Fresh & Creamy Chicory and Apple Salad with Walnuts & Raisins: Your Go-To Quick & Healthy Delight

This exquisite chicory salad with apple is a timeless classic, cherished for its simplicity and vibrant flavors. Featuring finely chopped chicory, crisp apple cubes, plump raisins, and crunchy walnuts, it’s a recipe designed for speed and ease. You can have this wonderfully fresh and colorful dish on your table in under 10 minutes, making it the perfect versatile salad to serve anytime, anywhere.

Sometimes, the craving for a fresh, healthy salad strikes, but you might be tired of the usual suspects like iceberg, arugula, or romaine lettuce. If that sounds familiar, then you’ve stumbled upon a super tasty solution: our irresistible chicory salad with apple. It’s a symphony of freshness and crunch, loaded with delightful ingredients that will awaken your taste buds.

Beyond the core combination of crisp chicory and sweet apple, this recipe elevates the experience with vibrant spring onion, savory cheese, earthy walnuts, and juicy raisins. The magic is then rounded off by a luxurious honey-mustard yogurt dressing, which provides a creamy, tangy, and subtly sweet finish. This isn’t just a salad; it’s a culinary experience you’ll find yourself revisiting again and again, becoming a staple in your healthy recipe repertoire.

This delightful recipe is lovingly adapted from the popular Dutch food blog, Eefkooktzo, bringing a touch of European flair to your kitchen.

Experience a fresh, creamy, and truly classic combination: chicory salad with apple, walnuts, and raisins. This colorful and satisfying salad is sure to become a frequent star on your dining table!

Key Ingredients for Your Perfect Chicory Salad

The beauty of this chicory and apple salad lies in its carefully selected components, each playing a vital role in creating a balanced and flavorful experience. Here’s a closer look at the stars of our dish and how you can customize them.

• Apple – The Sweet Crunch: Apple provides that wonderfully fresh, sweet, and crisp accent that beautifully contrasts with the chicory. For this recipe, I highly recommend using a sweet, firm apple variety such as Elstar, Pink Lady, Honeycrisp, or Fuji. Their sweetness balances the subtle bitterness of the chicory perfectly. If you’re looking for an alternative, consider replacing the apple with juicy wedges of tangerines or halved grapes for a different kind of fruity sweetness. Remember, if you’re prepping apples in advance, a quick toss with a little lemon juice will prevent them from browning.
• Chicory (Belgian Endive) – The Bitter-Sweet Base: Deliciously fresh chicory forms the foundation of this salad. Its unique, slightly bitter flavor and crisp texture are what make this salad so distinctive. When selecting chicory, look for firm, white heads with tightly closed leaves. Store it in the refrigerator, preferably in a dark place, until ready to use to maintain its freshness and minimize bitterness. For a beautiful pop of color and a slightly milder flavor, you can easily substitute white chicory with red chicory. If chicory isn’t readily available or you want a different leafy green, finely shredded kale can also work as a substitute, offering a heartier texture and earthy flavor.
• Cheese – The Creamy & Salty Element: In this recipe, we opt for classic Gouda cheese, which adds a mild, nutty, and slightly sweet creaminess. However, the choice of cheese offers fantastic opportunities for customization! For a tangy, salty kick, crumbled feta cheese is an excellent alternative. If you’re feeling adventurous and love a stronger flavor, a creamy blue cheese can provide a wonderfully pungent and rich dimension that pairs exceptionally well with the sweetness of the apple and honey dressing.
• Walnuts & Raisins – Texture & Sweetness Boost: These aren’t just garnishes; they’re essential for texture and flavor. Walnuts provide a satisfying crunch and earthy depth, while raisins add concentrated bursts of sweetness and a chewy texture. Make sure to soak your raisins briefly in hot water before adding them to make them extra plump and juicy – a small step that makes a big difference! If you’re out of walnuts, pecans or even candied pecans would be a delicious substitute. For raisins, dried cranberries or chopped dates can offer a similar sweet and chewy contrast.
• Honey and Ginger Syrup – The Dressing’s Sweetheart: These liquid sweeteners are key to our dressing, providing a balanced sweetness without being overpowering. They perfectly complement the sharpness of the mustard and tang of the yogurt. It’s important to use ginger syrup, not fresh ginger, as fresh ginger’s strong flavor can easily dominate the delicate balance of the dressing. If ginger syrup or honey isn’t on hand, other liquid sweeteners like maple syrup or golden syrup can be used as equally delicious alternatives.

Step-by-Step Guide to Your Chicory and Apple Salad

Creating this vibrant salad is incredibly straightforward. Follow these easy steps for a perfect result every time.

Step 1: Prepare All Your Ingredients

1. Plump the Raisins: Begin by placing the raisins in a small bowl and covering them with hot water. Let them soak for about 5 minutes. This simple step helps to plump them up, making them wonderfully juicy. Once softened, drain them thoroughly and pat them dry with a paper towel.
2. Prepare the Chicory: Take each chicory stump, cut off the tough bottom, and carefully remove the often bitter core using a sharp knife. This step is crucial for reducing any unwanted bitterness. Once the core is removed, slice the chicory into thin, even strips. Wash the leaves thoroughly under cold water and pat them dry or use a salad spinner.
3. Dice the Apple: Wash your chosen apple (Elstar, Pink Lady, etc.) and remove the core. There’s no need to peel it, as the skin adds extra fiber, color, and texture. Cut the apple into small, uniform cubes, approximately ¼ x ¼ inch (½ x ½ cm). Uniformity ensures even distribution and a pleasant bite in every forkful.
4. Cube the Cheese: Take your slices of Gouda cheese and stack them neatly. First, cut them into ½ inch (1 cm) wide strips, then proceed to cut these strips into small, square cubes. This ensures the cheese pieces are a similar size to the apple cubes, making for a harmonious mix.
5. Slice the Spring Onion: Trim the ends of your spring onion and thinly slice it. For an extra touch of elegance and visual appeal, try cutting them diagonally.
6. Chop the Walnuts: Give the walnuts a coarse chop. You want pieces that are substantial enough to provide crunch but not so large that they overpower the other ingredients.

Step 2: Craft the Creamy Honey-Mustard Yogurt Dressing

1. Combine the Base: In a small mixing bowl, combine the Greek yogurt and mayonnaise. These two ingredients form the creamy foundation of our dressing.
2. Add the Tang and Sweetness: Stir in a generous tablespoon of mustard – Dijon works wonderfully for a mild kick, or whole grain for added texture. Next, pour in the honey and ginger syrup. These will infuse the dressing with a lovely, balanced sweetness and a hint of warm spice.
3. Emulsify with Olive Oil: Gradually whisk in the extra virgin olive oil. Continue whisking until the dressing is smooth and well emulsified.
4. Season to Perfection: Finally, season the dressing with a pinch of salt and a dash of freshly ground black pepper to taste. Mix everything thoroughly to ensure all flavors are well combined. Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary – you might want a little more sweetness, tang, or salt depending on your preference.

Step 3: Assemble Your Delicious Salad

1. Start with the Base: Place the shredded chicory into a large, inviting salad bowl. This will be the crisp foundation for your salad.
2. Add the Hearty Elements: Distribute the neatly cubed cheese and the diced apple evenly over the chicory. These elements provide both flavor and satisfying texture.
3. Incorporate Aromatics and Sweetness: Scatter the thinly sliced spring onions and the plump, rehydrated raisins into the bowl. The spring onions add a mild oniony bite and beautiful color, while the raisins bring bursts of sweet juiciness.

Step 4: Dress and Serve Immediately

1. Dress the Salad: Pour the creamy honey-mustard yogurt dressing generously over all the assembled ingredients in the salad bowl. Using tongs or two large spoons, gently toss the salad to ensure every piece of chicory, apple, cheese, spring onion, and raisin is beautifully coated in the dressing.
2. Add the Final Crunch: Just before serving, sprinkle the finely chopped walnuts over the top of the salad. This ensures they maintain their delightful crunch.
3. Serve and Enjoy: Serve your fresh, vibrant, and creamy chicory and apple salad immediately to enjoy it at its peak freshness and texture!

Tips for Success & Delightful Variations

To make your chicory and apple salad truly shine, here are a few extra tips and ideas for customization:

• Chill Your Ingredients: For the crispiest salad, ensure all your ingredients, especially the chicory and apples, are well-chilled before assembly.
• Don’t Over-Dress: Add the dressing gradually and toss. You can always add more, but you can’t take it away! The goal is to coat, not to drown.
• Experiment with Herbs: A sprinkle of fresh parsley, dill, or chives can add another layer of freshness and aroma to the salad.
• Add Protein: For a more substantial meal, consider adding grilled chicken breast, smoked salmon, hard-boiled eggs, or even crispy bacon bits.
• Make it Vegan: Substitute Greek yogurt with a plant-based alternative, mayonnaise with vegan mayo, and use a plant-based cheese or omit it entirely for a delicious vegan version.

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📖 Recipe