The story goes that this salad was first served for a charity ball in honor of the St. Mary’s Hospital for Children, at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York City in the late 1800’s. The maitre d’hotel developed many of the dishes there and is credited with creating this recipe. Traditionally it’s made with mayonnaise, apples, and celery. This version has walnuts, red grapes, apples, and celery, and absolutely no mayonnaise! I’ve always had a strong aversion to it, in fact, I won’t even allow it in my fridge! I’ll tell you more about being a picky eater another time, but mayo is one of many foods I won’t touch. Thankfully we didn’t have it growing up, because my mom had no idea what it was! So…I used my favorite dairy-free yogurt (coyo) here which gives it quite a bit of tartness, but definitely, add your favorite sweetener if you like the sweeter side of things. A Greek yogurt would also be delicious if you’re ok with dairy. You can add chicken, or different fruits and serve this as an appetizer or light meal. It really is so refreshing and super healthy! Post a comment if you decide to give it a try!
- 3 c apples cut into bite-size pieces (I used 1 red & 1 granny smith)
- 1 c celery chopped into bite-size pieces (2 ribs)
- 1 c red grapes sliced in half
- ¼ chopped walnuts, or your favorite nut
- Large pinch of salt
- Optional: 2 Tbl dried sour cherries, cranberries, or raisins
- Optional: 1-2 Tbl your favorite sweetener
- ¼ c, plus 1 Tbl yogurt (vegan or dairy)
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- In a large bowl mix yogurt, lemon juice, and sweetener together.
- Add the rest of the ingredients and toss until everything is nicely coated. Adjust your flavors by adding more yogurt and/or sweetener as needed.