Sometimes food surprises you.That was certainly the case the first time we tried this Five Greens Salad ~ Paleo/ Whole 30. 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 Five Greens Salad ~ Paleo/ Whole 30 Isn’t 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!
Love Apples and Need More Recipes?
Try my House Salad with Apples, my Apple and Couscous Salad, or my Mini Apple Tart!
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 apple)
- 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
- 2-3 teaspoons honey (omit if on Whole30)
- 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
MAY I PLEASE ASK A FAVOR?
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This sounds absolutely amazing! Thank you for sharing. I cannot wait to try it.
I hope you love it. We are having it for dinner tonight as a side to chicken kabobs, hummus and cauliflower crust pizza in place of naan!
Yes to everything about this salad! It will be on my to make list! And loving the photos!!
Thanks! It was a great trip!
What a stunning salad! Love golden raisins, but I can’t always find them…
Cranberries or brown raisins would work too;)
I love this too. I look forward to making it for my family! What lovely trip photos and memories too.
Thanks Megan! It was so fun and beautiful. I really love the east coast!
What a beautiful trip! And your grandkids are the CUTEST! I love that this doesn’t look like a typical salad! So unique!
Thanks Lindsey, I think they are pretty darned cute too;)
You have me going crazy with those golden raisins in there … my favorite! This salad is so pretty, I love all of the textures and flavors! Such sweet photos of your family too.
Thanks Emily. It was a great trip and I am so glad to have my east coasters back in Southern California!
Love a unique salad like this one. This is perfect for the summer!
What a lovely combination of “greens”! Travel food can be a great source of inspiration!
I agree! I always find great recipes when we travel!
a totally unique and awesome combo of ingredients! I can’t wait to try this Linda!
Thanks! Hope you love it!
What a beautiful salad. I can just feel the crisp fall air and taste the crunch of the apples.
Wow, what a unique salad. Apples, nuts, avocados… Sure looks tasty!
You can leave out the avocado;)
I am so excited to try this salad! Especially with all the different textures and flavors… pinning!
What a fun concept! I would never have thought to combine those ingredients but I am so glad that you did! It sure looks tasty!
This sounds so refreshing and delicious. I love cucumber during summer in salads and avocado is my fav thing ever. Can’t wait to try this!
I”ve never heard the term ‘left coaster’ before, so I had a little chuckle. This salad speaks to me so much because I LOVE green apple with chives or anything oniony. Autumn on the ‘right coast’ never disappoints!
haha! I am a life long left coaster! But LOVE the right coast!
I am always looking for more Whole30 recipes! This looks amazing!
Great!
This was delicious!! I was having a lazy day so just added a little diced chicken and called it lunch. Both my husband and I were quite sad when we got to the bottom of our bowl. I used brown raisins and guacamole instead of avocado because that’s what I had. This salad was equally as wonderful without avocado. Thanks so much for a terrific recipe!!
I am so glad you enjoyed it!