Fall Apple Mandarin Orange Spinach Salad with Mandarin-Poppy Seed Dressing

This Spinach Salad with Sliced Apples and Mandarin Oranges and a homemade Mandarin-Poppy Seed dressing is so delicious it will have you going for seconds!

This recipe is brought to you in partnership with Collective Bias, Inc., and Sahale Snacks. The recipe and opinions are my own.

Whenever anyone in my family has a dinner party and I ask what I can bring, the request is usually "bring one of those delicious salads that you make, you know, the ones with the fruit and the nuts." And it's true, I am awesome at putting together delicious salads. You see, it's pretty easy: all you need for a perfect salad is a combination of sweet and salty, soft and crunchy, and acidic & oily for the dressing.

This Apple Mandarin Orange Salad with homemade Mandarin-Poppy Seed Dressing has it all, and it is what I will be bringing to dinner parties this Fall. I also plan on serving it with dinner whenever we have anyone over this Fall.

More homemade salad dressings to try: Creamy Basil Dressing

It's a perfect Fall salad because Gala apples are in season. And it is great for entertaining because it is ridiculously easy to put together so you can focus on what matters - your guests!

The toppings for this salad make the perfect combination of sweet/salty/crunchy/soft - feta cheese, apples, mandarin orange slices, and candied nuts add a delicious crunch to every bite of the salad, and they are both salty and sweet, doing triple work to make this salad delicious.

Enjoy this Fall salad with a few of our favorite Fall dishes:

• Mashed butternut squash with white beans
• Roasted Turkey Breast - perfect Thanksgiving dinner for two or for small families!

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4.59 from 12 votes

Fall Apple Mandarin Orange Spinach Salad with Mandarin-Poppyseed Dressing

This Apple Mandarin Orange Spinach Salad with a homemade Mandarin-Poppy Seed dressing is so delicious, it will have you going for seconds! A perfect Fall salad.

Total Time10 minutes mins

Servings: 4 large salads, or 6-8 side salads

Author: Kate Vaynshteyn

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Ingredients

For the Salad:

• 9 cups baby spinach - (about 9 oz)
• 1 gala apple
• 2 (4-oz) cups mandarin oranges in juice
• Sahale Snacks Honey Almonds Glazed Mix - , 4 oz bag
• ½ cup crumbed feta cheese

For the Dressing:

• 3 tablespoon mandarin orange juice
• 2 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• ½ teaspoon poppy seeds
• pinch of garlic powder
• pinch of onion powder
• pinch of salt and pepper - , to taste

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Instructions

• Core and thinly slice the apple. Drain the juice from the mandarin oranges into a cup, reserving 3 tablespoons of juice for the dressing.
• Combine all the salad ingredients in a large bowl (see notes below) and gently toss together. Dress with mandarin-poppy seed dressing right before serving.
• Mix all the ingredients for the dressing in a small jar or food storage container. Shake well before use. Store leftover dressing in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.

Notes

If you prefer to serve the salads individually for each person instead of family-style in a bowl, divide the baby spinach between 4-6 large salad plates and arrange the toppings over the spinach. Pass the dressing around so guests can serve themselves right before digging in.

The nutritional information displayed is an estimate and not to be used as dietary or nutritional advice. Consult a nutritionist or dietician for nutritional info based on the exact ingredients you use.

What are your favorite salad toppings?