vermont fall salad with cheddar and bacon

A flavorful seasonal salad with chunks of Cabot White Oak Cheddar, sweet Vermont apple, spiced nuts and crumbled smoky bacon for fall. Easy enough to make for lunch and special enough for Thanksgiving.

In the last few weeks I have been working on the dessert chapter for Maple, and I have been eating a lot more sweets than I usually do. I have been baking more for the blog too. You’ve probably noticed too. If you scroll through the archives of my most recent posts, you’ll see a shift from 10 minute salads to many more gluten free and whole grain baking recipes and a lot of healthified heartier fare. Take a look:

Chocolate Chili Spiced Pecans

Curry Roasted Acorn Squash 

Cranberry Vinaigrette

GF Sweet Potato Praline Bundtlettes 

Roasted Butternut Squash with Smoked Paprika and Turmeric

Skinny Chocolate Recovery Shake 

Vegan Pumpkin Maple Walnut Scones 

GF Breakfast Bread 

Skillet Pepper Steaks 

Roasted Grape Crostini with Goat Cheese and Walnuts

Turkey Chili with Pintos

Lamb and Millet Tagine with Cinnamon and Prunes 

Spaghetti Squash with Mushroom Rosemary Sauce

Stove Top Roasted Garlic 

Harvest Vegetable Soup

I guess, the cooler temperatures, have inspired me to turn on the oven, and just bake and roast everything I can get my hands on. It’s full on frost season here in Vermont. Our village had our last Farmers’ market for the year a few days ago. The foliage is coming to an end here, and it is only getting up into the fifties during the days. Our new pond is almost completely full of water from all the rain we’ve been getting. Pretty soon, I may actually pull out my winter boots. My cooking reflects that seasonal shift.

But I have been getting in my usual bathtub sized salad bowl to balance it all out, I just haven’t mentioned it for weeks and weeks. In that time, I have made the switch from summer tomato or cucumber salads to cold weather salads.

Know what I mean by that?

Let’s call it the three b’s of salad. Big and bold and balanced. Like this one I made that’s topped with chunks of cheddar cheese, crumbled bacon, spiced pecans and chunks of honey crisp apples from our recent apple picking trip. I drizzled on some of my home-made cranberry vinaigrette. There are all sorts of flavors and textures layered together. Totally legit even on a cool fall evening. You can also get the recipe over on the Cabot Creamery Cooperative blog today. And be sure to check out Cabot Creamery Cooperative on social media too:

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Questions…

Have you been using your oven a whole lot more now that it is fall?

Are you still eating salad?

What is the foliage like in your area?

vermont fall salad with cheddar and bacon

• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Total Time: 15 minutes
• Yield: 4 servings 1x

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Description

A flavorful seasonal salad with chunks of Cabot White Oak Cheddar, sweet Vermont apple, spiced nuts and crumbled smoky bacon for fall. Easy enough to make for lunch and special enough for Thanksgiving.

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Scale 1x2x3x

Ingredients

• 8 cups mixed baby greens, or baby spinach
• 5 slices cooked, crumbled bacon
• 1 crisp sweet apple, such as honey crisp, diced
• 4 ounces cubed Cabot White Oak Cheddar, about 1 cup
• ½ cup spiced nuts, homemade or purchased
• ½ cup vinaigrette (I used my cranberry vinaigrette)

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Instructions

1. Arrange salad greens, bacon, apple, cheddar and nuts on four large plates. Drizzle with the dressing.

DISCLOSURE: As a member of the Cabot Creamery Coop Cheese Board, I receive promotional cheese and products from time to time. I am under no obligation to write about them. I was not compensated to write this post. I just happen to love the heck out of their products.