Walking Salad

When I was a young lass, my aunt would have my sister and me over for special weekends at her house in Rochester, Minnesota. She would take us to the Farmer's Market, the Pannekoeken restaurant, and nature explorations and fun hikes.

The Walking Salad is an old Girl Scout recipe that I learned from Aunt Gen. Most people don't think of carving an apple hollow like a pumpkin, but it's a pretty sweet memory to have as a kid. And it really is great to pack for hikes. I still eat this salad for lunch all the time -- but I skip the hollowed apple part. You can just cut up an apple and eat the filling in a bowl!

Added bonus: Eating an apple a day never fails to give me an energy boost.

Braeburns are my favorite. Yum.

12 apples
1/2 c walnuts, chopped
2 c cottage cheese
1/2 c raisins
2 tbsp mayonnaise

Cut tops off apples and core them, leaving the bottoms on the apples. Scoop out apple pulp and chop it up. Mix everything; stuff mixture into apple shells and put the tops back on. Carry each apple in a ziploc bag until ready to eat! Keep cold. Serves 12.