apple basil bleu salad

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apple salad

The Waldorf Salad is a classic salad. Oftentimes saved for holiday occasions, this salad has roots that go back to to 1928! This apple basil bleu salad is a revised updated version of the classic Waldorf Salad! I’m using things like mandarin orange slices and green onions to sizzle the flavors. Then the dressing is more than just mayo, it’s a creamy delicious dressing that pulls all these flavors and textures together.

Wikipedia History of the Salad

Waldorf salad is named for the Waldorf-Astoria hotel in New York City, where it was first created for a charity ball given in honor of the St. Mary’s Hospital for Children on March 14, 1896.[2][3][4] The Waldorf-Astoria’s maître d’hôtel, Oscar Tschirky, developed or inspired many of the hotel’s signature dishes and is widely credited with creating the salad recipe. In 1896, the salad appeared in The Cook Book by “Oscar of the Waldorf”.[5]

The original recipe was just apples, celery, and mayonnaise.[6] It did not contain nuts, but they had been added by the time the recipe appeared in The Rector Cook Book in 1928.[7]

Reasons I Love this New Version
  • Nothing better together than the sweetness of apples, the crunch, crisp and juiciness and bleu cheese with a sharper more salty taste.
  • There’re more textures to excite the palate like nuts and mandarin oranges.
  • The dressing incorporates healthier Greek yogurt as well as a little mayonnaise and citrus juice.
  • Basil leaves! Yes, these leaves that have that are extremely aromatic with a scent of pepper, anise, and mint.

Try it with something like my Kung Pao Chicken. Sure to please! I sure hope you try it. You might just find that the ‘modernized’ version of the fabulously delicious Waldorf Salad is a great change! And, be sure to check out some of the beautiful serving pieces that I’ve found on Amazon that you might like to add to your collection of serving pieces. I really love these because they’re rustic and so natural looking. And, they blend with so many other dishes! Remember, you eat with your eyes first!

oxxo ~ally

apple salad

apple salad

apple basil bleu salad

Yield: 6+ servings

Ingredients

  • 4 cups apples, crispy variety (i.e., honey crisp) washed, skin on, bite-size dice
  • 2 green onions, thinly sliced with some of green tops
  • 2 cups celery, sliced plus some of the leaves chopped
  • 4 oz. fruit cup mandarin oranges, drained, reserve juice
  • 2 cups red grapes, seedless, sliced in halves
  • 1 cup walnuts, roughly chopped
  • 1 cup fresh basil leaves, loosely packed and roughly chopped leaving some whole leaves
  • DRESSING:
  • ¼ cup mayonnaise
  • ½ cup Greek yogurt, plain
  • ¼ cup mandarin orange juice, can substitute regular orange or tangerine juice
  • 1 tsp. sea salt
  • 1/3 cup bleu cheese crumbles + more for serving

Instructions

  1. Put the apples, green onions, celery, mandarins, grapes, and walnuts in a large mixing bowl. Toss and blend.
  2. In a smaller bowl, whisk together the ingredients for the dressing. Drizzle over the apple mixture. Add the basil leaves. Toss and blend. Refrigerate about 30 minutes before serving.

Your sharing is GOLDEN! Thank you!

Your sharing and comments help me stay in business! Share a photo if you make the recipe #allyskitchen Thank you! xo Ally


apple salad

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12 Comments

  1. Michaela Kenkel says:

    This is just gorgeous!! Those flavors together oh my MY!!

    1. Michaela! Thank you so very much, luv, for visiting! It just has made my day, and thank you!! xo

  2. Just made a batch of this for TMOFW’s supper ronight (mine, too) and I KNEW I was missing something (besides the bleu cheese, sigh…) Green onions and basil made the “color” (and taste) POP! Thanks again for your flavor innovations, and YOU! xo

    P.S. Funny story — Russ ate the only orange in our fridge last night before he went to bed (which I didn’t discover until this morning, but I was able to grate enough of the rind to bump up the dressing without resorting to lemon Greek yogurt, much as I would’ve loved to.) Mine was a combo of mayo, grated orange peel, & honey, plus a lil’ mandarin juice — SOOO tasty! Off to enjoy the rest of your add-ins, xo! 🙂

    1. OMG, Kim, your dressing sounds divine! I must try it!! That orange peel and honey, yum! Yeah, the basil and green onions add that much needed vibrant color, plus, plenty of pop! We’re gonna have to padlock the kitchen so Russ can’t raid it and devour the needed ingredients!! Can’t wait for you to add that bleu…ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, how we love bleu! xoxo 🙂

    1. Hi, Dorothy..thank you, and, yes, it is a ‘meal’…I added a piece of grilled chicken, and it was deeelish! Thanks for visiting, luv! xo ~ally

    1. Thank you, Liren! Yes, it’s so much fun to combine all these beautiful textures and colors! Thanks for visiting AK xo ~ally

    1. Thank you! Like you, Lisa, we’re all about those Fall colors and flavors…well, textures, too, luv! Thank you again! xo ~allyl

  3. I’m eating those bleu cheese chunks with my eyes, Ally — that whole bowl of Waldorf Salad, too! 🙂 Thanks for reinventing this classic with your flavorful flair, xo.

    1. Oh, Kim, you know we love love our really good bleu! I mean nothin’ better and w/all these crunchies and juicies…yummmm! Thanks, luv, for being such a treasured supporter and friend! xoxo

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