsamic (I also like this one) Most grocery stores carry white balsamic and champagne vinegar, I encourage you to choose a quality brand (in other words, don’t go too cheap or your salad will suffer:)
A light, delicious, healthy salad that can be enjoyed almost any time of year! Paleo with a Whole 30 version.
- 1 cup granny smith apple diced (usually 1 large ribbon)
- 1 cup cucumber peeled and diced
- 1/4 cup roasted salted pistachios
- 1/4 cup golden raisins
- 1 avocado diced
- Sea salt to taste
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon white balsamic or champagne vinegar
- 1 tablespoon chives sliced
- 2 teaspoons honey omit if on Whole 30
- Sea salt to taste
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Prep all salad ingredients (except avocado) and place in a bowl, stir and sprinkle with a pinch or two of sea salt, toss
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Whisk together all dressing ingredients and drizzle over salad, toss
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Add avocado and gently toss, add a little more sea salt if needed, serve
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