Hello, sunny Sydney! Great to see the sun’s out again after almost a week long of heavy rains and grey clouds. You would think summer has left early! Having said that, I did not spend the wet days sulking but rather took advantage of it and had productive days de-cluttering. Christmas tree has been put away thus, furniture back in their proper places. What a great feeling afterwards. New year, new pieces of furniture and new home look. Needless to say, I am a very happy home maker. Great way to start the year indeed. Yes, I still am using leftover cheeses from New Year’s party. Still enjoying light meals and sticking to salads most time. I made this really summery celery and blue cheese salad the other day. Beautiful flavours of fresh mixed salad leaves, celery sticks, red delicious apple, toasted walnuts and Danish creamy blue cheese dressed with red wine vinegar, seeded mustard and olive oil. I have been using a lot of red wine vinegar in my cooking and salad dressings lately. Love the tangy and rounded taste it gives, adding another dimension for the palate to enjoy. With this salad, I loved the sweetness of the apple, the sharp blue cheese with it’s creamy texture and the nutty flavour from the toasted walnuts. I always toast nuts before adding them to salads because you get intense flavour from the oil released when you toast them. I do it in the oven, spread on baking sheet and toast them for 6-8 minutes on 180C degrees. Or you can do it stove top, over medium heat on a frying pan. Just keep an eye on them as they burn easily.
Did I mention how super fast you can prepare this salad? Super fast as in 10 minutes and you get to enjoy this. Tasty. Crunchy. Yes, you will love the crunch you get as you bite into the apple, celery and nuts. Just go ahead and give this a go and I promise, you will thank me. So, you’re welcome!
Ingredients:
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon seeded mustard
- 120g 4-leaf salad mix
- 2 celery stalks, thinly sliced
- 1 red apple, cored, cut into batons
- 50g blue cheese, crumbled
- 1/2 cup walnuts, toasted
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
Method:
- For the dressing, mix oil, vinegar and mustard. Shake well.
- In a large bowl, mix salad leaves, apples, celery and walnuts.
- Add dressing to mixed salad. Using your fingers, lightly toss salad making sure dressing is mixed well with other ingredients.
- Add crumbled cheese on top.
- Sprinkle with chopped chives.