winter salad – Bees Knees Recipes

Honeyed Parsnip Salad.jpg

After reading through several recipes for a Christmas Eve salad, I came up with this conglomerate, that I loved! The elements blended so well for a perfect winter salad. We’ve been repeating it every week since Christmas, too.

Honeyed Parsnip Salad

4 parsnips, peeled and diced small
3 semi-tart apples, cored, and chopped into bite-size pieces
4 c. baby arugula
4 c. baby spinach
1 c. roasted hazelnuts, chopped
2-4 T. honey
white balsamic vinegar (about 2 T.)
olive oil (about 1/4 c.)
salt and pepper

Heat the oven to 400 degrees F. Toss the parsnips with oil and salt and pepper and place on an aluminum-foil lined baking sheet. When the oven is preheated, roast the parsnips until browned on the edges (about 15-20 minutes).

Meanwhile, chop the apples, and rinse and dry the arugula and spinach. Place the greens in a serving bowl, then add the apples to the top. Salt and pepper the salad, then dress by splashing with the vinegar and oil.

When the parsnips are fully roasted, remove from the baking sheet to a small bowl and toss with honey. Let cool for a minute, and then scatter the parsnips on top of the apples. Lastly, add the hazelnuts and serve immediately.

I always feel like salads in the winter should be different than salads in the summer. Something seems incongruous to me if we’re having tomatoes and cucumbers with lettuce in the heart of winter, and though I love Martha’s baked goat cheese salad, as well as my favorite roasted pear salad, I’ve needed to expand my winter salad vocabulary this year. I found this recipe in Sustainably Delicious with a claim that it was one of Paul Newman’s favorite. Well, that’s enough to convince me to give it a whirl. Their salad, though, was decidedly a warm-weather creation, so I changed it to feel more seasonal, but like all the salads, any number of vegetables could be used to change its personality.

Winter Chopped Salad

1/4 c. white-wine vinegar
1/4 c. extra-virgin olive oil
1 t. honey
1/2 t. sea salt
1/4 t. freshly ground pepper
3 medium stalks celery, diced (1/4-inch)
2 medium carrots, diced (1/4-inch)
2 medium tart apples, peeled and diced (1/4-inch)
2 large golden beets, roasted, peeled, and diced 1/4″
4 c. baby arugula
1 bunch watercress
1 c. crumbled goat cheese
1/2 c. toasted almonds, roughly chopped

Whisk vinegar, oil, honey, salt and pepper in a large salad bowl until well combined.
Add celery and carrots to the vinaigrette. Let marinate for at least 10 minutes and up to 1 hour (or longer, if you want a stronger pickled flavor. I did!)
Add apple, beets, arugula and watercress to the bowl; toss to coat. Add almonds and toss to combine.