Mixed green salad with pecans, dried cranberries, goat cheese, red bell pepper and a honey mustard balsamic vinaigrette.
My neighbor Molly has been bringing this salad to our neighborhood potluck parties for the past few years and everyone goes absolutely crazy for it!
The basic elements are mixed leafy greens with pecans and goat cheese, tossed with a sweet mustard vinaigrette.
Use more or less of each ingredient to suit your taste.
Mixed green salad with pecans, goat cheese and honey mustard vinaigrette
If you’re preparing ahead of time for a party, don’t add the dressing until you’re ready to serve. The recipe yields more salad dressing than is needed for the salad.
ingredients
pecans:
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4 ounces all pecans
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1 tablespoon Butter, melted
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1 tablespoon sugar
Honey Mustard Vinaigrette:
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3/4 Cup Extra virgin olive oil
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1/4 Cup balsamic vinegar
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2 tablespoon Honey mustard
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1 clove Garlic, chopped (about 1 teaspoon)
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1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
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salt and pepper, taste
Salad:
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1 lb mixed leaf saladincluding fresh baby spinach
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4 ounces goat cheese
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1/4 Cup sweetened dried cranberries
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1 red bell peppercored, cored and sliced into 1 to 2 inch thin slices
method
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Toast the pecans:
Preheat oven to 300°F. Place the pecans in a bowl, sprinkle over the melted butter and toss until they are all well coated in butter. Then sprinkle the pecans with sugar and gently toss again until lightly coated.
Line a baking sheet with silpat or parchment paper and spread the coated pecans on it in a single layer.
Bake in the oven at 300°F for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and let rest until cool enough to touch.
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Make the dressing:
In a jar, combine olive oil, balsamic vinegar, honey mustard, minced garlic and red pepper flakes, cover and shake until dressing is well combined. Season with salt and pepper.
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Serve the salad:
Place the lettuce and spinach in a large bowl. Add the goat cheese, dried cranberries, red bell pepper, and pecans. Mix in 1/4 cup of the dressing.
Serve immediately. Chill the rest of the dressing.
| nutritional information (per serving) | |
|---|---|
| 239 | calories |
| 20g | Fat |
| 12g | carbohydrates |
| 5g | protein |
