Dukes Southern Apple Salad

North Carolina Dukes Lite Mayonnaise and tasty apples come together for a fresh, light winter fruit salad. This recipe uses nutrient-dense pecan nuts for added texture and crisp celery for fiber and fresh flavor. Apple salad is mildly sweet, crunchy, and tangy making it a great dish for breakfast, lunch or snack time. This delicious salad is higher in nutrition and fiber and lower in carbs, fat, and calories than traditional lunch sides such as pasta salad, potato chips, or French fries. Apple salad is a great party or pot-luck side dish salad. It also makes a good guilt-free snack with the fiber needed to hold you over until mealtime.

Try this recipe, adjust to your liking, and enjoy a different side salad this year. Who says Southern food has to be high in fat, cholesterol, and calories? Adding a light fruit salad or replacing a high calorie, low-nutrient side dish has health benefits. Making small changes in our diets this year can add up to good long-term advantages and help aid in weight loss too!

Dukes Southern Apple Salad, yields about 2.5 cups

Salad Ingredients:

• 1 large Honey Crisp apple, washed, cored and cut into small pieces. Can substitute with your favorite apple
• 1/4 to 1/2 Cup of pecan nuts
• 1 Stalk celery, washed and cut small
• 1 Teaspoons lemon juice, fresh is best!
• Optional; 1/2 Cup red grapes or raisins. Grapes contain sugar so cut down on the honey in your dressing by half when adding grapes. Wash grapes and cut in half before stirring into salad as a final step.

Dressing Ingredients:

• 2 Tablespoons Dukes light mayonnaise
• 1/4 Cup light sour cream
• 1 Tablespoon honey
• 1 Teaspoon apple cider vinegar
• Sprinkle of salt

Make Southern apple salad:

1. Cut all salad ingredients into small, bite-sized pieces so you get a combination of flavors and textures in a spoon full. This is an important and often missed step in food prep that effects overall finished quality. I leave some of the apple peel on for color, but you can peel as you like. You can also cut apple into thin slices for a different appeal. Pour lemon juice over the apples to prevent them from discoloring and add tartness to the salad.

2. In a mixing bowl, combine all dressing ingredients and stir together well with a wooden spoon. Toss salad ingredients into the bowl with dressing and combine until everything is coated in creamy dressing. Use the wooden spoon to gently mix salad together, tossing it about in the bowl a little. It’s ready to serve or refrigerate up to 3 days.

NUT OPTIONS and TIPS:

* Many people have nut allergies or don’t eat nuts. Roasted and salted sunflower seeds, flax seeds, or even chia seeds are good alternatives.

* Cutting washed celery stalks in half longways and then cutting across the stalk small reduces the fibrous strings in your finished salad. If celery “strings” bother you, try this method. Don’t want to buy a bunch of celery for 1 small salad? Use celery seed instead. You get the flavor of celery in a shelf-stable alternative. Don’t like celery flavor at all? Just omit this ingredient all together and enjoy your apple salad!

* Toasting nuts prior use adds flavor. Whatever nut you use, bring out the flavor by toasting them. Simply warm the nut (whole or chopped) in a dry skillet on low heat for 4 to 6 minutes until toasted. This brings out the nut oil and adds more natural flavor.

ALLERGY INFO:

This recipe uses tree nuts and mayonnaise made with eggs. You can substitute flax or sunflower seeds for nuts if desired or omit. Substitutions for Dukes light mayonnaise include using vegan or egg-free mayo, substituting mayo for plain yogurt, or just adding 2 Tablespoons more sour cream and omitting mayonnaise.