Roasted Pear & Apple Salad with Caramelized Shallot Maple Vinaigrette

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Roasted Pear & Apple Salad with Caramelized Shallot Maple Vinaigrette

a photo of a large serving plate full of mixed greens topped with roasted pears and apples, crumbled prosciutto, golden raisins, pepitas and gorgonzola cheese.

We love to make this roasted pear and apple salad in the fall with all the freshly harvested apples and pears!

It is topped with prosciutto, cinnamon pecans, pepitas, gorgonzola and raisins then tossed with the most stunning caramelized shallot maple vinaigrette

 

Ingredients for Roasted Apple Salad

Here is a list of the ingredients you will need for this salad recipe:

  • Prosciutto – adds crunch and smoky delicious flavor
  • Honeycrisp Apples (or Jonagold) – these apples hold up great to roasting and the flavor is the best
  • Bartlett Pear (or Bosc) – become so flavorful and delicious when roasting
  • Cinnamon Pecans (or Hazelnuts) – You can buy these at the store or make them on your own. See section below for how to make them at home.
  • Olive Oil – helps keep the apples and pears from sticking to the pan
  • Black Pepper – adds flavor
  • Mixed Greens with Arugula – If your container of mixed greens doesn’t include arugula then buy some arugula and add it. Arugula just shines in this salad!!
  • Gorgonzola – We love gorgonzola but it is easily substituted with any cheese you love. Try smoked cheddar, gouda, goat cheese, manchego, gruyere, etc.
  • Pepitas – adds a yummy little crunch and nutty flavor
  • Golden Raisins – can be replaced with regular raisins, craisins or pomegranate seeds

Vinaigrette

This recipe was inspired by a Taste of Home recipe I was reading. It just sounded so good and it was fabulous on this salad! Here is what you will need:

  • Shallots – have a mild onion flavor and caramelize quickly
  • Kosher Salt – adds a touch of flavor to the shallots as they caramelize
  • Maple Syrup – use the real stuff!
  • White Balsamic Vinegar (or Apple Cider Vinegar) – you gotta have vinegar for a vinaigrette, both these options are sweet and tangy
  • Olive Oil – the base of the vinaigrette
The measurements for each ingredient in the salad and in the homemade dressing are listed in the recipe card at the end of this post.

What Apples are Best for Salads?

I am forever loyal to honeycrisp apples! Jonagold will also work great. If you can’t find those or if they are too expensive (they can get quite pricey), then go with gala, granny smith, or Braeburn.

How to Roast Apples and Pears

Roasting apples and pears is so easy! You will want to slice them pretty thin, cutting the pears a little thicker than the apples. Then lay them on a baking sheet that has been drizzled with a little olive oil to prevent sticking. Make sure all the slices are in a single layer. Place them in a preheated oven (425 degrees) and let them roast for 10 minutes. Then flip them all over and roast them for about 5 more minutes or until they are golden.

How to

Healthy Apple Fritter Baked Oatmeal

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Healthy Apple Fritter Baked Oatmeal

a photo of a serving of apple fritter baked oatmeal topped with a thick white glaze.

I’m am obsessed with apple fritters. I am obsessed with baked oatmeal. So I mashed the two together in a healthy apple fritter baked oatmeal and it is rockstar status!

Our first Saturday morning without an ounce of errands or unpacking and we needed a good, old fashioned family breakfast and surprisingly one of the kiddos had asked for oatmeal so obviously I had to go all out.

Oh dear, so begins another obsession. Get ready, folks because I’m about to start creating 50 different versions of baked oatmeal recipes.

What flavor combination would you like next?

 

When we had finally settled into a new city back in August I was dragging my feet to get cooking again. I’d barely cooked real meals all summer due to packing and now most of our kitchen stuff is in a storage unit and it’s been hard to find the motivation to get going again. But alas, I also detest not having sit down family dinners or eating out all the time, so I put on my big girl pants and totally eased into it. No jumping in when you’re exhausted from life, am I right?

What better way to ease in than to make breakfast for dinner recipes?

This healthy breakfast recipe is the perfect solution and came about from me winging it with random pantry ingredients. But my goodness, when you have both a 16 and 6 year old raving over OATMEAL you know you’ve found a winner! 

 

Ingredients for Apple Fritter Baked Oatmeal

In the next section, I’m going to go into how to make this simple breakfast recipe, but first thing’s first, here are the ingredients you will need:

  • Old Fashioned Oats – old fashioned really do work the best, instant oats get too soggy and steel cut outs don’t soften up enough
  • Eggs – bind the baked oatmeal together
  • Milk – you can use any kind of milk you want
  • Apple Butter (or Applesauce) – apple butter adds a little extra richness and buttery flavor, but applesauce works just great too
  • Maple Syrup – pure maple syrup is preferred
  • Vanilla – adds the best flavor
  • Cinnamon, Ginger, Nutmeg, Allspice – all the warm fall spices that go so well with apples
  • Salt – enhances all the flavors
  • Baking Soda – gives the baked oatmeal some rise and fluffiness
  • Golden Raisins – regular raisins will work fine too, I just prefer the flavor of golden raisins
  • Sliced Almonds (optional) – sometimes I include them and sometimes I don’t, they add some nice crunch and protein
  • Minced Dried Apples – be sure to get dried apples

For the Glaze

  • Powdered Sugar – all the swe

Best Ever Apple Nachos

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Sliced fresh apples, with a drizzle of peanut butter and honey, topped with a handful of crunchy chocolate peanut butter granola add up to a plate of the best ever Apple Nachos.

Crunchy Apple Nachos are a hit with kids and adults alike!

Apple Nachos

For as long as I can remember, I’ve enjoyed apples for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks. What’s not to love about crunchy, sweet, tart apples? Paired with a crunchy peanut butter dip or this honey yogurt dip, they’re a snack everyone loves.

These apple nachos combine the freshness of sliced apples with savory sweet peanut butter and honey and the chewy crunch of granola. They’re satisfyingly filling for a simple meal or a hearty snack.

This time of year, my family can not get too many apples and Meijer consistently has the tastiest apples. I partnered with Meijer a few years ago to share this apple recipe with you and we’ve been making these apple nachos regularly ever since then.

It's easy as can be to make a plate of crunchy apple nachos!

There’s just no end to the sweet and savory ways you can eat apples: apple oatmeals, apple butter, baked apples, apple pancakes, dehydrated apple chips, applesauce, apple cakes, and apple pie bars.

Apple crisps, apple crisp ice cream, Read more

German Apple Pancake

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Forget about leftovers with this recipe for German Apple Pancakes. You won’t believe how easy it is to make such a scrumptious breakfast treat.

a photo of a german pancake on a white plate with a colorful napkin in the background

German Pancakes with Apples

I added apples to a batch of these pancakes for the first time over ten years ago and my family went absolutely crazy over them. I made this recipe one morning a couple of weeks ago to reshoot the photos and fell in love with these pancakes all over again.

I enjoyed the German apple pancakes so much that I’ve already made them again for family dinner. Whether it’s my grandmother’s traditional recipe or a grain and gluten free variation, we just plain love German pancakes.

For a fun change, try making miniature German pancakes in a muffin tin or these cranberry almond German pancakes during the holidays. (You know I can never have enough cranberry recipes!) However you make them, they are always delicious.

My grandmother handed down a recipe for sweet orange sauce that has become traditional in my family when eating German pancakes. I love that sauce, both because it is delicious, and because it reminds me of her.

But, honestly, I like these German pancakes with apples best on their own. Sweet enough from the apples, all the finished pancake required was a light dusting of powdered sugar. (My kids sure do like them with a drizzle of maple syrup though.)

A word of warning when you’re making the apples for these pancakes, you may want to make extra. It’s hard to resist tasting a few straight from the saucepan–just try not to eat them all before you can bake the pancakes!

syrup pours from a white pitcher onto a german apple pancake on a white plate that has been dusted with confectioner's sugarRead more

Apple Cake with Caramel Sauce

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This lightly sweetened and spiced cake is filled with chunks of apple, then drizzled with warm caramel sauce just before serving. A sprinkling of raw sugar over the top of the cake adds a bit of crunch and sweetness as well.

Apple Cake with Caramel Sauce on a square white plate with fork

Apple Spice Cake

There are a few different ways to serve this cake. I like it best when topped with warm salted caramel sauce, and my husband prefers his topped with whipped cream. (Naturally, my kids voted for both toppings.)

If we’re lucky enough to have a slice of cake left the next morning, I usually snack on it with my morning coffee.

With fragrant cinnamon, ginger, and cardamom complementing the chunks of soft sweet baked apples, this apple spice cake is a popular fall and winter dessert.

Apple Cake with Caramel Sauce with whipped cream and caramel

It’s a common misconception that a moist cake is created by the amount of liquid used in a recipe. The truth is that moistness is actually created by the fats in ingredients like eggs, butter, oil, sour cream, and milk.

A generous helping of sour cream in this apple cake helps creates a dense, super-moist crumb. Full-fat Greek yogurt may be substituted for the sour cream here if you happen to have it on hand and do not have sour cream. Both options will work nicely.

Apple Cake with Caramel Sauce diced applesRead more
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