Winter Salad with Homemade Dijon Dressing

This easy Winter Salad with Homemade Dijon Dressing celebrates the best produce winter has to offer. A bed of mixed greens tossed with purple cabbage and topped with grapes, pears, cranberries, feta, and roasted nuts and finished off with a Maple Dijon dressing. 

Pair this Winter Salad with Slow Cooker Pork Roast or Roasted New York Strip for a meal that is worthy of entertaining.

A friend recently said she struggles to use all her fresh produce.

I can not say I can relate. My family loves fresh fruit and vegetables and would prefer a salad any day of the week to steamed vegetables.

However, there are times when the produce is lacking at the store. When I all I can find is root vegetables and hearty cabbages. And while I love these things in dishes like Mexican Coleslaw or Potato Soup, I really long for spring and summer when my stores and farmer markets are bursting at the seems with tender berries and fresh ears of corn.

However, if I dig a little deeper, I can find winter produce that is the perfect making for a fresh salad.

While I may not have tender berries or vine-ripened tomatoes in the winter, pears, red cabbage, mixed greens, and grapes are always available to me during the colder winter months.

And these humble winter ingredients became the base of a delicious winter salad.

Ingredients in Winter Salad with Fruit

• Shredded cabbage
• Tender Mixed Greens
• Pears
• Apples
• Grapes
• Feta Cheese
• Candied Nuts
• Dijon Dressing

All these ingredients come together to form a winter salad that is fresh, vibrant, and full of flavor and textures.

Dijon Salad Dressing Recipe

With only a handful of pantry staples, there is no reason to purchase salad dressing. A few ingredients come together to create simple magic--a tangy, slightly sweet homemade vinaigrette.

Many dijon vinaigrette are made with honey, and while that is delightful, I find that using maple in this easy vinaigrette is the perfect counter balance to a winter salad. Plus by using maple syrup instead of honey, this becomes a vegan vinaigrette.

Simply whisk maple syrup, Dijon, Balsamic and salt and pepper with olive oil for this easy Maple Dijon Dressing.

A Few Tips for Making a Seasonal Winter Salad

• The key to this salad, like any salad, is to keep the components separate until serving. The greens can be tossed with the grapes, cabbages, dried cranberries, and pears beforehand. But wait to dress the salad and top with the cheese and nuts to just before serving, to prevent soggy nuts or wilted lettuce.
• Omit the feta cheese for a vegan winter salad recipe that is also Paleo and Whole 30 approved. The salad will still be delicious, and if you are craving a salty bite, add in roasted nuts that are salted.
• I used toasted walnuts for this salad recipe, but you can omit nuts altogether OR use honey roasted peanuts, toasted almonds or pecans. All choices will work.
• To toast nuts for a salad: heat a dry skillet over medium heat. Add nuts and toss for 2-3 minutes or until your nose smells the nuts. You can also roast nuts in the oven for 15 minutes at 400 degrees.
• Feel free to use radicchio or green cabbage in place of red cabbage.
• Any variety of mixed greens works in this simple salad recipe--spinach, a mix, etc.
• Anjou or Bosc pears are the easiest to find in the winter months around me, but any firm pear will work in this winter salad recipe.

 Recipes to serve with this Winter Salad Recipe

• Homemade Lasagna
• Potato Corn Chowder
• Kale and Tortellini Soup
• Instant Pot Whole Chicken 

Winter Salad with Dijon Fig Dressing

An easy winter salad recipe made with mixed greens, purple cabbage and topped with grapes, pears, cranberries, feta, and roasted nuts and finished off with a Maple Dijon dressing. 

5 from 2 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Salad

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 10 minutes

Servings: 4 -6

Calories: 311kcal

Author: Kristen Chidsey

Ingredients

Winter Salad Recipe

• ▢ 9 ounces mixed greens or spinach
• ▢ ½ small head purple cabbage sliced
• ▢ 1 large pear diced
• ▢ 1-2 cups red grapes sliced in half
• ▢ ½ cup dried cranberries
• ▢ ½ cup feta cheese
• ▢ ¼ cup roasted walnuts see note

Maple Dijon Dressing

• ▢ 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• ▢ 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• ▢ 3 tablespoons olive oil
• ▢ ½ teaspoon salt
• ▢ ½ teaspoon fresh pepper
• ▢ 1 tablespoon maple syrup

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Instructions

• Mix together the vinegar, mustard, maple syrup, oil, salt and pepper. Set aside until serving.
• Toss together the mixed greens, cabbage, cranberries, pears and grapes.
• When ready to serve, add the feta and nuts to the salad and dress with the dressing.

Notes

• To toast nuts for a salad: heat a dry skillet over medium heat. Add nuts and toss for 2-3 minutes or until your nose smells the nuts. You can also roast nuts in the oven for 15 minutes at 400 degrees.
• Nutritional values are calulated based on full salad dressing used and toasted walnuts for 4 servings. 

Nutrition

Calories: 311kcal | Carbohydrates: 42g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Sodium: 402mg | Potassium: 791mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 29g | Vitamin A: 7175IU | Vitamin C: 80.9mg | Calcium: 134mg | Iron: 3.2mg

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