Roasted Apple Salad

Roasted Apple Salad

with Arugula, Hazelnuts, Chevre & Champagne Vinaigrette

It's been a while since I've had time to post, let alone make a salad. Sorry to leave you all without some creative greens for so long! Promise that the blog will be flooded now that I have free time on my hands. Ok, now that that's out of the way, let's get on with the salad...

We had a few people over for dinner last night. After seeing Les Miserables (go if you haven't yet) and having a glass of wine with a dear friend, it was time to fix dinner and I needed to pull together a quick, delish and easy meal (I admit, I'm a lightweight and was totes buzzed after that one glass). I figured this impromptu dinner party would be the perfect time to get back to salad making and paired the following salad with lamb chops, sauteed kale and brown rice. It was the perfect side dish and everyone loved it. A little tart, but a great balance to the heartier meal. It also paired fabulously with the Pinot Gris we had. Hope that you enjoy it as much as we all did. Bon appetit!

Ingredients:

• 2-3 cups arugula
• 1 granny smith apple, peeled and cored
• 1/4 cup hazelnuts, crushed or halved
• 1/4 cup chevre, crumbled (I used Boucheron because we had it in the house)
• 3 Tbsp + 1 tsp olive oil
• 3 Tbsp champagne vinegar
• 1/3 lemon
• salt & pepper 

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Cut apple into 1/4" slices. In a small mixing bowl, toss sliced apple with juice of the lemon and 1 tsp olive oil. Spread coated apples on a baking sheet or in a roasting pan. Place apples in oven and cook for 20min (or until slightly browned) turning apples once. Remove from oven and let rest. 

In a large mixing bowl toss arugula, hazelnuts, chevre, vinegar and remaining oil. Add salt and pepper to taste. Once thoroughly coated, plate salad. Top greens with roasted apples. Serve and enjoy!