The weather is 100% changing here in the DMV – there is not doubt about it anymore. This morning when I woke up, it was 48 degrees out. I had to wear my WINTER jacket to my car before work. I can sit outside comfortable, if not slightly chilly, in a thick sweater. Fall is here.
I am embracing it y’all. Fall is where I shine. I love comfy sweaters, jeans, and fall colors. I love soups and stews and roasted vegetables. I love the smells of fall – pumpkin and cinnamon and nutmeg and caramel. I even love the sounds of fall – leaves rustling in the breeze, the sound of a carnival rollercoaster roaring to life and screams of joy, and a crackling bonfire. I love it all.
I’m diving deep this year into flavors and exploring new takes and combinations on them. Apple has always been a fall flavor for me because of apple picking in September. To me, apple picking marks the very beginning of fall. But I’ve never really associated pomegranates with fall as much, although there wasn’t a particular season I did associate them with. But this year, I really am thinking of them as a fall flavor and trying to find ways to incorporate them into my fall dishes.
Thus, this Apple & Pomegranate Salad, a perfect starter for a Rosh Hashanah celebration or a filling lunch or dinner. This salad is topped with apples and pomegranates, but the dressing is also flavored with both. The dressing features primarily pomegranates, but apples make an appearance through both apple cider vinegar and apple sauce.
This recipe is also really easy to make – just prepare the farro, chop the apples and pull out the pomegranate seeds, and blend up the dressing. Then add everything together and you have yourself a delicious salad. If you’re not serving this salad right away, be sure to squirt a bit of lemon juice on the apples to ensure they don’t turn brown!
This recipe is kosher and can be easily made gluten free by substituting in a gluten-free grain, such as quinoa, in place of the farro. You can also substitute your favorite leafy green for kale – I’m just on a huge kale kick right now and have been using it for everything! It has a great texture and I really love the flavor.
This recipe is a great start to any Rosh Hashanah celebration. If you’re looking for other Rosh Hashanah or fall recipes, you can find them here:
I would love the hear how this recipe turns out for you and how you’re celebrating Rosh Hashanah or the beginning of fall. Let me know in the comments or message me at @thejewishvegan on Instagram. And, as always, if you have any questions don’t hesitate to reach out. Now, let’s get started!
Rosh Hashanah Apple & Pomegranate Salad
Equipment
- blender
Ingredients
- 1 cup uncooked farro
- salt, pepper, smoked paprika to taste
- 4 gala apples thinly sliced
- 8 cups kale shredded into bite sized pieces, pulled off the stems
- ¼ cup walnuts raw, unsalted, crushed
- pomegranate seeds leftover reserved from the pomegranate
Pomegranate Dressing
- ½ cup pomegranate seeds a little less than one pomegranate's worth of seeds
- ¼ cup olive oil
- ½ tbsp apple cider vinegar
- ¼ cup apple sauce unsweetened
- ½ tbsp dijon mustard
- dash of salt to taste
Instructions
- Cook the farro according to the package instructions. When done, you can lightly salt and pepper the farro as desired. I also added a bit of smoked paprika, to taste.
- Blend all of the dressing ingredients together until smooth and creamy.
- Toss the farro, kale, and walnuts together with the dressing until evenly distributed. Plate the salad, then top with the apples and pomegranate seeds. Serve immediately.*
Notes
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