Cinnamon Kissed Carrot, Apple, Raisin and Pecan Salad with a Maple Lime Dressing

I promise this works! I've been rather oddly craving a carrot salad lately. Why I don't know, I'm not some salad nut and I'm not sure I've had many carrot salads before but there you go. I decided I wanted to go the sweet route here,  I usually don't go for sweet savoury things but it's damn good! Combining carrots with apple, raisins and pecans are pretty standard in a carrot salad but I wanted a different dressing, not something creamy as is traditional in carrot salads. I felt it needed something citrusy - the sharpness would help with all that sweetness and help stop the apple browning. I've always loved maple and lime together so that was that. Whipped up this dressing and OMG it is soooo good!! If the whole salad is sweetness overload for you I still recommend making that dressing for a regular leaf salad or something as it's seriously drinkable :-)

The addition of cinnamon was a whim of mine as it simply went with everything in this salad, only a tiny pinch is needed here, you don't want to overpower it all. The end result is like eating a fresh bowl of carrot cake batter - now that's a salad I can get into :-)

Cinnamon Kissed Carrot, Apple, Raisin and Pecan Salad with a Maple Lime Dressing:
Serves 2 as a main or 4 as a side:

175g carrot -about 2 medium-large
50-100g apple, peeled - about 1 large, any type, I used Fuji here
50g raisins
50g chopped pecans
Dressing:
1 Tbsp peanut oil
1 Tbsp fresh lime juice, sieve out the bits
1 Tbsp maple syrup
pinch salt
tiniest pinch of cinnamon

First make your dressing, add the oil to a small bowl then slowly pour in the lime juice, whisking well all the while until all emulsified and thick. Now whisk in the maple syrup, pinch of salt and the cinnamon. I measured the cinnamon by just using the very tip of a sharp knife - no more than that. Whisk together well.

For the salad, it's really easy and best to use a food processor here. I just fed the carrot and apple into it with my grater attatchment. Tip into a large bowl and add the raisins and pecans, toss well. Give the dressing another whisk then pour over the salad and toss well. Serve. Despite the apple in here this keeps well, my leftovers are still looking good - no browning! If you don't have a food processor just use a hand grater.

Nutritional Information: per 100g
Calories: 200
Fat: 12.7g
Sat Fat: 1.4g
Fibre: 3.5g
Protein: 2.0g
Carbs: 20.7g
Sugar: 15.8g

♥

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