With leaves turning orange and days growing shorter, our skin will soon feel the seasonal change that arrives with the cold autumn breeze. Fall ushers in lower temperatures that dry our complexions but also brings harvest produce to nourish our skin. Foods like apples, pears, pumpkins and yams are all packed with essential vitamins and nutrients – delicious sensory treats for our tastebuds as well as our skin.

To celebrate the arrival of autumn (and the last few days of summer), we've put together a delicious vegan autumn salad recipe for you to enjoy. 

With a blend of vitamin-rich ingredients, this Autumn Chop Salad crams in apples and pears loaded with antioxidants to fight the aging effects of free radicals. Generous spoonfuls of pumpkin seeds bring a rich source of zinc, a mineral needed for immunity and skin health. Yams are another star ingredient - packed with potassium, copper and manganese which energize your body and rejuvenate the skin. Paired with a complementary apple and Dijon mustard dressing, this salad will have you - and your skin - ready for the change in seasons.

AUTUMN CHOP SALAD

INGREDIENTS:
Salad:
(Use organic ingredients wherever  possible)
•    ½ cup Granny Smith apple
•    ½ cup ripe pear
•    8 cups spinach
•    ½ cup yams, cut into small cubes
•    ½ cup beets, cut into small cubes
•    3 tablespoons pumpkin seeds
•    1 tablespoon cranberries

Salad Dressing:
•    2 tablespoons grainy Dijon mustard
•    1 tablespoon agave syrup
•    2 tablespoons applesauce
•    1 tablespoon pure apple cider vinegar
•    1 tablespoon olive oil

INSTRUCTIONS:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Chop the yams and beets into small cubes. On a well-oiled baking sheet, distribute the chopped yams and beets evenly and sprinkle with a pinch of salt. Bake the yam and beet cubes for approximately 20 minutes or until browned. While the yam and beet cubes are baking, chop the Granny Smith apples and the pear into small cubes. Once the yam and beet cubes are cooked and nicely browned on the outside, remove them from the oven and place them aside to cool. Once the yam and beet cubes have cooled, mix them with the apple, pear, pumpkin seeds and cranberries and lay them on a bed of spinach. 

To make the dressing, simply pour all the ingredients into a jar or container, adding ingredients to adjust the taste as you please. Shake well when ready to serve. 

To experience even more yam and pumpkin benefits, try our Yam & Pumpkin Enzyme Peel. 
Can’t get enough? For something a little different, try our Stone Crop Revitalizing Body Scrub or book an appointment with one of our Eminence Spa Partners.

This article was originally written by Chloe Hunt in 2016.