Ideas for a Fall Salad

Salads, who doesn't love them. And in the fall months you can produce some of the best salads. Salads, that not only taste good, but look vibrant with all the colors of fall. So when September arrives, how about using some of your gardens veggies and fruits to create a fall salad or even a fall dressing.

There is nothing like a good apple in a autumn meal. The fall is a great time for apple picking. And they are not only being used for pie, but for salads. Pairing your favorite apple with your favorite cheese in your salad is a wonderful way of adding flavor. For a great salad idea, try this, combine baby spinach with your apples, your favorite cheese, walnuts and a honey vinaigrette.

In the mid fall, your belgian endive becomes available. It is a tangy, bitter spear shaped leaf lettuce, with a perfect base for any hearty salad. Also your white endive with yellow tips can be mixed with your red leaf lettuce, like radicchio. You can create some wonderful tricolor salads with these as a combo. Add some balsamic vinaigrette and parm, along with beets and cheese and you have another wonderful tasting fall salad.

Don't leave out the Pomegranate, as many shy away from using this fruit. Pomegranate has alot of health benefits, as well as adding fantastic flavor to any salad. The juice from the pomegranate makes a fabulous fall dressing when mixed in with olive oil and red wine.

Another fruit favorite is the pear, which is not only available in the fall, but all year round. Pears, like apples match well with just about any cheese. But best matched with blue cheese. Add along with some nuts, such as pecans and you are on your way to a wonderful salad. Blue cheese dressing is the favorite way to top off any salad made with pears.

One staple we don't think much about using is the fig. With different varieties, they are used most times in the fall and winter months for cooking recipes.  Figs are ubiquitous in winter recipes, and add not only rich luscious flavor, but give weight and sweetness to any fall salad. You can also quickly grill your figs, before adding them. Grilling figs, bring out a wonderful caramelized flavor, and when added to a watercress, salad you are good to go. To your salad add some prosciutto and croutons for some extra flare. A dressing of zesty lemon and dijon, make a wonderful addition to this type of salad.

Enjoy your fall veggies and fruit, and share with me your recipe ideas.