“I’m dreaming about it” was Yali’s text about this salad. Every now and then, a sweet salad comes along and becomes a part of your life – literally. It’s on your table at almost every meal, it’s in your fridge for when the mood strikes…and it even satisfies your sweet cravings so you forget about dessert for a while.
This recipe calls for spring mix, also known as mesculin salad, an assortment of crucifers and baby greens with gorgeous contrasts of intense burgundy and green. Tossed with berries and apricots, this dish is bursting with color and truly irresistible. Once you’ve tried it, I bet you’ll be as enamored with this salad – vibrant and sweet but not cloying – as my family is.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Line a baking sheet with Gefen Parchment Paper. In a bowl, combine pecans, hazelnuts, orange juice and zest, maple syrup, honey, and balsamic vinegar.
Spread the mixture onto the prepared baking sheet and roast, uncovered, until the nuts appear glazed, five minutes, stirring occasionally to ensure that the nuts remain separated.
Allow to cool completely.
Variations:
Use honey-glazed pecans and hazelnuts instead of preparing the candied nuts yourself.
In a food processor, puree the oil, sugar, balsamic vinegar, strawberries, and salt until smooth.
Notes:
Because the dressing requires a food processor, the recipe yields enough for two salads.
In a large salad bowl, combine the salad ingredients, half the dressing, and half the candied hazelnuts and pecans.
Sprinkle the remaining nuts over the salad and serve immediately, reserving the rest of the dressing for later use.
If desired, you can chop the nuts into smaller pieces before adding to the salad.
I halved the dressing and used honey in place of the sugar. Then i blender it with immersion blender. I used it over a tossed salad of spring mix, mango, avocado, red onion, and strawberries…it was sooo good! I highly recommend.