Winter Apple Salad

Good morning! This weekend was full of travel, and not enough rest. I hope yours was a good one and you're recharged to take on the first full week of 2015! I wanted to share one of my current favorite dinners. Although I am a self-proclaimed pasta lover, there is nothing better than a hearty salad when you want something a little lighter. They are easy to throw together and there's plenty of opportunity to switch things up! Since my trip to Annapolis {read my full post here} I have been thinking of ways to incorporate my new red apple vinegar into one of my recipes. I think I have come up with a delicious and easy winter-time salad that I'm excited to share with y'all!

This winter apple salad is easy. You simply throw the ingredients into a bowl, top with dressing, and enjoy! It is a perfect mix for this time of year- baby romaine lettuce, dried cranberries, crumbled goat cheese, red onion, crushed walnuts, and apple slices. These ingredients are all easy to find and taste amazing when fresh! I am honestly surprised at how much I have been enjoying fruit in my salads lately- I stayed away from sweet salads for a very long time. It definitely depends on the dressing used, but now I actually think fruit can be a nice addition. For this salad, I have been using my Red Apple Balsamic Vinegar from Seasons Taproom. I mix 2 teaspoons of the vinegar with 2 teaspoons olive oil in a small bowl and whisk with a fork. Simply pour it over the assembled salad and toss around for a perfectly light dressing with a tangy twist. That vinaigrette dressing has got to be one of the easiest {and tastiest!} dressings I've ever made! I don't know about y'all, but I'm typically one to use a store-bought dressing instead of making my own. I didn't realize it could be this simple to make it yourself! I might have to look into that further.

Do you make your own dressing? What winter salad toppings are your favorite right now?