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A classic Waldorf salad, according to Wikipedia, is a fruit and nut salad generally made of fresh apples, celery, walnuts, and grapes, dressed in mayonnaise, and traditionally served on a bed of lettuce as an appetizer or a light meal. Allegedly created by the Maître d’ of the Waldorf Astoria in New York in 1896, it has inspired many variations over time.
How about a healthier version that replaces mayonnaise with a lighter lemon and oil dressing? Easy enough! Chop chop chop, and I present my version of the Waldorf salad!
Any kind of apple can work, you just want to make sure it’s nice and crunchy, not mealy.
During grape season, I might have used fresh grapes, but I didn’t have any and decided to use dried cranberries. I just wanted the sweetness and color pop of the cranberries.
I used walnut oil from La Tourangelle that is great in salads. It pairs nicely with the walnuts in the salad. But you could use olive oil instead.
I added apple cider vinegar to balance the lemon juice and pair with the apple, but you could also use all vinegar or all lemon juice.
This Waldorf salad makes a great side dish, or add some chopped up cooked chicken to make it a complete meal.
Check out some other side dishes:
Waldorf salad
Ingredients
- 1 ea Apple (Gala, Granny Smith, Fuji, Jonagold, or any other firm apple)
- 2 cup celery stalks sliced thin
- 1/4 cup dried cranberries
- 1/4 cup walnuts
- 2 green onions sliced
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 2 tbsp walnut oil
- 1 pinch salt
- fresh ground pepper
Instructions
- Toast the walnuts in a skillet on medium high heat for a few minutes until fragrant. Pour onto a plate to cool and then chop coarsely.
- Halve and core the apples and cut into 1/2-inch dice. In a large bowl, toss the apples with the lemon juice.
- Add the celery, green onions, cranberries and walnuts.
- Drizzle with the oil and vinegar, add a pinch of salt and fresh ground pepper. Toss to mix well.
- Serve immediately, or cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
