Caffeine Free Watercress & Apple Salad with Fresh Goat Cheese
Peppery watercress meets crisp apple slices, tangy goat cheese, and golden toasted pumpkin seeds in a salad that feels both refreshing and genuinely satisfying. The honey-and-apple-cider-vinegar dressing ties everything together with a bright, lightly sweet acidity that makes each bite pop. Toasting the pumpkin seeds in a dry skillet until they start to jump and turn golden is a small step that adds a serious depth of flavor and crunch you won't want to skip. Everything here is naturally free of caffeine — no tea extracts, no chocolate, no hidden additives — just whole, clean ingredients you can feel good about. It's the kind of salad that works as an elegant starter or a light standalone meal, especially when you finish it with a scatter of fresh thyme leaves. Serve it immediately after dressing so the watercress stays lively and the apples hold their crispness.
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Learn more →Ingredients
4 servings
For the salad
- 5 oz fresh watercress, thick stems trimmed
- 2 medium crisp apples (such as honeycrisp or fuji), cored and thinly sliced
- 3 oz fresh goat cheese, crumbled
- 3 tbsp raw pumpkin seeds
For the dressing
- 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tsp honey
- ¼ tsp fine sea salt
- 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
For serving
- 1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves (optional)
Instructions
- 1
Toast the pumpkin seeds in a small dry skillet over medium heat, stirring frequently, until they begin to pop and turn golden, about 3–4 minutes. Transfer to a plate and let cool completely.
- 2
Whisk together the apple cider vinegar, honey, and fine sea salt in a small bowl until the honey dissolves. Drizzle in the olive oil in a thin, steady stream while whisking continuously until the dressing is emulsified and slightly thickened.
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