Kayon Reynalls is the founder and editor of The Supper Club Magazine and today she shares a delicious side salad and vinaigrette for your table this Thursday!
This is an incredibly easy, comforting and delicious salad that can be enjoyed as a light lunch or a side dish. Roasting the shallots/red onions really helps to round out the typical harshness associated with onions and introduces a deeper, more caramelized and more complex flavor. I chose a mild, smooth and slightly firm goat cheese for creaminess, and played up the autumn flavours with the addition of cider to the vinaigrette. Be sure to check out the notes below for additional tips and suggested substitutions.
Ingredients
For the roasted shallots/red onions
400 grams (roughly 8 large shallots)
2 tbsp olive oil
30 mls medium sweet cider
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 sprigs of rosemary
Salt and pepper to taste
For the vinaigrette
4 tbsp medium sweet cider
3 tbsp raw apple cider vinegar
5 tbsp maple syrup
6 tbsp olive oil
3/4 tsp mustard powder
1/2 tbsp crushed mustard seeds
Salt and pepper to taste
For the salad
Baby kale leaves (or your preferred tender leafy greens)
Shredded purple cabbage
100 g walnut pieces
150 g goat cheese
Roasted shallots and/or red onions
Bunch of parsley (as much or little as you desire)
2 Pink Lady apples (or your favorite variety of apple), thinly sliced, chopped in chunks or wedges
Make the roasted shallots
- Place the oven rack in the middle of the oven and Preheat to 180C / 356F
- Prepare the shallots and/or red onions by removing the papery skin on both ends with a knife. If you wish, you can slice a couple of them lengthways, but this is completely optional.
- Transfer to a baking dish and add the olive oil, apple cider, balsamic vinegar and rosemary sprigs. Toss to coat the shallots/red onions. Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Transfer to the oven and allow to roast for about an hour or until the shallots/red onions are a lightly browned (not burned). Be sure to keep an eye on them and turn and base your shallots/onions halfway through the roasting time.
- Once the shallots are tender and browned to your liking, remove from the oven and add the butter. Allow it to melt before gently tossing the shallots/onions, ensuring they’re well coated. Set them aside to cool.
For the Vinaigrette: Combine all the ingredients in a blender and process until emulsified, which takes about a minute. Alternatively, you can put all the ingredients for the vinaigrette into a mason jar, or use another sealable container. Cover it, and shake until well combined.
In a serving or salad bowl, add your washed baby kale leaves (or whatever your preferred leafy greens are!), shredded purple cabbage, apple slices and parsley leaves. (Editor’s Note: Take a couple of tablespoons of the liquid from the roasted shallots and add to your salad mix before tossing. This is a completely optional but very delicious recommendation.) Toss to combine.
Transfer the desired amount of salad mix to each plate making sure to scoop enough apple pieces for each person’s plate, arrange a couple (or more) of roasted shallots/roasted red onions on top.
Dot chunks of goat cheese in and around the leaves and roasted shallots before topping with walnut pieces and drizzling with the apple cider vinaigrette. Alternatively, you can allow your guest to dress their salads with their desired amount of vinaigrette.
Editor’s Notes :
+ Vinaigrette will store in the fridge for up to a week.
+ Be sure to shake well before serving.
+ You can substitute your favourite nut in place of the walnuts. Pecans will work beautifully with this recipe. Feel free to substitute the baby kale leaves with your favourite leafy green. You’ll want to pick something flavorful and tender.
+I used Colman’s mustard powder in this recipe because I love the flavor. But if you aren’t able to find it, feel free to use Dijon mustard.
+If you opt not to use Pink Lady apples, you’ll want to substitute with another sweet and crisp variety.
+”Cider” refers to the alcoholic beverage, not the vinegar.
+For the dressing, I used the English Vintage Cider, a medium-sweet cider by Sainsbury’s. I know this is not available in the States; in this case, go for any other medium-sweet cider by whichever brand is local to you. If you’d like to keep your dressing alcohol-free, go for a non-alcoholic cider or use organic pressed apple juice in its place.
Thank you so much Kay! You can follow Kay’s delicious and beautifully photographed recipes over on Instagram.
Gorgeous recipe, I love Kay ❤ ❤Her food always looks so vibrant!
I have been a fan for many years, and I feel the same. The colors are always so beautiful.
Yummmmmmmm.
Oh how magical!! This vinaigrette sounds super delicious! Just in time for the holidays!
Right! Hope you get to enjoy it! xo
This is a recipe for the bookmarks❤
Yay! so happy. Kay is amazing.
Awww! This looks wonderful, beautiful fall salad well presented! Very elegant!
Hi Sally,
When I saw the images I thought the same. And a easy fall salad is always good in my book! So happy you like it.
So gorgeous!! I cannot wait to make this.
Can’t wait to hear how it turns out for you.xo
The art of salad making 😍. Growing up in a household where most of the meals that were served were not the best choices I became accustomed to eating food that was lacking in nutrients and unhealthy for me overall. Recently I have been making the efforts to make healthier choices without complicating things too much and this salad fits perfectly with what I would want to eat. Looking at this salad I feel like I have found a recipe that is simple and easy to make and I can’t wait to serve this on my table this coming Christmas. Thank You for providing such a beautiful recipe for the community and those looking for something new to try this Holiday season.
Thank you so much for your wonderful words Sue-Tanya. I often feel the same, and have learned most of my own healthy eating habits from watching friends cook or recipes. But my requirement is that its easy. If its too overly complicated, I’m usually turned off. Even with feeding the kids, I feed them very healthy, but it is always EASY. I don’t want to be turned off and I don’t want them to be. Looking forward to see how you like this.
xo
Deliciously stunning work, as always. Gotta love Kay and her beautiful creative mind.
This salad sounds just the thing for healthy and tasty weeknight meals at my place. With one coeliac, one vegetarian and one low carb dieter this ticks all my boxes! Thanks for featuring Kay’s great recipe!
Wow, this salad is so vibrant and the dressing sounds fresh and and punchy while.also sweet, just how I like it, I’ll definitely have to give this intriguing combo a try!
This looks soo0o0o goooddddd… I need to make this. Thanks for Sharing!