Mixed Baby Leaf Salad, Apple & Goat Cheese

I made this mixed leaf baby salad with apple and goat cheese during the winter holidays and it was a winner among my friends and family!

I love the versatility of this salad. It goes very well as a side dish to a meat or poultry dish.

The combination of flavors in this salad is unique. So many different textures and flavors in this salad that will surprise each person at the table.

The sweetness of the dressing, the crunchy texture of the nuts and the tanginess of the goat cheese. Just a winner!

Originally I planned to make this salad with red onions but as many of my  friends and family dislike raw onions in their salad, I decided to replace them with dried cranberries for a sweet and bitter taste.

Also they give a great festive color contrast to the green leafs. I am the only one in the family that likes raw onions on salad, so I'll just add them to my salad.

If you are not a fan of cranberries, you can substitute them with raisins or black currants.

As for the hazelnuts and pine nuts, you can substitute whatever nuts you prefer. Walnuts or Almonds would be a great choice here!

Apples are always easy to buy the whole year. If you don't like red apples, you can use green apples but it will make the salad less sweet and more sour.

Please keep that in mind. Feel free to substitute the red apples with green apple or pear.

If you don't like any of the other ingredients, it's totally fine.

All of those ingredients can be improvised and replaced with whatever you have on hand. No Goat Cheese? Any other cheese that is soft in texture like feta or blue cheese will work fine.

Don't like the taste of cranberries? Substitute them with any other kind of dried fruit like dried figs or apricots.

If you think the mixed baby leaf salad is too boring, add some proteins and it could even pass as a main dish. Poached Chicken or grilled meat for example.

The tangy honey lemon vinaigrette balances everything together in this healthy salad. It's very simple to make and so delicious.

It's my go to dressing for salad, because it's fresh, tangy and sweet. The perfect way to bring out all flavors of your salad. It can be made up to a week in advance.

I always keep a jar of this dressing in my fridge. Simply squeeze the lemon juice, combine with some extra virgin olive oil, dijon mustard, honey and salt and pepper.

Fill it into the jar and shake well. It's a great all purpose dressing to keep in your fridge for any kind of salads.

When I was young I never took salads for granted.

It was just too boring and I didn't want to waste  my time with the preparation. Until I grew up and had to help my mother prepare salads for dinner time.

She always made amazing tasty salads, with all kinds of vegetables and fruits that I didn't even know before.

I learned that there are some rules to follow when preparing salads: You have to learn which ingredients pair well together and balance the flavors.

My Mother had a huge garden in the back of our house so I could go and pick whatever I wanted to try out for some new exciting salad dishes.

I almost became obsessed with salads during that time. It was so much fun!

Full of flavor, this mixed baby leaf salad with apple and goat cheese will become your new favorites!

The balance of sweet, crunchy and the tanginess from the goat cheese. Combined with a simple vinaigrette, it's the perfect salad for every occasion! 

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