Sweet Danish Vegan Parsnip Salad with Apple and Carrot
This traditional Danish pastinaksalat is delightfully sweet and tangy with a fresh, crisp texture. It has nutty parsnips, sweet and tart apples, vibrantly-colored carrots, fresh dill and parsley, and a zesty vegan maple-mustard-horseradish dressing. With the satisfying buttery crunch of toasted hazelnuts. It celebrates the heirloom garden harvest and honors Nordic culinary traditions. Each bite is bursting with vibrant flavor that you, your friends, and family will love!
Ingredients
For the salad:
- ½ cup (80 grams) raw hazelnuts, with no skin
- 200 grams parsnips, unpeeled, about 2 medium
- 150 grams carrots, unpeeled, about 1 medium or a few small of various colors
- 200 grams tart green apple, cored, unpeeled, about 1 small
- 200 grams sweet red apple, cored, unpeeled, about 1 small
- 2 tablespoons (7 g) fresh dill, chopped
- 3 tablespoons (5 g) fresh parsley, chopped
For the dressing:
- ⅜ cup (90 grams) plant-based yogurt, plain, unsweetened
- 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon freshly-squeezed lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons canola (rapeseed) oil, or other neutral oil
- ½ teaspoon maple syrup
- ½ teaspoon fine salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly-ground black pepper
- 1½ teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon prepared horseradish
Instructions
Toast the hazelnuts:
- Add hazelnuts to a dry skillet over medium heat. Toast, stirring frequently, until aromatic and lightly browned (about 3–4 minutes). Let cool and chop.
Make the dressing:
- In a small bowl, add yogurt, vinegar, lemon juice, canola oil, maple syrup, salt, pepper, Dijon mustard, and prepared horseradish. Whisk to blend.
- Taste and adjust seasoning — if refrigerating before serving, the dressing should be strong since chilling reduces flavor.
Prepare the salad:
- Grate the parsnips and carrots using the large holes on a box grater, food processor, or mandoline grating blade. Add to a large bowl.
- Grate the apples the same size and gently squeeze out the excess juice. (Each 200 g apple should weigh about 150 g after gently pressing out most of the juice.)
- Chop the fresh dill and parsley.
Assemble the salad and dressing:
- In a large bowl, combine the grated parsnips, carrots, apples, toasted hazelnuts, dill, and parsley. Add the dressing, and toss gently until combined. Serve immediately for the best flavor and texture. Enjoy!
Notes
Note:
If you'd like to use mustard alone with no horseradish, start with 1 tablespoon. And if you'd like to use horseradish alone with no mustard, start with 1-2 teaspoons. Adjust according to taste.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!