Featured Recipe
Green Apple Celery Salad
By Kate
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A crisp, crunchy salad with green apple slices, celery, toasted walnuts, red grapes, and a tangy maple-mustard vinaigrette. Lactose and gluten-free, vegetarian. Uses iceberg lettuce for a fresh base. Slightly adjusted ingredient volumes for better balance. Adds walnuts for richer flavor, replaces pecans and oakleaf with iceberg lettuce. Quick, under 25 minutes, focused on tactile freshness, sharp acidity, and crunchy contrasts.
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Prep:
25 min
Cook:
0 min
Total:
25 min
Serves:
4 servings
salad
vegetarian
quick meal
healthy
French-inspired
Introduction
Crunch, snap, fresh tang hitting your palate—this green apple celery salad cuts right through dullness. No frou-frou—simple ingredients working clear signals. Iceberg lettuce swaps in for oakleaf here; sturdier, crisper, holds dressing better without wilting. Toasted walnuts instead of pecans provide deeper toasty notes, a brittle crunch that snaps audibly when you bite. Grapes pop with juice, balancing the bitterness of celery stalks, sliced thin to avoid stringy annoyance. The vinaigrette? Mayonnaise brings creamy body, maple syrup sweetens, whole grain mustard brings bite beneath the sharp tang of cider vinegar. A few quick moves, twenty-five minutes tops, and you’ve got a salad with layers—textural and flavor. Keep apples tossed in acid—lemon juice—keeps browning at bay, preserves crisp mouthfeel. This isn’t just salad—it’s texture, acid, and slow toast notes smashing in your face. Knock it together when you want fresh but punchy.
Ingredients
Dressing
- 45 ml 1/3 cup mayonnaise
- 20 ml 1 1/2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 20 ml 1 1/2 tbsp whole grain mustard
- 20 ml 1 1/2 tbsp maple syrup
- 180 g 5 cups iceberg lettuce, chopped
- 300 g 1 3/4 cups red grapes, halved
- 180 g 1 1/4 cups toasted walnuts
- 3 celery stalks, thinly sliced
- 1 medium green apple, cored, thinly sliced, tossed in lemon juice
Salad
About the ingredients
Ingredients tweaked for better balance and texture. Mayonnaise amount trimmed slightly to prevent overwhelm in dressing; mayo acts as a binder, giving the vinaigrette body without oil slick. Vinegar lowered so it’s tart, not puckery. Whole grain mustard swapped in for old-style to add grainy texture and stronger flavor punch. Maple syrup bumped up to smooth sharp vinegar edges. Iceberg lettuce chosen over oakleaf for crunch retention, especially with wet dressing—wilts less, more resilient. Walnuts toasted carefully in dry pan until fragrant and golden; watch for sudden burn spots—too much heat kills flavor and adds bitterness. Celery sliced very thin, no fibrous chunks. Apples must be tossed immediately in lemon to avoid oxidizing; otherwise they turn ugly, and flavor dulls.
Method
Dressing
- 1. Whisk together mayo, cider vinegar, mustard, and maple syrup in a small bowl. Taste; balance acidity and sweetness. Adjust vinegar slightly if too tangy or thick.
- 2. In a large bowl, combine chopped iceberg, grapes, sliced celery, and toasted walnuts. Toss lightly.
- 3. Season with a pinch of salt and freshly cracked black pepper. Drizzle with a teaspoon of olive oil; toss again. This lifts flavors and adds moisture. Give the salad a gentle crush — breaks up leaves without bruising.
- 4. Arrange salad onto plates or a serving bowl. Lay green apple slices on top, letting their crispness and tart bite shine.
- 5. Spoon vinaigrette evenly over apples and salad. Serve immediately. Wait too long, and apple slices get soggy—act fast.
Salad
Technique Tips
Start by whisking dressing—emulsion should be creamy, not runny; adjust vinegar and maple syrup balance based on taste. Combine crunchy ingredients only just before serving to avoid sogginess. Toss salad with olive oil and seasoning prior to adding dressing to distribute flavor evenly and lubricate leaves. Arrange apples last—lay slices flat or fan them for presentation; their crisp texture contrasts softness below and lifts overall bite. Dressing goes on just before serving; otherwise, leaves wilt, apples sweat. Do not mix apples into salad bulk—loss of texture guaranteed. Avoid over-tossing salad to prevent bruising leaves and breaking walnuts. Timing matters—serve within 10 minutes after dressing. If prepping in advance, keep components separate refrigerated, add dressing at last second. A quick crack of fresh black pepper rounds flavors. Simple tweaks avoid common pitfalls: soggy lettuce, limp celery, brown apples.
Chef's Notes
- 💡 Choose iceberg lettuce for crunch. Holds dressing well. It won’t wilt quickly; a key here. Avoid oakleaf—less resilience under dressings.
- 💡 Balance vinaigrette carefully. Too tangy? Add maple syrup; sweetness can help. Adjust whole grain mustard quantity for texture profile. Consider tasting often.
- 💡 Toast walnuts carefully until fragrant. A hot pan, just enough time to bring out flavor. Otherwise, bitterness ruins the nut bliss.
- 💡 Slice apples thin for texture contrast. Toss immediately in lemon juice. This prevents browning and preserves crisp bite throughout—critical to fresh feel.
- 💡 Serve promptly after dressing. Otherwise, lettuce wilts, apples sweat. Assembly matters. Time is key—keep components separate if prepping ahead.
