This Chopped Winter Salad with apples, celery, radishes and carrots is colorful, crunchy and clean-eating friendly! I am re-sharing it today and I have a bit of cool stuff to share about the health benefits of apple cider vinegar, which I used in the shallot cider vinegar dressing on this salad.

I originally shared this recipe on February 15, 2012. I have updated the images and some of the text today.

My kids call this Chopped Winter Salad “goodies salad” because it is more goodies than greens. This is the basic recipe, but it is really fun to play around with the ingredients. To make it a meal, try adding chopped hard boiled egg or flaked salmon. Or we like it with fennel, sunflower seeds and orange zest, or even better goat cheese and toasted walnuts! Or try chunks of cheddar cheese if you like. Last week we had it twice! I made it with lasagna one night and the other night we had it with a bevy of left-overs. I always love to fill my plate with it!

Especially in the winter we enjoy some variation of this chopped salad with a zippy cider vinaigrette. I usually use either Bragg’s Raw Cider Vinegar or a locally produced one if I can find it. That’s getting easier and easier to do now.

Small Batch Raw Apple Cider Vinegar

It seems boutique unfiltered cider vinegar from smaller producers has been popping up everywhere lately. For years now I have been buying it in small quantities from Shelburne Orchards. But now I am seeing a whole new crop of locally produced boutique apple cider vinegars on the shelves. I have been adding it to all sorts of recipes for a bit of tang and brightness.

I called down to a farm in southern Vermont to find out the deal. “The farm always made a little bit of vinegar” says Malah Miller of Dwight Miller Orchards. “But that fell by the wayside until we ran into a bad crop of apples one year and all we could do was juice them.” And so, the farm that had been producing vinegar since the 1700’s once again turned their apple cider into vinegar.

It was easy enough to sell it off to a dairy farmer who supplemented his cattle water with a little bit of vinegar. “It helps keep their white blood counts low” Malah rattles off. Eventually they started making what they call “people-grade” vinegar. Malah herself drinks a bit every day to help her arthritis. “I pour a couple fingerfuls in an 8-ounce glass, top it off with water and a little maple syrup. It’s less acidic than what you see on most retail shelves. It’s really quite palatable.”

Raw vs. Pasteurized Cider Vinegar

The difference between the vinegar made by Dwight Miller and Son’s Orchard in East Dummerston and the commercially produced vinegar is the Miller’s isn’t heat treated or pasteurized and filtered. That means the Miller’s vinegar has active enzymes from the fermentation process that may have a variety of health benefits. According to Miller their vinegar “helped one of our customers get off of his prescription acid reflux medication.”

In fact, apple cider vinegar has had a long history as a folk remedy with uses as varied as an anti-parasitic for organic dairy calves to a gradual weight-loss supplement for people. Most of these benefits haven’t been scientifically backed until now.

Health Claims about Apple Cider Vinegar

Now there may be some real science to back up some health claims.

• Vinegar reduces post meal blood glucose levels and delays stomach emptying and reduce hyperglycemia. Diabetes Care, the journal for the American Diabetes Association, 2010
• Great new for Athletes, vinegar may suppress the enzymes that break down sugars and enhances glycogen repletion in liver and muscle. American Society for Nutritional Sciences, 2001
• Two tablespoons of vinegar before a meal can lower the post-meal spike of insulin and glucose in the blood. Nutritionist Carol S. Johnston of Arizona State University East in Mesa, 2004

All over the country health-conscious cooks seem to have caught wind of these health benefits. The number one selling raw organic, un-filtered cider vinegar in the U.S, is Bragg from Santa Barbara, CA. A spokesperson says their sales are up significantly.

QUESTIONS

Do you refer to the cut up veggies and such in a salad the “Goodies” the way my kids do?

Are you using Apple Cider Vinegar for its health benefits?

Do you see locally produced apple cider vinegar in your area?

If you make this recipe (or another from this site) make sure you give a shout out on instagram! Tag me @healthyseasonal so I am able to see it.

Oh, and see you on Friday. I’ll be back with that lasagna I mentioned!

Happy Cooking!

~Katie

chopped winter salad

• Prep Time: 20 minutes
• Total Time: 20 minutes
• Yield: 6 servings

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Description

Chopped Winter Salad with escarole and Romaine lettuce, apple, celery, radishes and cider vinegar shallot dressing.

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Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons cider vinegar
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons minced shallot, about 1 small
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon honey (or agave for a vegan option)
• ¾ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon pepper
• 1 apple, cored and diced
• ½ head chopped Radicchio
• 6 cups chopped escarole
• 4 cups chopped Romaine lettuce
• ½ cup finely diced celery hearts
• ½ cup finely diced carrots
• ½ cup finely diced radishes

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Instructions

1. Puree vinegar, olive oil, shallot, Dijon, honey, salt and pepper in blender, mini food processor or with immersion blender. Combine apple, radicchio, escarole, Romaine, celery, carrots and radishes in a large bowl. Drizzle the dressing over the vegetables and toss to coat.

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Nutrition

• Serving Size: 2 cups
• Calories: 106
• Sugar: 6
• Sodium: 351 mg
• Fat: 7 g
• Saturated Fat: 1 g
• Carbohydrates: 10
• Fiber: 4
• Protein: 2

Here are some of the original images associated with this blog post.

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Apple Cider Vinegar Salad Dressing

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