Fall Harvest Salad with Maple Apple Cider Vinaigrette

It's a terrible photo, everyone was in too big a hurry to eat.  No time for good photography, but a spectacularly delicious recipe adapted from Chef Michael Smith

Printable Recipe

Prep time: 20 minutes
Assembly & Serve: 5 minutes
Serves 6+ (depending on what you're serving it with)

Ingredients:
Roasted Pumpkin seeds: last for at least 1 month, great sprinkled on roasted salmon too
2 cups pumpkin seeds, shelled
1 tbsp salt
2 cups water
1 cup brown sugar
1 tbsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground allspice
1 tsp ground cloves
Dried fruit:
1 cup either/all dried cherries, blueberries &/cranberries
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 red wine vinegar
Salad:
Your favorite mixed greens (my very technical measurement (1 large double handful per person)
1/4 red cabbage very thinly sliced (I love my mandolin for this job)
Handful of arugula leaves
1/2 cup shredded carrot
1 tangy, juicy apple (I love crunchy MacIntosh or Honey Crisp), thin julienne strips (another mandolin job)  or shredded
handful of pomegranate seeds (optional, but delicious)
Apple Cider Vinaigrette: This makes a lot of dressing, but keeps well
1 cup good extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp Dijon (I love Kozlik's Amazing Maple or Balsamic Fig & Date or Honey & Lime mustard)
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar (I love Boates Farm Balsamic style)

Directions:
Pumpkin seeds:
1. Preheat oven to 350F/175C and line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment.

2. In a small saucepan, bring water, salt, brown sugar to a boil.  Add cinnamon, allspice, cloves and pumpkin seeds, tossing well.  Simmer for 10 minutes.  Strain.

3. Scatter seeds on the prepared baking sheet and bake until lightly toasted and crunchy (about 15 minutes or so).  Toss after 10 minutes.   Allow to cool completely before adding to the salad.

These can be made in advance and they keep well for at least a month.

Dried fruit:
Combine your choice of dried fruit with vinegar and sugar and let stand for at least 30 minutes.  Strain before using.  These can also be made ahead of time and kept in a sealed container.

Apple Cider Vinaigrette:
Place everything in a 2 cup mason jar and shake vigorously until emulsified.
Note: According to Chef Michael, this keeps for months in the fridge.  Frankly, we found it addictive, so it really never lasted very long.

Salad assembly:
Toss greens, cabbage, carrots, apple in a large serving bowl.  Scatter seeds and dried fruit and drizzle some dressing.  Toss again and serve.