It's nice to know that fresh cranberries can be used in more than just cranberry sauce at Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners. They are extremely versatile, and because they are not always available, it's nice to prepare lots of dishes during the winter season when they are. It's a good idea to put several bags in the freezer, since some cranberry dishes are yummy all year round. The following Cranberry Apple Salad is so good, you'll want to serve it at holiday dinners and again all through the year. Fresh (or frozen) cranberries are coarsely chopped, soaked in sugar, and drained; the slightly sweetened cranberries are put in the salad along with crisp apples, blue cheese, toasted walnuts, bacon, and power greens. The juice from the cranberries is an ingredient in the Cranberry Lime Vinaigrette which only takes about 5 minutes to make, and can be made a week or so ahead.

Most of us like to serve something out of the ordinary during the holidays, and fancy, seasonal salads like this Cranberry Apple Salad are always in demand. For a main-dish salad, add some of the leftover turkey from the holiday dinner. This one is colorful, attractive, and yummy.

24 Servings

2 cups fresh or frozen cranberries
1 cup sugar

8 ounces bacon, chopped

1 1/2 cups pecans or walnuts, coarsely chopped

8 ounces crumbled blue cheese
3 green apples, cored, but unpeeled, diced
3 red apples, cored, but unpeeled, diced

2 pounds power greens, or spring mix

Dressing:
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup lime juice
1/4 cup sugar
2/3 cup juice from the cranberries
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup vegetable oil

1. Mix the chopped cranberries and sugar in a bowl; set aside and stir occasionally until the sugar is dissolved and the cranberries are very juicy.
2. Transfer the cranberries to a fine strainer set over a bowl to drain; reserve the juice for the dressing and refrigerate the cranberries.
3. Meanwhile, fry the bacon until crisp; drain on paper towels and set aside.
4. Toast the nuts: Preheat oven to 350°.
5. Bake the pecans or walnuts for 7-8 minutes or until they are lightly browned and smell good; remove from the oven and let cool.
6. Dressing: Combine all ingredients in the blender (or whisk together well); blend until mixed.
7. Pour the leftover cranberry juice (if any) over the apples and toss along with 1/4 cup of the prepared dressing.
8. Assembly: Place the greens in a large bowl.
9. Add the drained cranberries, bacon, pecans or walnuts, apples, and blue cheese.
10. Toss well with enough dressing to moisten and serve immediately.

Amount Per Serving
Calories 269 Calories from Fat 146
Percent Total Calories From: Fat 54% Protein 8% Carb. 37%

Nutrient Amount per Serving
Total Fat 16 g
Saturated Fat 4 g
Cholesterol 10 mg
Sodium 298 mg
Total Carbohydrate 25 g
Dietary Fiber 3 g
Sugars 10 g
Protein 5 g

Vitamin A 2% Vitamin C 10% Calcium 0% Iron 2%