Categorized:
- Appetizers & Salads
Tagged:
- balsamic vinegar
- brown sugar
- butter
- dijon mustard
- feta
- honey
- olive oil
- pecans
- spinach
- strawberries
Strawberry Spinach Salad with Candied Pecans Feta and Balsamic Vinaigrette
Ingredients
Vinaigrette
- 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1 Tbsp dijon mustard
- 1 Tbsp honey
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Candied pecans
- 3/4 cup broken or roughly chopped pecans
- 1 1/2 Tbsp brown sugar
- 1/2 Tbsp butter
Salad
- 10 oz baby spinach
- 1 lb fresh strawberries , hulled and sliced
- 5 oz . feta cheese , crumbled
- 1/3 small red onion , thinly sliced
Instructions
For the vinaigrette:
- Add vinegar to a small saucepan, bring to a boil over medium heat and allow to boil until reduced by half, about 3 minutes. Pour into a jar or bowl, add olive oil, dijon mustard, honey and whisk to blend while seasoning with salt and pepper to taste. Thin with a little water if desired. Set aside.
For the pecans:
Add pecans, brown sugar and butter to a small non-stick skillet and cook over medium-heat, stirring constantly until sugar starts to melt and caramelize, about 2 - 3 minutes. Transfer to a plate in a single layer to cool.
In a salad bowl toss together spinach, strawberries, half of the feta, red onion and pecans. Drizzle about 1/3 of the dressing over salad then plate and drizzle remaining dressing over individual portions and top with remaining half of the feta. Serve immediately.
Notes
- Try using different berries such as blueberries.
- Apples and pears are a great option instead of strawberries.
- Don’t have feta? Try a crumbly goat cheese instead.
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