Waldorf Salad

I am here with a cool, crisp, summer salad though we are still a season away from our summer. :) Waldorf salad happens to be light, refreshing and especially an apt one for the sultry summer months. Prepared with fresh ingredients, it can be put together in around 5 minutes and can be served as an appetizer or a light meal. Its name comes after the Waldorf hotel, New York city where it was first created during the late 19th century. After the merger with hotel Astoria in 1897, the hotel has been since renamed as Waldorf - Astoria. The original recipe was supposedly an experiment by maitre d'hotel at Waldorf, Oscar Tschirky . Though there are several variations of this salad now, the original version had fresh apples, celery and walnuts with a mayonnaise dressing, served on a bed of lettuce.

There are many variations of the Waldorf salad now and one can adapt it to their personal preferences, by adding or omitting ingredients. Some even add grapes / dried fruits / meat. And if mayonnaise is not preferred, it can be replaced with yogurt / sour cream as I have done here.

Sweet, juicy apples, the crunchy nuts, sharp celery and the cool, crisp lettuce with a peppery yogurt - lemon dressing together truly made a delightful meal and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Adjust the quantities of the ingredients as needed for more servings. And if you are a mayonnaise eater, then use it in place of yogurt. I had prepared a single serving for my lunch today and so just shredded the lettuce and tossed it along with the other ingredients.
 

Ingredients:
1 cup Shredded lettuce / lettuce
2 - 3 Tbsp diced celery
1 cup cored and chopped apple
2 Tbsp roughly chopped walnuts
3 Tbsp Yogurt
1 Tsp lemon juice
Salt & pepper to taste

Method:
* Combine the shredded lettuce, celery, apple and walnuts in a salad bowl. Whisk together yogurt, lemon juice, salt and pepper, add to the bowl and toss well. 
* If planning to serve on a bed of fresh lettuce, don't shred lettuce. Mix all the other ingredients and serve on the lettuce leaves.

This is my Day 3 post of Blogging Marathon #26, under the theme "Soups and Salads". Check what other marathoners are cooking during this BM#26.

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