Pear Autumn Salad with Sweet Maple Vinaigrette
This Pear Autumn Salad with Sweet Maple Vinaigrette will be a great addition to your holiday spread. It's healthy, easy to make, and delicious with the best fall produce. This salad is loaded with colorful vegetables, and sweet pecans, and covered in a sweet maple vinaigrette.
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 622kcal
Equipment
- 1 large salad bowl
- 1 mason jar with lid
Ingredients
For the salad:
- 3 cups chopped kale, stems removed or a 10oz prepared bag
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 2 cups quinoa, cooked and cooled
- 1 ripe pear, thinly sliced
- 1½ cups red grapes, halved
- ½ cup golden raisins
- 1 cup candied pecans, roughly chopped
For the sweet maple vinaigrette:
- 1 cup extra virgin olive oil
- ¾ cup apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
- 1 large garlic clove, minced
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Start by cooking your quinoa on the stove. Grab a saucepan and add 1 cup of dry quinoa and 2 cups of water or vegetable broth. Allow it to boil and then reduce the heat to low-medium and secure the lid. Allow it to simmer for 15 minutes or until all of the liquid has been absorbed. Remove the lid, add salt, and fluff with a fork. Set it aside to cool.
- Make the dressing. Add all of the dressing ingredients to a mason jar, secure the lid, and give it a good shake. This includes olive oil, apple cider vinegar, maple syrup, Dijon, garlic, salt, and pepper. Set it aside.
- Prepare the kale. Start by adding the chopped kale to a large salad bowl. I like to remove any thick stems. Drizzle 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil over the top of the leaves, and then use your hands to massage the kale until the pieces become soft. Don't skip this step. It's the secret to the best-textured kale!
- Assemble your salad. After the kale, add the cooked and cooled quinoa, sliced pear, sliced red grapes, chopped candied pecans, and golden raisins. Pour the sweet maple vinaigrette over top and toss everything up. Enjoy immediately.
Notes
Storage:
To save this salad as leftovers or for meal prepping, keep each ingredient in separate airtight containers in the fridge and prepare individual salads as needed. The ingredients should last about three days in the fridge.
Tips + Modifications:
I highly recommend cooking the quinoa with vegetable broth instead of water for better flavor.
Slice pears just before serving or toss the slices in a little bit of lemon juice to avoid browning.
If you don't have pears, you can easily swap them for thin apple slices.
I recommend chilling this salad for an hour before serving. Just make sure to leave the dressing off until you are ready to eat it.
Nutrition
Serving: 1cup | Calories: 622kcal | Carbohydrates: 48g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 47g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 8g | Monounsaturated Fat: 33g | Sodium: 98mg | Potassium: 380mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 27g | Vitamin A: 1085IU | Vitamin C: 13mg | Calcium: 74mg | Iron: 2mg