Waldorf salad may have been invented in New York but the recipe has traveled to California. And it is part of our traditional Thanksgiving dinner. Every year we tweak it a little but the basic ingredients remain the same – apples, celery, nuts and a dressing.

We have used green and red apples – I prefer the red.  We have used walnuts, pecans and almonds – I prefer pecans since I am allergic to walnuts. We have used mayo, yogurt and sour cream based dressings. The original recipe calls for red grapes or raisins. I usually omit them, but have used unsweetened dried cranberries as garnish. We eat it straight up; not bothering with lettuce. This year I’m tweaking the dressing to make it a vegan delight.

The proportions are the important thing in making this salad. Since we make it for about 20 people at a time, I have cut this recipe down to real people portions. I have worked on several variations of this recipe and this is the favorite!

Vegan Waldorf Salad

1. Cut 3 large red apples in 1/4-1/2 inch cubes
2. Add 1-2 Tablespoons lemon juice and mix it well; this keeps the apples from turning brown
3. Create the basic salad by adding chopped nuts and celery and add to the apples
   • 1 cup celery
   • 1/2 cup pecans (walnuts and almonds will also work)
4. Make the dressing by putting all the ingredients in the blender and blending very well
   • 1/4 cup almost nut mayo or thin cashew cheese
   • pinch of salt
   • pinch of ground cloves
   • 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
   • 1/4 t lemon zest (or orange zest)
   • OPTIONAL: 1 teaspoon of honey
   • OPTIONAL: if the mixture is to thick add a little nut milk to thin it to the right consistency
5. Pour dressing over the salad mixture and cover
6. Chill in the fridge for at least an hour before serving
7. When ready to serve garnish with dried juice sweetened cranberries

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday since it is all about gratitude and food. This is a great time to pause for a few moments and be grateful for all the wonderful things you have in your life.