Recipe Swap - Chopped Apple Salad with Toasted Walnuts, Blue Cheese and Pomegranate Vinaigrette

Want to see what other Celebrity recipes were made during the swap? Here is the link to the Celebrity Recipe Swap Roundup


Awhile ago I asked the ladies who participate in the recipe swaps for help coming up with themes. One of the suggestions was your favorite celebrity recipe, with celebrity being defined as someone who has published a cookbook, been on TV, or is basically a known name. I was lucky enough to receive Nicole's submission, Chopped Apple Salad with Toasted Walnuts, Blue Cheese and Pomegranate Vinaigrette, which is a Bobby Flay recipe.


I rarely have trouble finding things in my supermarket, but I asked one of the produce managers if they had pomegranates and she said they aren't in season right now. Boo! She said they sometimes carry packages of the arils, but not at the moment. I've never bought a pomegranate before so I was disappointed that I wasn't able to try it for this recipe. When I Googled I discovered that pomegranates are in season from September - February in the Northern hemisphere. This fact, along with the growing season for apples, makes this a perfect fall salad.


I really enjoyed the flavors in this salad, especially the sweetness of the vinaigrette against the salty stinkiness of the blue cheese. The walnuts added crunch, as did the apple chunks. Even though I've never eaten the arils from a pomegranate, I missed them as I imagine they're like dried cranberries in a way. That just means I need to make this salad again in the fall.

Thanks for a great recipe, Nicole!

Chopped Apple Salad with Toasted Walnuts, Blue Cheese and Pomegranate Vinaigrette
Bobby Flay, via Prevention RD

Pomegranate Vinaigrette:
1/2 cup POM Wonderful
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon honey
Salt, to taste
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1/4 - 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Salad:
3 apples (Gala, Fuji, or Honeycrisp), cored and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
2 cups spinach, arugula or mixed greens
1 large head Romaine lettuce, torn into pieces
1/2 cup toasted walnuts, coarsely chopped
6 oz blue cheese, crumbled
1/2 pomegranate, arils removed (in season September-February)
Salt and pepper to taste

To make the vinaigrette, simmer the POM Wonderful over medium heat until it simmers, thickening to about 1/4 cup (about 10-12 minutes). Whisk together the pomegranate juice, vinegar, mustard, honey, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl. Slowly whisk in the olive oil until emulsified. Set aside.

For the salad, combine the apples, spinach/arugula/mixed greens, Romaine, walnuts, blue cheese and arils in a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper, then add the vinaigrette and toss to coat.