Fall HARVEST Salad

This delicious, fresh and crunchy fall salad highlights fresh seasonal fruit like apples and pears, injects the right crunch with pumpkin seeds and walnuts, and has a touch of creaminess from the goat cheese. The finishing touch is the bright and flavorful balsamic vinagarette with a hint of maple syrup to kick up the fall flavors one more notch. This salad is packed with fiber, healthy fats, and gut healthy nutrients to set up you for success.

From a Chinese medicine perspective, pears are protective for the lungs, which are the organ associated with fall and boosting the Wei Qi or the immune system. Pumpkin seeds are known for their anti parasitic properties and their ability to dispel mucus and fluid from the lungs. Walnuts help to expel cold and resolve excess mucus.

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Ingredients

• Salad

  • 1/2 apple of your choice, I used Honeycrisp here

  • 1/2 Bartlett pear

  • arugula

  • tuscan kale

  • walnuts

  • pumpkin seeds

  • goat cheese

• Dressing

  • 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

  • 1 tsp balsamic vinegar

  • 1 tsp lemon juice

  • 1 tsp maple syrup

  • 1/2 tsp dijon mustard

  • pinch of salt and pepper

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Instructions

• Prep your kale. Simply de-stem, wash and finely chop your kale leaves.

• Clean your arugula. Dry your greens and place them in your salad bowl.

• Chop your pear and apple into bite size cubes and add them to the bowl.

• Add your walnuts and pumpkin seeds.

• Top with crumbled goat cheese of your choice.

• For the dressing: Combine all the ingredients in a mason jar and give it a good and thorough shake.

• Pour your dressing on top and give the salad a toss. Enjoy the flavors of fall!