Cinnamon-Raisin Bagel Salad with Apple Butter Cashew Dressing
Perfect for breakfast, brunch, lunch, or dinner.
Brunch—it’s all about harmonious fusion. Behold the elegant whimsy of the cinnamon-raisin bagel salad: The tang in the apple cider vinegar…and the bit of bitter in the dark leafy greens…and the sweetness in the raisins, carrots, apples, and cinnamon… and the buttery undertones of the cashew are a master class in checks-and-balances. Like the other bagel salads (the Everything and the Blueberry with Chocolate Vinaigrette), this salad takes less than 20 minutes to make and is easy to scale up or down.
Ingredients: two entrée-sized salads
Just “shave” off the fluffy tips of the florets.
4 cups dark leafy greens such as spinach 1 cup LAFF protein crumbles 2 cinnamon-raisin bagels Cinnamon (sprinkle) Maldon sea salt flakes (sprinkle) Cooking spray or neutral oil 4 tablespoons cashew butter 4 tablespoons apple cider vinegar 3-4 tablespoons of apple butter 3-4 tablespoons water Fine sea salt (to taste) 1 large broccoli crown 2 apples (cored and seeded) 2 carrots (peeled or scrubbed) ¼ cup raisins (or other dried fruit such as cranberries, dates, or apricots)
Method
Croutons: Preheat the oven to 415 Fahrenheit. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Cut two cinnamon-raisin bagels into chunks for croutons. Transfer the cubes to the prepared baking sheet. Spray the cubes with cooking spray and sprinkle them with cinnamon and a pinch of flakey sea salt. Stir the cubes to ensure that they’re coated with oil, cinnamon, and salt, and separate them so that they’re not touching each other. Bake for 8-10 minutes, stirring after 4 minutes to check the level of toastedness.
Dressing: Meanwhile, whisk 4 tablespoons of cashew butter, 4 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar, 3-4 tablespoons of apple butter, and 3-4 tablespoons of water in a bowl, jar, or even liquid measuring cup until smooth. Add salt to taste. Adjust the consistency with water. (See lighter version of the dressing in the notes.)
Crunch and color.
Produce: Shave the broccoli buds (the small green bulbs that make up the florets) off a large broccoli crown by running a sharp chef’s knife through the top of the florets. Store and stalks and rest of the florets for another use. Shred two peeled carrots and two unpeeled (but cored and seeded) apples in a food process or on a box grater. Add ¼ cup raisins to the food processor and pulse once or twice.
Assembly: Arrange 2 cups of dark leafy greens in each of two bowls. Divide the shredded carrot-apple-raisins between the two bowls. Top each salad with ½ cup LAFF protein crumbles and croutons. Drizzle with dressing or serve on the side.
Notes
Croutons are best straight out of the oven.
Adjust the amount of cinnamon and raisins based on the bagels you’re using. If there’s not a small piece of raisin and cinnamonny look to each of your bagel chunks, then go heavier with the pre-bake cinnamon sprinkle and/or bump up the dried fruit to ½ cup.
My inspiration for this dressing was from a recipe on the Once Again website. All of the nut butters I’ve tried from Once Again are superb. And the simple cashew butter-apple cider vinegar combo is brilliant.
Leftover dressing may separate. No big deal because…we have the technology to stir! (Also, store leftover dressing in the fridge.)
To reduce fat in the dressing, substitute the 4 tablespoons of cashew butter with 4 tablespoons of powdered peanut butter and increase the water to 5-6 tablespoons. The powdered peanut butter version of the dressing lacks the buttery mellowness of the cashew version, but it still tastes good with the slightly bitter greens.
Amidst the checks-and-balances, the touches of salt (Maldon flakes on the bagel croutons and fine sea salt in the dressing) bring together the sweet and bitter flavors…diplomacy you can taste.
I am not sponsored by or affiliated with companies other than LAFFkitchen.