It’s September which means apples are right in their prime season! Although apples are available year-round, most apples ripen in the August-October time frame. I’ve had a craving for apples ever since September began so I was so excited when I was contacted recently about trying an apple variety called SweeTango that I’ve never had before.
SweeTango apples a variety bred at the University of Minnesota and are a cross between the Honeycrisp and Zestar! varieties. The apples are crisp and sweet with a hint of citrus, honey, and spice and have a nice crunchy and juicy texture that’s perfect to eat raw. They have a beautiful coloring too — SweeTango is a blush apple with deep red coloration over a yellow breaking background. The variety first hit store shelves in limited quantities in 2009, and has since grown to achieve distribution across the U.S. and Canada.
Photo Courtesy of SweeTango
I received two SweeTango apples in the mail and couldn’t wait to try them! One I saved for me to just enjoy on its own and the other went into one of the most delicious salads I’ve ever had, an Autumn-inspired Apple Salad with Cinnamon Honey Dijon Dressing. This salad is packed with a bunch of different textures and flavors which is what I really love about it. But the true star of the salad is the SweeTango apple!
Photo Courtesy of SweeTango
Ingredients:
Salad:
- 2 cups red leaf lettuce, torn
- 2 cups spinach leaves, torn
- 1/2 cup thinly sliced fennel bulb
- 1/2 cup walnuts, toasted
- 2 tablespoons salted pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
- 2 tablespoons dried cherries
- 2 tablespoons golden raisins
- the juice of 1 lemon
- 1 SweeTango apple, thinly sliced
Dressing:
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 2 teaspoons honey
- 1 tablespoon minced shallot
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- a pinch of salt and pepper
Tear the red leaf lettuce and spinach leaves. Rinse and dry.
Add the walnuts to a small saute pan over medium heat and toast until fragrant, one to two minutes. Remove from heat.
Thinly slice your fennel bulb.
Thinly slice the SweeTango apple. Squeeze the lemon juice over the apple slices and toss to coat.
Add the olive oil, cider vinegar, red wine vinegar, mustard, honey, shallot, cinnamon, salt, and pepper to a jar. Shake until thoroughly combined.
Add the lettuce, spinach, fennel, and apple slices to a large salad bowl. Toss to combine.
Top with walnuts, pumpkin seeds, dried cherries, and golden raisins. Drizzle the dressing on top and serve.
So. I made this salad to share with my boyfriend. But he was late getting home and it just looked so good that I barely had anything to share with him!
I don’t think I can describe this salad well enough to do it justice. It really highlighted all of the awesome qualities of SweeTango apples. It was SO good: sweet, a bit of spice, crunchy — just YUM. For a non-vegan version, add some shaved cheddar cheese on top. Want a protein? Grilled chicken would be a delicious accompaniment!
If you’re in search of the SweeTango variety near you, check out their “Sweet Spot” interactive map on www.sweetango.com. As foodies flock to grocery stores and farmer’s markets across the country to pick up the seasonal treat, they’ll be asked to help grow the map by populating it with their favorite SweeTango “Sweet Spot” using the #SpotSweeTango on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. Fans also can text their SweeTango “Sweet Spot” location to 99000.
The map will serve as a resource throughout the season, allowing existing fans and SweeTango newcomers to hop online or pull out their phones to instantly find where they can pick up America’s favorite apple.
Photo Courtesy of SweeTango
What’s more, SweeTango lovers who contribute to the map will get a chance to win a season’s supply of SweeTango and a trip to one of the scenic orchards that produce this standout apple variety. The sweepstakes runs through November 30!
Ingredients
- 2 cups red leaf lettuce, torn
- 2 cups spinach leaves, torn
- ½ cup thinly sliced fennel bulb
- ½ cup walnuts, toasted
- 2 tablespoons salted pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
- 2 tablespoons dried cherries
- 2 tablespoons golden raisins
- the juice of 1 lemon
- 1 SweeTango apple, thinly sliced
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 2 teaspoons honey
- 1 tablespoon minced shallot
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- a pinch of salt and pepper
Instructions
- Tear the red leaf lettuce and spinach leaves. Rinse and dry.
- Add the walnuts to a small saute pan over medium heat and toast until fragrant, one to two minutes. Remove from heat.
- Thinly slice your fennel bulb.
- Thinly slice the SweeTango apple. Squeeze the lemon juice over the apple slices and toss to coat.
- Add the olive oil, cider vinegar, red wine vinegar, mustard, honey, shallot, cinnamon, salt, and pepper to a jar. Shake until thoroughly combined.
- Add the lettuce, spinach, fennel, and apple slices to a large salad bowl. Toss to combine.
- Top with walnuts, pumpkin seeds, dried cherries, and golden raisins.
- Drizzle the dressing on top and serve.
The dressing sounds fantastic! All the ingredients in this salad are great!