Fall harvest salad with kale, apples and dried cherries

I'm a creature of habit when it comes to shopping, but if I'm in a certain neighborhood, I'll take advantage of whatever grocery store or small market is available. Recently, I was in Kenwood and decided to pop into Trader Joes since the parking lot looked manageable.

I happily picked up some apples and brown rice, but had to take advantage of their variety of bagged salad. Normally, I stick with hearts of romaine or loose spinach leaves. This week I treated myself to a bag of shaved kale, red cabbage and Brussels sprouts.I love this combination for a number of reasons.

For one- it's so dang pretty! Plus, the combo platter of cruciferous vegetables can't be beet. These are high in potassium, fiber and loads of cancer-fighting phytochemicals.

All you need is a decent dressing for a salad or a few ingredients to roast these.I opted for a fall harvest salad with crisp Pink lady apples. Gala, Fiji or Honey Crisp would go well here, too. I like to add more color to my salad, so I skipped the usual Granny Smith.

I made this salad vegan, though I have to admit- blue or feta cheese would really pull the salad together.I've always been a fan of dried cherries- but hey, if dried apricots or raisins are your thing- toss them in.

I had slivered almonds on hand, so those went in as well. Walnuts or pecans are also a great addition to salads.

Ingredients

1 bag Trader Joes kale, Brussels sprouts & cabbage salad mix

2 pink lady apples, cut into 1" chunks

1/2 cup almond slivers

1/4 cup dried cherries

1/2 cup poppy seed dressing

Directions

Combine salad mix, apple chunks, almonds and dried cherries in a bowl.

Add poppy seed dressing and toss to coat.

Makes 6-8 servings.