Easy Apple Cider Vinaigrette

Ever since my surgery, I have been craving fresh foods:  fruits, veggies...anything that comes with some liquidy goodness built into the food, frankly.

It's probably partly due to dehydration and healing issues, given that there was that little matter of surgery and all, but I think part of it is just that my body is craving some healthier, better for me fare in the wake of having been diagnosed with cancer.

Quite honestly?  I am more than willing to go along with the "eat healthy, be healthy" mindset right now.  And then some.

So as I've been trying to be good and stay still and heal -- not easy for a fidgety, ever-busy woman who has things to straighten and do but is forcing herself not to do them, let me tell you -- I've poked back through a number of healthy recipes that I've written out on 3x5 cards through the years in the hopes of finding some healthy, tasty forgotten gems hiding out in my recipe box.

And lo!  I did!

How I forgot about this vinaigrette recipe, I have no idea, but it is fabulous on Fall and Winter salads.  And really versatile, it works with veggies, meats, slaws, you name it.

For Thanksgiving, I'm planning on using it to dress a mesclun salad topped with chopped, fresh apple, dried cranberries, toasted pecans and crumbled goat cheese.  But it would be equally yummy on a turkey leftovers salad with sharp cheddar and toasted walnuts.

Or any number of other combinations which I plan to try out over the next few weeks, including as a dressing for a crunchy apple and shredded cabbage slaw -- doesn't that sound nummy?  I wonder how it would taste warm with apples and red cabbage barely sauteed as a side for some baked chicken?  Oooh...you have to love a vinaigrette that comes with lots of options, don't you?

So, here goes.  A delicious and versatile Apple Cider Vinaigrette:


APPLE CIDER VINAIGRETTE

3/4 c. apple cider
3 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard (can be smooth or grainy, however you like it, but definitely Dijon and NOT yellow mustard here)
1 small shallot, finely minced
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper

Whisk everything together in a large bowl.  Toss immediately with mesclun or other salad greens, and top with sliced apples, toasted walnuts or pecans, some dried cranberries or cherries or even some fresh raspberries, and a little crumbled goat cheese or some small diced sharp cheddar.  Also makes a great dressing for a fresh slaw with shredded apples and cabbage -- red or green or a combination of both.  For a spice kick, add a little cinnamon or allspice for a sweeter salad dressing.  Great over a salad made with leftover turkey or even pork tenderloin or rotisserie chicken, too!