Waldorf Salad
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Waldorf Salad is said to have been created between 1893 and 1896 at the Waldorf Hotel (now the Waldorf-Astoria) in New York City. The fresh salad almost always includes chopped apples, grapes, celery and nuts and is dressed with a mayonnaise and lemon juice dressing. I first had this probably 10 years ago or so and instantly fell in love. I love the combination of apples, grapes and walnuts, and sometimes I add raisins as well. You can really experiment with all different sorts of variations – apples or pears, different nuts and dried fruits. It’s totally versatile and makes an awesome spring or summertime lunch, and is also perfect for serving at tea party-type settings such as baby or wedding showers.
I am sharing this recipe as a part of Kelly’s Tea Party for the Cure campaign. Foodbuzz has teamed up Electrolux and Kelly Ripa to help raise awareness of ovarian cancer and also raise funds for research. Foodbuzz and Electrolux are partnering to host a Top 9 Tea Party Takeover on Friday, March 25th. In a Top 9 Takeover, Foodbuzz asks all Featured Publishers to construct a post around a theme and then, for one day only, all Top 9 posts reflect that theme. For this Electrolux Tea Party Top 9 Takeover, Featured Publishers were asked to create the perfect tea party recipe. Foodbuzz is donating $50 to the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund for every tea party recipe created by a Featured Publisher before March 23rd.
I am thrilled to be taking part in another Top 9 Takeover for a good cause (you might remember my Ultimate Peanut Butter & Chocolate Banana Split last summer), and encourage you to check out http://www.kelly-confidential.com to learn more. Plus, if you select a tea party outfit on the site, Electrolux will donate $1 to the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund.
‘Tis the season for girly, summer parties!
Two years ago: Irish Soda Bread
Three years ago: Brioche Raisin Snails
Waldorf Salad Recipe
Yield: 8 servings
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes
Ingredients:
2 cups cubed apples (peeled and cored)
1 cup halved red grapes
½ cup chopped celery
¼ cup chopped walnuts
1 teaspoon lemon juice
2/3 cup mayonnaise
LettuceDirections:
In a large bowl, combine all ingredients except lettuce; mix lightly. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. To serve, place a large leaf of lettuce on a plate and spoon a generous serving onto the middle of the lettuce leaf.
(Recipe adapted from an old Pillsbury "Garden Fresh Salads & Vegetables" recipe booklet of my mom's from 1990)
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This looks so delicious and perfect for spring too! Love the red grapes in there as well. Yum!
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Mmm I love this salad! I also fell in love with this when I first tried it. It’s gotta be the apples.
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This is just one of those foods I cannot wrap my palate around. I can’t do fruit and mayo together. But if I DID like it, I’d try your recipe!
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Barbara | VinoLuciStyle on March 21st, 2011 at 12:45 pm
Mandie maybe you could try substituting some or all of the mayo with yogurt? I do that to cut the fat calories and it’s equally good.
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I absolutely love this salad. Sometimes I’ll add chicken if I need a heartier protein-filled lunch. Also, to make it a bit lighter, sometimes I’ll swap out the mayonnaise for non-fat plain Greek yogurt. Although, Chobani just came out with a lemon flavored Greek yogurt, so I might try that with a little extra lemon juice. Yum-O! Thanks for the post!
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Oh my gosh – this brought back some wonderful memories! My grandma used to make Waldorf Salad all the time for family holiday gatherings. Your post and my nostalgia are making me crave this salad tonight!
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I LOVE the Waldorf salad! So delicious and absolutely perfect for a Spring party!
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Loving this! So mmmmm!!
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Perfect for lunch!
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Delicious, and such a great cause. Good for you!
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Easily one of my favorite salads. I make mine exactly the same as you do.
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I don’t think I’ve ever tried a Waldorf Salad — how funny! Must remedy that
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Love the combination of smooth and crunchy in this dish. I’ve never had this salad before but it sounds delicious!
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This is a wonderful addition to the tea party! Waldorf salad is one of my favorites. I wish I had more excuses to eat it!
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Oh my goodness!!! I am so excited that I stumbled upon this recipe
I am in lovvveeee with Waldorf Chicken Salad! I am always asking the chef at work when he is going to make it next. Looking forward to trying your version!
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My twist on Waldorf salad for a healthful, late summer or early fall breakfast: Use whipped cottage cheese (I go with 1% fat) as a binder instead of mayo. Sprinkle with cinnamon. Serve with toasted wheat English muffin or whole wheat tortilla.
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One of my favorite childhood memories is going to the Waldorf with my mother and her introducing me to this salad. It was delicious then and delicious now!
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A wonderful classic salad for a very worthy cause.
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Our family recipe for this is from my British grandmother. Rather than a mayo based dressing, we make our own sweet & sour dressing. So good!
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Waldorf salad was always my favorite as a kid…and still is!
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This is absolute perfection!
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My family makes a desserty version of this at the holidays – usually apples, grapes, and maraschino cherries, plus or minus nuts, with lightly sweetened whipped cream instead of mayo. I could eat tubs of it.
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I have never had a waldoft salad. That looks wonderful.
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I used to make this salad all the time for lunch at school. It was always very satisfying! To make it a bit healthier (and egg free), I would drizzle olive oil and a bit of lemon juice over the salad instead of the mayo and it was still pretty good! Not quite the purist’s version, but that’s okay.
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Definitely the best presented Waldorf Salad I have ever seen!
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Great Summer salad! Thanks for sharing.
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i mix the fruit with vanilla yogurt and cool whip (not fat free) sooooo yummy!
just mix the yogurt and cool whip together and blend with all other ingredients.
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