Autumn Salad Ideas

September 4, 2009 | By Admin In Salads |

We love the fresh vegetables of summer and early fall. But we can also have nutritious salads in the late fall and winter, too. Here are some tips and recipes for fall and winter salads.

Cabbage is delicious by itself, and combines well with many other vegetables and fruits. In preparing cabbage for salad, it should be shredded into the finest strips, avoiding the heavy portions of the leaves. Crisp in cold water, and drain. Prepared in this manner, cabbage can be a substitute for lettuce.

Red cabbage prepared in the same way as the white cabbage is an unusual and attractive garnish as well as a nutritious addition to a salad.

Parsley makes an efficient garnish for salads in the absense of other greens, and watercress can also be used. Some old time cooks kept a miniature salad garden in their kitchen windows where chives and parsley could thrive all winter long.

Celery should not be overlooked, either. It is no secret that celery is delicious in salads, but we forget that the green leaves can be salad garnishes. They should be carefully rinsed, crisped in cold water, then shaken dry. Alternating the light and dark green leaves makes a most attractive garnish for any salad, or a combination of light green celery leaves with the parsley is unusually attractive.

Narrow strips of red apple peeling add much to the appearance of any salad and can be used to add taste and visual appeal.

The following recipes are all made without lettuce, and will serve six people.

Cabbage and Apple Salad

1/2 small head cabbage
3 large apples
Nut meats
Thousand Island dressing

Shred cabbage, crisp in cold water and drain. Peel apples, reserving thin strips of red skin for garnish. Quarter and core apples, and divide each quarter into very thin strips.

Mix apple with cabbage, add salad dressing and toss lightly until well mixed. Garnish with strips of apple and chopped nutmeats.

Thousand Island Dressing

1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup chili sauce

Mix mayonnaise with chili sauce. Add sour cream to mixture and stir well. A little chopped onion or chives may be added, but if the chili sauce is well-seasoned, no further addition will be needed.

Red Cabbage and Celery Salad

2 cups shredded red cabbage
1 cup celery
Salad dressing of your choice

Crisp cabbage in cold water. Cut celery in one-inch lengths, then divide into thin strips; crisp in cold water. Drain and mix cabbage and celery, add dressing and serve garnished with parsley. Half white and half red cabbage may also be used.

Green Bean, Carrot, and Onion Salad

6 medium-sized carrots
1 medium-sized Bermuda onion
2 dozen good-sized fresh green beans
French dressing

Scrape carrots and cut into straws. Remove ends and strings from beans and cut in two lengthwise. Cook vegetables separately in enough water to cover. When tender, drain carefully to prevent breaking. Moisten with French dressing and chill.

Peel onion and cut into thin slices. Separate the rings, reserving the medium-sized ones. Mix carrots with beans and fit into the onion rings, allowing one ring for each bundle. Trim edges with a sharp knife. Sprinkle with finely minced onion and serve with French dressing.

Parsley is an attractive garnish for this salad, or a little finely shredded cabbage may be used as a base.

Waldorf Salad

3 apples
2 stalks celery
1/2 cup walnut or pecan meats

Peel apples, keeping thin strips of red skin for garnishing. Divide in eighths, core, and divide each eighth in thin slices. Cut celery into inch lengths, then into thin strips. Crisp in water. Slice nutmeats lengthwise in thin strips.

Mix apples, celery, and nutmeats. Add dressing. Combine thoroughly. Garnish with strips of apple peeling. Watercress makes an attractive garnish for this salad.

Party Salad

1 can pears
3/4 pound cinnamon drops candy
Mayonnaise dressing
Whipped cream

Drain juice from pears. Add cinnamon drops to the juice and boil until candies are dissolved. Add one-half of the pears and simmer until well-colored, turning occasionally until the coloring is even. Let cool in syrup and then drain. Cut pears in 4 slices lengthwise. Arrange in flower form, alternating red and white slices, allowing 8 slices to a serving.

Mix mayonnaise with whipped cream and pile in the center of each flower. A little grated sweet chocolate poured in the exact center of the dressing is an effective touch.

Candle Salad

2 large oranges
Celery leaves
3 bananas
Mayonnaise dressing
Whipped cream

Peel oranges. Cut in thin slices lengthwise, following the curve of the orange. Cut bananas in halves crosswise and trim to a uniform size. Arrange flat celery leaves on individual plates. Stand half a banana on end in the center of each plate and arrange orange slices around in flower fashion.

Mix dressing with whipped cream and pile around base of banana, being careful not to cover too much of the orange slices. A strip of candied cherry or red apple peeling may be fitted in the top of the banana to represent a flame.

This is an attractive way to serve these two everyday fruits. In fact, it is usually with the simpler ingredients that the most appetizing results are obtained.